Powering up community wellbeing
Powering up community wellbeing
Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta
has announced a far-reaching programme to support New
Zealand communities realise their ambitions, goals and
potential.
“This year we introduced the four well-beings -- social, economic, environmental and cultural priorities -- into the fabric of local government. We will now be working closely with councils and communities to power up the ways they can articulate and realise the things that matter most to them,’’ Nanaia Mahuta says.
Specific options to be explored as part of the
programme include:
• Increasing local government’s
involvement in the design and targeting of public services
provided by central government;
• Placing more emphasis
on the ongoing relationship between councils and communities
as the basis for community participation;
• Innovative
ways of conducting community participation and building the
capability to support it;
• Aiming for more effective
and meaningful council relationships with
Māori;
• Ensuring council plans prioritise community
wellbeing and are driven by robust data.
“We know that councils never stopped working on these critical aspects of community life, but we believe there is more that can be achieved by focusing on some key aspects of local decision-making.’’
The range of outcomes that could follow would depend on individual community preferences, but could include regional growth, socially inclusive and resilient communities, a healthier environment and support for appropriate community infrastructure.
“Our Government is committed to a strong, robust local government sector focused on wellbeing.
“Although there are good examples of innovative practices in the system already, we want to work with local government to broaden and accelerate their uptake.
“We recognise that beyond certain ‘universal’ needs, different communities have different priorities. This work will ensure our communities are empowered to enrich, not only their own lives, but to strengthen local democracy and make it more relevant,” says Nanaia Mahuta.
Related Cabinet paper and minute: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Central-Local-Government-Partnership
Questions and
Answers
Q: Why is this programme
necessary?
A: To achieve maximum wellbeing for
our communities, we must encourage best practice across some
key aspects of local decision-making. We need:
•
better alignment between central and local government in the
provision of public services;
• to facilitate
the inclusion of wellbeing priorities and good data in
council planning; and,
• importantly, we need
to promote effective community participation and partnership
with Māori on the decisions and issues that impact their
own wellbeing.
Q: What outcomes do you
expect to achieve through it?
A: Ultimately,
there are a wide range of outcomes that we would expect to
see including regional growth, socially inclusive resilient
communities and increased environmental responsiveness but
these will depend on community preferences.
Q: How do you intend to work with local
government on this?
A: Over the next few
months, we intend to establish working groups with local
government practitioners to help develop policy options. I
would then look to discuss these options with local
government leaders early in 2020.
Q: What
happens then, and what are the anticipated
timelines?
A: We are hoping to refine the
policy options during the early part of 2020 and announce
specific initiatives in partnership with the local
government sector by May next year.
Q: How
does this relate to the Government’s other local
government work programmes?
A: All our local
government programmes are about working with local
government to improve intergenerational wellbeing and make
New Zealand a better place for all New Zealanders. This
includes having a fit-for-purpose local government financing
and funding system, working together to build community
resilience and mitigate the effects of climate change,
making sure all New Zealanders have access to safe drinking
water, ensuring high-growth councils have the tools to
provide necessary infrastructure, supporting councils to
achieve more effective relationships with Māori, and
developing strategies to assist communities impacted by high
tourism demand.
Q: Does this programme
take account of Local Government New Zealand’s
“Localism’’ project and if so how?
A: Many
of the aims and goals of this programme coincide and overlap
with LGNZ’s localism project. In many respects we are on
the same page. We do not believe, however, that formal
devolution is an effective answer to the challenges we all
face at the local level. There is much more we can do to
broaden and accelerate the excellent work that most councils
already do towards community wellbeing.