Investment in social development netting gains

Manukau City Council is seeing positive outcomes for their investments in the key social policy areas of education and employment for 2003/2004. For a financial investment of $749,000 it has netted in financial terms in excess of $8.46 million for the benefit of our residents in need.

This has come about through the external leverage achieved from investments. For example for the $200,000 invested in the City of Manukau Education Trust between 2002 and 2004 there was an equivalent injection in excess of $1.84 million mainly from Government funding. $52,000 allocated by Council for research into truancy in Manurewa between 2002/203 received $1.5 million from the Ministry of Education, specific to the Manurewa Enhancement Initiative which Council is actively advocating for.

Apart from the financial gains there is also the human capital investment that central government and other key stakeholders are making in the city. In addition Manukau City Council is influencing, through a collaborative partnership approach, decisions that are being made on budget allocations of key stakeholders such as The City of Manukau Education Trust or COMET. These decisions are having a positive impact on the residents of Manukau.

Mayor, Sir Barry Curtis is a strong advocate of this strategy, stressing, “This is in alignment with Council’s strategic directions document ‘Tomorrow’s Manukau’ which advocates for decision-makers from across the private and public sectors to work closely together for the good of Manukau. Extensive community consultation in conjunction with this, confirmed people believe education and employment are key priorities for the future to lift the living standards of our residents with limited resources. Council is responding to this need”

Such organisations also in receipt of Council funding are the Otara Work Co-Operative and the Manukau Youth Employment Project. They have received complementary funding from the Government’s Employment Catalyst Fund, and Work and Income and the Tertiary Education Commission respectively to further their goals of putting young, largely under qualified, people in work.

Sir Barry says “I believe we are on the right path implementing strategies which are lifting the standard of living of people in areas with fewer resources. This saves money for the city in social services and in the long term this will enhance the lives of all our people as they enjoy benefits of an increasingly safer and more prosperous environment”.

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