Leading Mayoral candidates get the Community Message

The leading candidates for the Auckland Mayoralty have certainly got the message about the importance of communities in the new city, according to the Auckland Community Development Alliance (ACDA).

Both Manukau Mayor Len Brown, and Auckland’s John Banks have been quick to sign up to Auckland’s first ever Community Development Charter.

A spokesperson for the Alliance, said the group presented the Charter to test out the commitment of leading Mayoral candidates to a set of ‘guiding principles’ for ensuring communities voices and views were reflected in the new Council structure and decision making.

“We see communities as active partners of the new Auckland Council. This Charter is one way that we can hold the Mayoral candidates accountable for their words and their deeds,” said ACDA co-spokesperson, Tony Mayow, Chair of Community Waitakere.

“The fact that both candidates were so quick to sign is proof of the positive impact that communities have made over the last year in making their frustration about the government’s reform process known. Auckland itself now needs to walk the talk and strongly involve its diverse constituent communities in what comes next for Auckland.”

“Mr Brown has made a long standing commitment to community development as a central policy platform. While he could have been expected to sign up, we were also pleasantly surprised to see Mr Banks was equally quick to accept the essence of the Charter,” said Mr Mayow.

The Charter, the full text of which is available on the ACDA website, www.acda.org.nz, promotes a vision of an Auckland ‘in which communities are strong, equitable, empowered, connected and actively involved in their own development’. Under the terms of the Charter, the Auckland Council ‘will support, enable, and encourage communities to achieve their full potential.’

“The discussions we’ve had so far have laid a firm basis for expectations of real progress in terms of the Council – community sector relationship here in Auckland” commented Yvonne Powley, ACDA co – spokesperson, and Executive Officer, North Shore Community and Social Services.

The Charter and a set of community development focused questions have now been distributed to all other Mayoral and Auckland Council candidates for their responses. ACDA will post these online as they are received.

The Community Development Alliance is bringing together communities and organisations across the region working on community development. In April 2010, 130 organisations from across Auckland Region came together to mandate ACDA’s establishment, vision and goals. See www.acda.org.nz

ENDS

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