A number of community engagement projects have been named as finalists in the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Excellence Awards 2018, these include:
Manurewa and Papakura Local Boards for engagement on the Manurewa Takanini Papakure Integrated Area Plan. The engagement process included a marketing campaign including the development of brand identity and logo, a range of methods and interactive tools to support engagement including a number of hui and 23 pop-up events. The end result was over 5,000 pieces of feedback with half of it coming from people under 35, normally a hard to reach demographic. LGNZ described the project as “Bold with a vision that captured the interest of the community”.
Wairoa District Council is a finalist in the Fulton Hogan EXCELLENCE Award for Community Engagement in regards to the Wairoa Wastewater Stakeholder Group it established as it undertook consultation about the future management of wastewater prior to to the Resource Consent for the wastewater scheme expiring in 2019. The Stakeholder Group was described as “An inclusive, solutions-focused and pragmatic response that included strong iwi participation and two-way community engagement”. The Stakeholder Group was made up of a cross-section of the community added to the Councils understanding of concerns held by iwi and the local community in regards to wastewater discharges into the Wairoa River.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council’s Project Thrive was an engagement process started after the 2016 election which saw six new councillors elected along with a new Mayor. The goal of Project Thrive was to cement the new council together and develop a strategic vision and direction for the community. The judges said that Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has “walked the talk’ and the process informed a series of Council decisions.” Project Thrive is a finalist in the Governance, Leadership and Strategy category.
The awards will be presented at the LGNZ Conference and Excellence Awards 2018 in Christchurch, July 15-17.
Good luck to all the finalists.