Every year councils around the country put
forward projects to be judged by their peers.
Projects they have been working on, in and with their community.
It’s hardly the Olympics, but it doesn’t get
the coverage it deserves. Why should it
get more attention? Why should you care?
In New Zealand there are 78 local councils,
seven regional councils, a few unitary councils and a super city. The business
that goes on in these councils rightly reflects current community needs, but
must also take note of social and cultural trends that will reshape our
communities in the future.
Current needs are fairly simple to
understand. Think parks and reserves, dog control, waste recovery, water
quality and roading infrastructure.
Yet it is the social and cultural shifts that
will shape the future business of councils. So what are these transformational trends?
This year’s LGA conference themes were:
- Tomorrows Places: our communities in 2050
- An international perspective on Tomorrows Places
- Collaboration and organisation: a regional approach to place making
- Engaging our communities and telling our stories
- Customer-centric services and innovative engagement – how community leaders can be intentional about creating a more emotionally engaging place
- Empowering communities to drive economic growth
- Resilient towns, cities and regions - creating places for the future
- Collaborative processes and decision-making – how working together can improve outcomes
Conference speakers stimulated discussion
about the wellbeing of people; their desires, their aspirations, their hopes
and their dreams.
(Sobering thought: In 2050 I’ll be nearly 90,
my children around 60 and someone born today will be 34).
We celebrated community-elected decision
makers who coped with the unexpected, faced huge problems in their communities
and turned them into opportunities to try something different.
We heard about the brave souls who stepped
into uncharted territory, rife with community resistance and misinformation.
These leaders not only survived the experience but also embraced the
transformation this initiated in their towns and cities.
The visionary leaders we celebrated are those
who bring transformational projects together. These projects reflect a shift in
consciousness of their community towards the communities of the future.
People gave examples of transformational
projects, of working together and becoming economically independent and
resilient. There were many case
histories of communities creating beautiful places, working collaboratively to
re-ignite a sense of what it means to belong.
Back to my first statement....
The Local Government Awards and
why these matter.
At the 2016 LGNZ conference, Rotorua Lakes
Council won the Supreme Award for its Te Arawa Partnership project. This was a
team effort and the staff and community are to be congratulated for their
courage in supporting this game changing partnership. If it is true that the
elected representatives reflect the consciousness of their community, then we
are on the right track.
You can read for yourself the criteria we
were judged on. This was a courageous
undertaking and I believe that we and our country are the better for it.
Martin Jenkins Judges' Choice
Award for Outstanding Value and Service Delivery
Drawn from all finalists,
one council will be presented with the Judges' Choice Award in recognition of its
outstanding delivery of best practice, value and service to its community.
This award will recognise
the increased value, benefit or improvements to the overall well-being of the
people within its town, city, district or region, delivered through outstanding
community engagement, environment, infrastructure, creative or economic
development strategies, projects and initiatives.
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