News

Report highlights value of community planning

The Office of the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment (PCE) recently published a detailed evaluation of the Whangamata Community Plan.

The report Turning hopes and dreams into actions and results - Whangamata, a case study of community planning in a coastal area, provides a detailed analysis of the preparation and implementation of a local community planning initiative and gives the concept the thumbs-up.

The Commission undertook the investigation to determine the degree to which the development of the community plan had met and contributed towards the resolution of a number issues concerning the community and its councils.  The purpose of their investigation was to assess the effectiveness of the planning process used by the Whangamata community and local authorities to address their environmental concerns.

Whangamata is a rapidly growing coastal community with consequential pressures on water quality and the urban environment.  Development has resulted in pressure on coastal ecosystems such as degraded harbour water quality, silting of the harbour, the growth of mangrove swamps and pollution of traditional shell fish beds.  Environment Waikato (EW) and Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) undertook a community planning process to involve the Whangamata community itself in the identification of solutions. The result was the "Whangamata community Plan â?? Our Future 2001".

A range of techniques were used to develop the plan starting with a workshop on 'participatory appraisal methodology' sponsored by EW.  This was followed by a workshop for invited agencies and then a six day public workshop involving trained facilitators and out reach visits.  A mix of techniques were used to capture information and the views of participating citizens.  The process resulted in a detailed action plan with responsibility allocated to different agencies and indicative budgets identified.

In their assessment PCE found that the community planning process had the potential for "overcoming complex environmental challenges" but that careful management would be required to realize its potential.  They also found however that implementation appeared to have stalled and that many residents had unrealistic expectations with regard to the speed at which the vision could be realized.  In reality achieving the long range vision requires amending the TCDC's District Plan which, as a statutory process, takes time.  The PCE also noted the importance of making the linkages between community plans and other council plans and suggested that a dedicated champion might be required to facilitate long term commitment by stakeholders.

While the Whangamata community plan was developed in response to particular issues and concerns the PCE notes that the processes followed and its approach has considerable relevance for the process of identifying community outcomes required under the LGA 2002.  Councils currently working on their community outcomes processes or thinking about how these will link with activities in their Long Term Council Community Plans might find this report valuable reading. 

Copies are available from the Office of the Parliamentary commissioner or can be downloaded at http://www.pce.govt.nz/.

23 August 2005