This 2-day forum brings together local and international specialists to share innovative and practical approaches to the changing face of community participation. It provides the opportunity to share knowledge, recognise best practice, and develop practical skills for community collaboration and engagement.
- 10 Feb 2020-11 Feb 2020
- 09:00 - 17:00
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- James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington, Wellington City, New Zealand
- 935.00 (plus GST) Members
- 1,060.00 (plus GST) Non Members
About this event
Councils play a fundamental role in helping their communities identify and then articulate, their aspirations for the future, and as leaders of councils we need approaches to community participation that support and promote community well-being.
As part of Taituarā’s Community Well-being Service we have drawn together an exciting range of speakers and facilitators to share their wisdom, insight, ideas and experience, to support Chief Executives and their teams to lead participation with their community.
Kick off 2020 by joining us at our two-day forum on 10th & 11th February. The forum will provide case studies and examples of best practice from NZ and international councils, along with skills development opportunities for the changing face of community participation. As well as speakers we have practical sessions facilitated by DemocracyCo, a leader in enabling deliberative democratic processes, and The Glasers, an internationally recognised communication specialist group.
Places are limited so register now to continue your journey to improve the well-being outcomes of your community, through innovative and inspirational leadership.
Programme
Day one Monday 10th February 2020
8.15am Registration
9.00am Pōwhiri
9.25am Welcome
Penny Hulse, Former Deputy Mayor of Auckland and Waitakere ward representative. Penny has been recognised in the 2020 New Years Honours list for services to local government.
9.35am Opening Address
Hon. Nanaia Mahuta - Minister of Local Government & Minister for Māori Development
10.00am Case study - Turning Local Government on its head through community participation
Nicki Brady, GM Horowhenua 2040 and David McCorkindale, GM Strategy & Development, Horowhenua District Council
After 25 years of no population growth Horowhenua is now experiencing rapid growth. As one of the fastest growing territorial authorities in New Zealand, Horowhenua is experiencing the diverse challenges and exciting opportunities that this brings.
Join David McCorkindale (GM Strategy & Development) and Nicki Brady (GM Horowhenua 2040 and Partnership Development) to hear about their Council journey to better understand community needs and aspirations for the future.
With an engagement programme comprising of facilitated workshops, forums, drop-in sessions, kaumātua hui, expo’s, primary school pilots, social media engagement, pop-up engagement and online feedback, there are sure to be ideas and inspiration for all.
10.45am Morning Tea
11.15am Turning Local Government on its head - Discussion Panel facilitated by Penny Hulse
Join Chief Executive of Hutt City Council, Jo Miller, Porirua City Council’s General Manager, Policy, Planning & Regulatory Services, Nic Etheridge, and Chief Executive of Clutha District Council, Steve Hill, for a facilitated session exploring the innovative, agile and adaptive approaches they are taking to engaging with their communities. The panel will share their experiences, successes and learnings, followed by facilitated audience questions to enhance the knowledge-sharing opportunities.
12.30pm Working style lunch
1.15pm Making this real - a draft framework for deliberative democracy in your community
Emma Fletcher & Emily Jenke, DemocracyCo
(Working afternoon tea included in workshop)
- Helping participants explore the challenges they face as decision-makers, and particularly in engaging with stakeholders and the community - exploring current contextual issues focusing on the importance of socio-political trends including trust and polarization.
- Helping excite participants by presenting a number of case studies that have helped governments achieve reform and have been used to great effect in managing issues of polarisation.
- Exploring key elements of deliberative democratic practice and how they can be flexibly applied, including to policy issues participants may be facing.
5.30pm Close of day
Day Two Tuesday 11th February 2020
8.30am Reflections on day one
8.45am Making this real - Hardwiring Teamwork: A blueprint for engagement
Dr's Peter & Susan Glaser, The Glasers
(Working morning tea included in workshop)
Facilitating community well-being dialogue requires new communication skills for building consensus and solving problems collaboratively. This session will provide organisation's with the primary ingredients that fuel successful dialogue, thoughtful engagement and creative problem solving. Participants will learn research-based skills, protocols and models to:
- Build agreement, coalition, and support from divergent positions
- Avoid pitfalls that polarized and torpedo creative thinking
- Create a meeting climate that is free from personal attack, wheel spinning and negativity
- Facilitate meetings that generate involvement from everyone
- Implements a model that keeps comments brief, persuasive and on point
- Apply a five-step approach to problem solving that crafts agreements which convert into action
- Balance input from dominating and quiet people
- Learn when to use the three decision-making models: Command, Consultative, Consensus
1.00pm Working style lunch
1.45pm Making connections - Using well-being indicators to improve community outcomes
Dr Ganesh Nana, Research Director, Berl
2.30pm Opportunities for community-led development
Megan Courtney, Inspiring Communities
Community-led development (CLD) strengthens the vitality of communities by activating and weaving the contribution of everyone connected to a place/whenua. It’s an adaptive process, with the real magic happening when the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ meet each other somewhere in the middle.
CLD offers a principles-based way of thinking and working. In this session, we’ll explore community and Council readiness for CLD and how to add-value to what your communities care most about, and may already have underway.
3.10pm Afternoon Tea
3.30pm Call to action - creating positive change with your communities
Karen Thomas, Chief Executive, Taituarā
4.00pm Close of forum
Presenters
Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Minister for Local Government Read ProfileHon Nanaia Mahuta
Minister for Local GovernmentAs a mother, and a constituent MP with 20 plus years’ experience who has come from ‘flax-root’ politics, Hon Nanaia Mahuta remains connected to the aspirations of people from all walks of life. Those who work hard for a living so that their children can do better, kaumatua, trades-people, those who aspire to own their home, those who own small businesses and those who lead a range of services and organisations and huge iwi entities
During her time in Parliament, Hon Nanaia Mahuta supported policies and initiatives that built the capacity of communities, especially social service organisations, greater investment in education, employment and training opportunities particularly for young people, supported the continuation of the Treaty Settlement process and supported specific initiatives that lift the wellbeing and opportunities for young mums and those who are vulnerable and victims of abuse.
Hon Nanaia Mahuta is a tribal member of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Manu and her parliamentary experience has enabled her to contribute to the collective aspirations of Māori and all New Zealanders. She has an MA (Hons) in social anthropology.
Hon Nanaia Mahuta today holds the portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Local Government and Associate Māori Development. .
She was previously a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government, serving then as Minister of Customs, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Youth Development, Associate Minister for the Environment, and Associate Minister of Tourism.
David McCorkindale
Group Manager Customer & Strategy Read ProfileDavid McCorkindale
Group Manager Customer & StrategyDavid is currently the Group Manager Strategy & Development at Horowhenua District Council. A town planner by trade, David has spent the last 18 years in local government in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom carrying out a range of planning related roles.
During that time David has been able to experience most aspects of planning in the local government and resource management context with a few steep learning curves along the way.
He continues to enjoy the challenges and opportunities that working in local government brings, and thrives on the chance to make a real difference for local communities.
Nic Etheridge
GM Policy, Planning & Regulatory Services, Porirua City Council Read ProfileNic Etheridge
GM Policy, Planning & Regulatory Services, Porirua City CouncilNic Etheridge is the General Manager for Policy, Planning and Regulatory Services at Porirua City Council. The scope of her role spans across long term planning, consenting, strategy, policy and compliance. Prior to her GM role, Nic’s time in local government (since 2015) has been as a Manager in the area of resource management policy planning.
Nic is a trained mediator and worked for central government for the first 16 years of her career. Having trained in science and resource management, Nic started her journey with the Department of Conservation as a ranger, technical specialist, then Conservation Support Manager.
All of these roles involved working with communities, whether it was with deerstalkers resisting a 1080 drop, concessionaires wanting greater access to Tongariro Alpine Crossing, or going through a full review of a District Plan, where affordable housing and climate change impacts are front of mind.
These experiences, amongst others, have built many insights about ways to work with communities, which are continually evolving as our communities themselves do.
Megan Courtney
CLD Coordination and Practice Lead, Inspiring Communities Read ProfileMegan Courtney
CLD Coordination and Practice Lead, Inspiring CommunitiesWhile hailing from small town New Zealand, Megan spent 15 years working in local government in Auckland. Her former Waitakere City Council roles focused on facilitating and brokering sector, place-based and citywide partnerships to improve community outcomes. She’s also worked with the Department of Internal Affairs to produce practical partnering tools and resources for those working at the collaboration coalface.
When it comes to community-led development Megan describes herself as a doer, thinker, writer, planner, teacher and learner – with being part of the Inspiring Communities team enabling her to combine all six skills and passions! She’s a firm believer in the power of local people and places to do amazing things and loves working alongside communities and Councils to help make locally-led action happen.
Nelson based Megan is a founding member of the Inspiring Communities core team, and (among many things!) leads coordination of IC Team activities.
Steve Hill
Chief Executive, Clutha District Council Read ProfileSteve Hill
Chief Executive, Clutha District CouncilSteve Hill has been Chief Executive of the Clutha District Council since June 2014. He has had previous extensive local government experience at a high growth Council and a Business Excellence Gold organisation; Western Bay of Plenty District Council, as well as service in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Steve and his wife Lana have committed to the Clutha District through a second 5 year term as CE, and Steve is passionate about the growth, job and life opportunities the Clutha District offers.
Jo Miller
Chief Executive, Hutt City Council Read ProfileJo Miller
Chief Executive, Hutt City CouncilJo Miller has been Chief Executive of Hutt City Council since July 2019. She is working with a new Mayor and Council, staff, iwi, partners and the community to ensure Lower Hutt is the very best it can be for all its people.
Jo previously held one of the most high-profile local government jobs in the UK, with an outstanding track record for motivating people, creating solutions and brokering agreements in major housing, economic regeneration and capital investment schemes.
As Chief Executive at Doncaster Council, Jo was recognised as having brought exceptional growth and optimism to a previously economically depressed town. The Local Government Chronicle said Doncaster had been “dragged up from the depths of despair to something to be proud of.”
Landmark projects with a total investment of £2 billion boosted economic performance, putting Doncaster in the UK’s top ten for growth. Jo was elected President of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives in 2016 - 2019 and led the leadership portfolio on behalf of the profession. In 2017 the Local Government Chronicle named her the third most influential person in local government.