CLIENTS: Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, SociaLink Tauranga Moana, SmartGrowth BOP, Whakatane District Council and more…
Te Puna residents have launched a 10-year plan to guide the future direction of their community.
The Connectors group of community representatives has built a framework of actions for the next three, six and nine years to steer Te Puna's social, cultural, environmental and economic development. The Te Puna Community Plan records the aspirations of locals and identifies actions for implementation over the 10-year timeframe. The group consists of people from Pirirakau Hapu, Te Puna Heartland Incorporated, Te Puna School, environmental groups and stakeholders in the local economic sector. The Plan is the outcome of community discussions, open days and work already identified by Heartland Incorporated and the Pirirakau Hapu Management Plan.
Independent community adviser Karen Summerhays, who supported the Connectors in the plan's development, says it is a robust bicultural strategy that provides opportunities for all residents to play their part in creating a future-proof Te Puna. “This community-led plan is a baseline document that will support local organisations in their bid for improved social and environmental services. It identifies the area's strengths and areas for improvement.''
Western Bay of Plenty District Council community relationships advisor Glenn Ayo says Te Puna is a predominantly bi-cultural community that is very aware of the pressures from significant residential growth on either side, both in Omokoroa and Tauranga. The Plan seeks to ensure the rural character of horticultural/ agricultural land interspersed with tribal lands is not sacrificed to the pace of growth. “This plan represents the voice of the people and is about them taking ownership for the way their community is shaped. That includes residents, business people and Tangata Whenua. Many families have lived in the area for a long time. With the changes happening around them it is their time to have a say in the way Te Puna responds,'' says Glenn.
These plans are a reference for Council, other community groups and non-government agencies in their planning of work programmes. They can also be referred to in submissions to Bay of Plenty Regional Council, New Zealand Transport Agency and the western Bay of Plenty sub-regional growth management strategy SmartGrowth. The Te Puna Plan will form a submission to Council's Long Term Plan (LTP) 2018-2028 and will provide the basis on which individuals or groups can make submissions to the draft LTP when it is released for community consultation in March 2018.
The Te Puna Community Plan can be viewed at: http://www.westernbay.govt.nz/tepunacommunityplans
Sunlive News 20/12/17
A BEAUTIFUL COLLISION IN A COMMUNITY GARDEN
Co-creating the New Lynn Friendship Garden ‘The little garden with a big heart – He Mara Riki, He Manawa Nui’ when I was an environmental programme advisor with the Auckland Council. This work formed the basis of a published research paper (see abstract below). The findings have been presented at the ICTC & Mainstreet Conference 2015 Wollongong, NSW, Australia, and at other events.
If you are interested in hearing this heart warming story of intercultural placemaking please contact us. Presentations can be tailored to your requirements and can cover the following aspects: intercultural dialogue, building civic engagement and democracy skills with migrant communities, co creating spaces through environmental and sustainability programmes, placemaking and community led development.
THE INTERCULTURAL JOURNEY OF THE CHINESE ECO ELDERS AND THE CIVIL SERVANT
Karen Summerhays
Independent Scholar / New Zealand
ABSTRACT
This narrative explores the interchange of two cultures and the development of intercultural dialogue through the building of a community garden in west Auckland. The identities of the two parties involved: the Auckland Environmental Protection Association (AEPA), aka Chinese Eco Elders (CEE), and the Auckland Council (AC), are reflected on through signifying moments and events. The narrative examines the steps taken towards attaining a robust intercultural dialogue and to what extent that has been achieved. It observes the power positions of the key players, how the relationship has developed to date and notes considerations for the way forward. The retrospective narrative is told from the perspective of AC Environmental Programmes Advisor, Author (A), who was charged to work with AEPA/CEE through the project development. The study shows that environmental programmes can provide an appropriate platform for intercultural dialogue to take place as long as there is a willingness and flexibility from both parties to understand the other and to build a hybrid project. The study also confirmed that the transfer of democracy and decision making skills are the foundations for quality dialogue (Jiang, 2005, p. 227). It is envisaged that the learnings from this qualitative research will increase the mutual understanding of both parties and improve the design, and implementation, of future environmental programmes with the ethnic communities in Auckland.
KEYWORDS: Intercultural, dialogue, environment, place-making, civics
ACCESS TO FULL PAPER : The full paper has been published in the Knowledge Cultures Journal –Reference: Knowledge Cultures 2(5), 2014, pp. 29–46 ISSN (printed): 2327-5731 • e-ISSN 2375-6527. Online access:
http://connection.ebscohost.com/…/intercultural-journey-chi… .
The author will also supply the paper in PDF format upon request.
Members of the Auckland Environmental Protection Assoc. reflections of teh project