​CODC to create a 50-year vision with its community

Central Otago District Council is embarking on a project to develop a district-wide, 50-year vision and community wellbeing framework.

At today’s meeting (Wednesday 14 December) Council received a report from Council’s Community Development Advisor Rebecca Williams to update it on the plan to progress the project and appointed Councillors Tamah Alley and Sally Feinerman to act as liaison to the project’s external advisory group.

New Zealand’s local government sector is experiencing a significant reform programme and “the focus of local government’s role in the wellbeing of the communities it serves is at the forefront of this change”, said Mrs Williams.

Earlier this month Council learned it had been successful in obtaining $90,000 of government funding, through the Three Waters Better Off Support Package, for the creation of a community well-being framework and indicator dataset.

“The Central Otago district vision and wellbeing framework will include information on social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing that spans beyond the scope of local authority functions,” Mrs Williams said. “This provides a unique opportunity for the Central Otago District Council to lead the development of a 50-year vision, alongside other agencies and stakeholders, to express our communities’ aspirations now and into the future.”

“Once developed the vision and framework will ensure our Council is well placed to respond to the reform programme and that our district has a pathway for the future where all citizens are able to live enjoyable and meaningful lives.”

The first step in the process will be to articulate the vision for the district leading into the future and a community wellbeing framework. This will be followed by an indicator dataset matrix that will help to quantify and measure progress towards the four well-beings for Central Otago communities, and demonstrate positive change.

This work will be created through community conversations, engaging mana whenua, residents, local and central government agencies, place-based organisations, funders and other stakeholder. It will also draw on existing strategies and plans, work being done in other parts of the region, and build on Council’s previous community vision work – Central Prospects, that was developed in 2002 and reviewed in 2007 and 2014.

Alongside that development of a district vision, will be the creation of a specific vision for the Central Otago District Council itself, to give effect to the council’s role in delivering on the vision.