"Taking down the fences between sectors has benefited all parties and increased the chance of sustainable results through community ownership and collaboration" Philanthropy NZ 2009 conference participant
Community Vision Setting
Christchurch ‘Share an Idea’ wins international applause
The Christchurch City Council has been recognised internationally for its Share an Idea community public engagement campaign.
2011 is the first time the Netherlands-based Co-Creation Association has given the award to an initiative outside Europe. Share an Idea was one of 49 projects nominated for this year’s awards.
A Community Expo started the Share an Idea initiative in May. For six weeks in May and June people’s ideas for the Central City were gathered. These ideas were brought together to help inform the draft Central City Plan as a broadly agreed structure and direction for the Central City.
Porirua City Council’s Waitangirua Park Project judged NZ’s best for community engagement
October 2011
The International Association for Public Participation’s Core Values Awards recognise and encourage projects that are at the forefront of public participation. The awards were created to encourage excellence, quality and innovation in public participation in Australasia.
A winner is chosen for each state in Australia as well as one for New Zealand – and Porirua City Council has won for its Waitangirua Park project – “putting the heart back into the community”. Waitangirua residents drove the development of the park and created a heart for the suburb out of underused land. Residents worked alongside Porirua City Council staff at every stage from the concept to construction.
Porirua City Council wins Community Relations Award
A revolutionary initiative in Porirua city won first place in the Community Relations category of the New Zealand Post Group New Zealand Local Government Excellence Awards 2009. Porirua City Council's Village Planning Programme involves a groundbreaking partnership between the Council and local communities. This inspiring programme puts communities in charge of developing a vision for their own neighbourhoods and then partnering with Council to make it happen.
So far, eight Porirua communities have engaged in the Village Planning process.
Porirua City has been deservedly hitting the headlines lately for its achievements. Winning the 2009 IPANZ Prime Minister's Award for Public Sector Excellence for creating a safer city is one example. Their Village Planning Programme is another.
This article gives a Cannons Creek taste of the new Village Planning approach in Porirua where the Council and communities are working with the strengths of Porirua's geography and people. The Village Planning Programme is a partnership between Porirua City Council and the city's diverse villages. "It aims to harness each community's vision for its village and then, by working together, turn those dreams into plans and actions to ensure our villages are the best they can be." said Moira Lawler the Council's Manager of Social and Economic Planning.
Living Streets - making neighbourhood connections: A new approach by Taupo District Council
July 2009
An internal culture change at Taupo District Council has generated the environment for a neighbourhood based approach to working more effectively alongside community aspirations and leadership. The change process is strongly supported politically and managerially. It has attracted staff's active engagement and moved the organisation away from a rules based approach and towards values and aspirational targets, within a culture of trust. Rather than a focus on "did I follow the rules?", the new culture focuses more on "being the best we can". The key measurements within that culture has become:
What have I done? Did I help? Did I get the work done?
If not, why not? And what action can I take on those issues?
Topics & Themes 
Porirua City has been deservedly hitting the headlines lately for its achievements. Winning the 2009 IPANZ Prime Minister's Award for Public Sector Excellence for creating a safer city is one example. Their Village Planning Programme is another.
July 2009