What are community outcomes?
Community outcomes describe what the people of Kaipara value and how they want our community to be. In 2003 Council, in partnership with a range of other Government agencies and organisations, facilitated Kaipara – Our Future – Together. This process provided the people of the Kaipara with an opportunity to have their say about the future of the District. The community's priorities for the well-being of the District are represented by the outcomes described in this section. Community outcomes belong to the community and will be used by Council, other government agencies and organisations to inform and guide planning and decision-making.

How were the community outcomes identified?
Under the Local Government Act 2002, Council was given the responsibility to facilitate a process to identify community outcomes. Recognising that local and central government and other organisations have a varying mandate to promote community well-being, a project steering group was formed in late 2002 to oversee the process. The project steering group has the support of the Northland Intersectoral Forum (NIF)¹ and comprises the following organisations:

A consultation process was undertaken from September to December 2003 and provided the people of the Kaipara with a variety of opportunities to “have their say.” This included feedback pamphlets distributed to all households, a telephone survey of 300 residents, thirteen meetings held in communities around the District, meetings with iwi and hapu, four school visits and three employee group meetings. In total over 850 responses were received².

Council and Government agencies will continue to work alongside the community refining community outcomes and at least every six years Council will undertake a comprehensive review.

¹ NIF is a regional forum of heads of government and community agencies. NIF's aim is to support community led social and economic development efforts by bringing to bear member agencies' knowledge and resources using a collaborative approach.

² For more information on the community consultation process, a copy of the full Community Priorities and Outcomes document is available from the Kaipara District Council.

What is important for the future of the Kaipara District?

The priorities identified by the community (refer Schedule 1) are represented by the following outcomes that the community believes are important for its well-being:

How will Council work with other organisations to achieve community outcomes?
Whilst Kaipara District Council is well placed to undertake some of the activities needed to achieve the outcomes identified by the community, other agencies and organisations also contribute significantly towards achieving community well-being. As the work of the Project Steering Group has gained momentum and the focus has shifted to addressing the outcomes identified by the community, additional organisations and groups have become involved. These include the NZ Police, Housing NZ, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Work and Income, Career Services, Community Employment Group, Enterprise Northland, Accident Compensation Corporation, Northland Disability Resource Centre, Public Health Unit and Tertiary Education Commission.

For the first time in the Kaipara, a broad range of agencies have joined together to look at ways of doing things better, doing new things and doing things together. This is expected to result in:

• More informed decision-making by organisations that better promotes community outcomes

• Better co-ordination and use of government and community resources within the Kaipara

• Stronger relationships between agencies, organisations and community

What are some of the new initiatives underway?
Many of the services and activities provided or undertaken by Council, government agencies and other organisations to address the needs of the community are already benefiting from increased cooperation between key parties. In addition, the following initiatives have been identified as opportunities to work cooperatively to address priorities raised by the community through the Community Outcomes process:

Kaipara Youth Connections contributes to Strong communities; Safety and good quality of life
The Community Outcomes identified gaps in services and opportunities available to youth in the District. The objective of the Kaipara Youth Connections initiative is to create an information-gathering tool that allows service providers to identify areas of need for youth. The information will provide a greater understanding of the opportunities for young people after they leave school, whether they leave the district or remain here. This project will be led by the Ministry of Social Development and include Work and Income, the Tertiary Education Commission, Career Services, and the NZ Police as key project partners, amongst others.

Access To Services contributes to Strong communities; Safety and good quality of life
Due to the relatively small, generally rural population of the Kaipara, ensuring that services of different kinds reach those who require them has always proved a challenge. This project is aimed at ensuring that the services currently available to members of the community are made accessible in an efficient and cost effective way. The project will build on the foundations of the already established Heartlands Services. It will look at ways of ensuring that up to date information from service providers is readily accessible to frontline staff in community organisations and government agencies, as well as the wider community. Led by Work and Income, project partners include the Accident Compensation Commission, Northland Disability Resource Centre, Northland Health/Kaipara Care Incorporated, Te Ha O Te Oranga, Kaipara District Council and others.

Pouto – A Destination contributes to Sustainable economy; Strong communities; Special character & healthy environment
Pouto is becoming a popular destination with an increasing number of visitors arriving by boat or via the west coast beach during peak summertime. However, this small settlement currently lacks the facilities to support this influx. The overall aim of this initiative is to ensure that tourism in the area is managed in a way that provides the maximum benefit for the community while safeguarding the environment. The project will be developed in stages and involve the establishment of toilet facilities, erection of appropriate signage, the possible development of the Wharf project, and the environmental management of sand dunes and other site access. Kaipara District Council and the Department of Conservation will lead the project and will work with the Kaipara Development Agency, Te Uri o Hau, the Pouto community and tourism operators.

The community outcomes Project Steering Group will monitor progress on joint initiatives while continuing to identify opportunities for working cooperatively.

How will the community know if we are making a difference?
It is important that we are able to demonstrate to the community what progress is made in achieving the outcomes. The development of a ‘Kaipara Scorecard' will provide the community with a snapshot of progress in relation to key areas that will be monitored.

Work is currently being undertaken to develop a set of measures or indicators for each area to be monitored. The indicators must directly relate to the outcome and be quantifiable, currently available and relate directly to the Kaipara District. The indicators will relate to the district as a whole rather than to individual communities. Analysis of these indicators will help us to identify where we are making a difference and where there is room for improvement. In this way the ‘Kaipara Scorecard' will provide a basis for accountability of the Council and Government agencies to the community. Council, using information provided by agencies and organisations, will report back to the community on progress and achievement every three years.

How do community outcomes relate to Council plans and processes?