Chairman's message
A sustainable region
For some time now, Greater Wellington has had a vision of a sustainable region. Sustainability – and what it means – is the subject of international debate. The 10-year Plan shows how we will contribute to our concept of sustainability. It sets out the outcomes we are trying to achieve and our planned work programmes, as well as the cost. Just as importantly, it shows who we will be working with because we cannot do it alone. Sustainability requires shared effort and effective working partnerships.
Sustainability is one of the most important challenges facing our society today. Issues such as increasing energy costs, climate change, water supply, environmental threats, social equity and economic growth are at the forefront of today’s political concerns, both in New Zealand and worldwide.
While the challenges are clear, the solutions at a regional level are not easy to pin down – and then there is the need to balance what we’d like to do with what is affordable. The Plan is the result of much work and debate, both within and outside Greater Wellington.
For Greater Wellington, a sustainable region means ensuring our environment is protected while meeting the economic, social and cultural needs of the community. When preparing the Plan, councillors also put much thought into “how” we are going to work, as well as into “what” we are going to do.
From this we developed the following themes to assess the appropriateness of our planned work programmes:
- Working as a region
- Doing what we do well
- Being innovative and visionary
- Working with and for the community.
Councillors also faced a new challenge when preparing the ten-year Plan. The Local Government Act 2002 permits regional councils to engage in new areas of activity if those activities meet the needs of the community.
We were asked to fund some new areas of work. However, after careful consideration, councillors decided at this stage to focus on maintaining and improving existing programmes rather than branching out into new areas. The major areas are discussed below.
Ian Buchanan
Chairman