Workstream 1

Community enablement

Worldwide, local government is becoming recognised as the level of government best equipped to engage with the communities it serves.  Local government can enable and facilitate strong community groupings, tap easily into community networks and knowledge, support co-design and co-production and help build inclusive communities.

Yet central government does not always recognise the role local government can play in supporting the effective delivery of government services, especially services requiring co-ordination across different providers. In New Zealand for example, the recent social sector trials and the social investment programme have gone ahead with little or no local government involvement.

This work-stream aims to identify good examples of community enablement from around New Zealand and the world.

Specifically it aims to:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to enable and facilitate the development of resilient communities able to participate in the implementation of community-based initiatives, irrespective of where those initiatives were developed.
• Support individual councils to develop the skills and practice of community enablement.
• Position local government as a natural partner in the design and delivery of community-based social services.
• Introduce councils and their communities to democracy strengthening initiatives such as participatory budgeting, local place planning, anchor institutions and community wealth building - taking back control of the local economy and enhancing community well-being.

"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success." - Henry Ford (1863 - 1947), Founder of the Ford Motor Company

Our second workstream is fcommunity wealth building which you can read about here.