The Community Partnerships team is focused on delivering community outcomes so that the agreed outcomes and service levels set out in the Long Term Council Community Plan are met.
This includes the facilitation of partnerships with central government and other agencies, local iwi and the wider community.
There is a strong focus on the provision of high quality, innovative community engagement and consultation processes, the delivery of key project consultation processes and the integration of programmes across the Council.
The team includes the following work perspectives:
Community Partnerships and Facilitation
The key aim of this position is to facilitate partnerships with the wider community in order to achieve the community outcomes as identified in the Kapiti Coast: Choosing Futures Community Plan.
Other important responsibilities are:
• ensuring that Council consultation processes are of high quality
• ensuring appropriate structures and processes are in place to engage efficiently and effectively with Central Government across the Council
• ensuring Partnership programmes are integrated across the Council
• ensuring processes for engaging with local iwi are incorporated into Council systems
• delivering innovation in key project consultation processes.
Specific projects within the Council include the Long Term Council Community Plan process development, urban design projects and engaging with central government to ensure the people of the Kapiti Coast District receive the services they have identified as important to their wellbeing.
Work on the Wellington Regional Strategy is significant, and management of Council's Contracts for Service, Partnership Agreements and Council Grant Schemes are also areas of focus.
Key areas of work are identified as:
Housing
A greater availability of housing choice for older people, affordable housing for young people, intensifications and opportunities for innovative design are clear themes that have come through in the Community Outcomes.
This focus will explore options with both traditional providers and others who may not have had such a role in the past. Affordable and safe housing for lower income people will become an increasing issue, with the District’s high percentage of people aged over 65 years.
Click here to visit Council's Rental Housing.
Click on the titles below for other useful links:
Housing New Zealand
Urban Design Protocol
Abbeyfield - affordable housing for older people.
Health
A key focus for the district is a need to maintain or increase the current level of health services.
The Council has a three year contract with Kapiti Community Health Group Trust, which reports on the current state and trends for health issues and health service delivery in Kapiti. It also advocates for appropriate health services on behalf of residents. The Trust is investigating setting up a website for community access.
The Council also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kapiti Public Health Organisation (PHO).
Click here to take you to the website for the Ministry of Health.
Work
Increased choice to work locally, and the nature and future of work are significant concerns for the Kapiti Coast community.
While a focus on immediate jobs is important, a greater range of opportunities for young people and a community less dependent on commuting is seen as important.
One key area is that, "young people can see their local employment, or wider career path, and can hopefully gain the necessary skills within the District."
The Mayor is a member of the Mayor's Taskforce for Jobs, which is working to get all young people into work or training. The Council's Equal Employment Opportunities Action Plan also has a section on developing work for local young people.
The Wellington Mayoral Forum, as part of the Settlement Strategy, is working regionally to look at workforce development issues, which sits alongside Wellington Regional Strategy.
Click on the titles below for useful links:
Jobs Newsletter
Mayors Taskforce for Jobs
Department of Labour - information, services and support for workplaces and communities.
Transport
The Council works alongside Transit NZ, Land Transport NZ, the Greater Wellington Regional Council and local communities to address both SH1 and local roading issues.
These agencies have a significant role in the future planning processes of the district and are key players in the design processes currently underway around the Paraparaumu and Paekakariki town centres.
Click on the titles below for useful links:
Greater Wellington Regional Council
Transit NZ
Land Transport NZ
Youth Development
The focus of Youth Development is on taking a ‘whole of community’ approach to the healthy development of young people and ensuring all youth-focused work is provided in a positive framework.
Youth Development is about:
• supporting and encouraging young people to develop the skills and attitudes they need to take a positive part in society, now and in the future
• working with organisations and individuals to ensure they have the skills to work alongside young people
Click here to take you to the webpage for the Council's Youth Development Coordinator.
Community Development
The focus of Community Development is to increase the wellbeing of our communities by working directly with those communities.
Community Development is concerned with:
• change and growth within communities
• giving people power over the changes that are taking place around them, the policies which affect them and the services they use.
Click here to take you to the webpage for the Council's Community Development Coordinator.
Road Safety
Road Safety reflects the continued emphasis expressed in the Community Plan on road safety improvements and steps to reduce the number of crashes occurring on the District's roads.
Road Safety promotes:
• road safety education in the local community
• positive change in road safety outcomes
• community 'ownership' of road safety.
Click here to take you to the webpage for the Council's Road Safety Coordinator.