12 July 2004

Summit seeks to confirm City’s Wellbeing direction

The state of social wellbeing in Waitakere City will be discussed by a network of over 80 government and community agencies, beginning this week.

A key document on the state of the city’s wellbeing will be circulated to participants at the Waitakere Wellbeing Summit 2004, being held on Friday 16 July and Friday 20 August.

On July 16, discussion will centre on the current situation in Waitakere, as reflected in the 126-page “Waitakere Wellbeing Report 2004”, while the theme of the August 20 Summit asks the question “Are we on track?”

The first session will involve presentations to update the “collective portrait” of what is happening in Waitakere and discussions on what needs to be done in the future – collectively or by individual groups or agencies

The second morning’s focus is on the future to check if current strategies are working, or if new paths need to be considered.

“By splitting the sessions, participants will be able to reflect on knowledge and understanding gained from the first session. At the second summit they’ll be able to relate to what’s happening within their organisations and discuss ways they can contribute to improve the wellbeing of Waitakere,” Says Waitakere Deputy Mayor Councillor Carolynne Stone.

The Wellbeing process began in 1996, involving community and government agencies working with Council to assess, report and strategise. The last Summit in 2002 was attended by more than 170 individuals from more than 70 agencies. From there, a series of Calls to Action were formulated to provide a gathering point for action.

Calls to Action include “that every child has access to a quality preschool education”, “that every new migrant and refugee to Waitakere City settles successfully”, “that violence against children and women is reduced”, “that every Waitakere student leaves school with a plan”, “that a ‘culture of inclusion’ is developed to fully include all people in Waitakere City” and that schools and communities work together”.

ENDS

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