Joint Media release

14 December 2010

Community Summit lays groundwork for future engagement

More than 300 community leaders came together today to share their vision and hopes for the future in working with the Auckland Council.

The ‘Act Local, Work Regional, Work Together’ Regional Summit was co-hosted by the Auckland Council and Auckland Community Development Alliance (ACDA) as a starting point for the council’s community engagement and to establish the ACDA community development charter as the framework for future engagement.

“This was a great starting place for discussions about what the community expect from the new Auckland Council,” says Mayor Len Brown, who spoke at today’s event summit.

“Community is at the heart of achieving a livable and beautiful Auckland. This summit was a historic step for Auckland communities and the Council to truly start working together as a region."

“Today built on earlier summits and gives us a solid mandate for working together and is a huge step forward,” says ACDA spokesperson Yvonne Powley, of North Shore Community and Social Services Inc.

“We would like to see community development as part of the council’s core business, and for it to be embedded into the council culture and reflected in their mechanisms,” says Yvonne.

“Effective engagement and participation needs to be two-way, and begin at the grass roots level. It also needs to ensure all voices can be heard including ethnic groups,” says ACDA spokesperson Vishal Rishi of the Asian Network.

A report from today’s workshop session will be prepared before Christmas.

ENDS

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