Engaged Communities

Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL) and the Helen Clark Foundation partnered to publish a report on the role of local government in enabling engaged communities. We held a seminar in Wellington on 9 December 2019, where there was great discussion and networking between local government and stakeholders.

Informed and engaged communities are central to a healthy democratic society, and local government has a critical role to play. Community engagement should be about building relationships, encouraging civic participation and community involvement. It should be about interactions and connections, getting everyone involved, and acknowledging and acting on local expertise. Effective community engagement should be about the process as much as it is about the results.