Purpose: ‘Fostering an inclusive Auckland where everyone belongs’
Stimulus/Rationale:
The Auckland Plan 2050 outlines a 30-year strategy for Auckland to tackle three key challenges:
- Population growth and its implications (pressures on communities, environment, housing and roads)
- Sharing prosperity with all Aucklanders (economic deprivation in certain areas, unjust social patterns across ethnic and age groups, increases in housing costs)
- Reducing environmental degradation (impact of urban development and effects of climate change)
While tackling these challenges, the plan aims to achieve outcomes in six areas with several focus areas:
- Belonging and Participation
- Māori Identity and Wellbeing
- Homes and Places
- Transport and Access
- Environment and Cultural Heritage
- Opportunity and Prosperity
With its strong public commitment to an inclusive Auckland, its celebration of diversity and its focus on belonging and participation, the Auckland Plan 2050 aligns well with the intercultural city’s principles and approach. It recognises that 'successful settlement involves empowering people to participate in the social, economic and political life of Auckland' and that belonging can 'be influenced by how well, and how easily, people can see themselves reflected in civic and community life, in positions of leadership, decision-making and in public spaces’. The Council calls for the cooperation between all communities, sectors, governmental levels, institutions and organisations. Not only is the national and local government responsible for the plan’s implementation, but also various institutions and non-governmental organisations, the private sector and the civil society.
Process:
The plan includes specific action plans, strategies and initiatives to deliver on these high level commitments and to ensure the Auckland Plan is translated into practice. To implement the Belonging and Participation outcome, for example, a number of action plans have been formulated:
Auckland’s Thriving Communities Action Plan is a community and social development action plan that focuses on engaging with and connecting diverse communities and facilitating community-led development, as social development ‘should be driven, led and owned by communities themselves’. It focuses on the following:
- Grassroots action
- Voluntary & community sector
- Social innovation & social enterprise (capacity- & capability-building)
- Socio-economic impacts
- Holistic & integrated (addressing the entire social infrastructure and engaging with communities while doing so)
- Community centric (internal transformation projects, collaboration, volunteering, empowerment)
The Thriving Communities Action Plan is supported by the Community Grants Policy and Grants Programme that provides funding for local community groups to support cross-cultural events and activities.
The ‘I am Auckland: the Children and Young People’s Strategic Action Plan’ is dedicated specifically to Auckland’s younger generation, recognising that children and young people are Auckland’s future and supporting them in their development, in building resilience and connecting. 6,000 children and young people took part in drawing up this action plan, showing that Auckland recognises the importance of including all citizens at the strategic level and especially those that will be affected.
The Community Facilities Network and Action Plan develops fit for purpose, integrated and connected community facilities and highlights the need for these facilities to be universally accessible, and flexible enough to accommodate changing community needs.
Toi Whitiki Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan is a ten-year plan aiming to integrate arts and culture into Aucklanders’ everyday lives, through for example 'pop-up' events in public spaces, creating opportunities for cultural exchange, and piloting arts brokers to facilitate local access and participation.
The Sport and Recreation Strategic Action Plan recognises the important role that sports can play in encouraging place making, strengthening communities and social cohesion. Recreation and sport connect people within communities and have the ability to help develop social networks across the city through shared events and volunteering opportunities. Moreover, it acknowledges that diverse communities may have different needs and interests when it comes to sports and recreation. It therefore encourages the offer of a range of sporting opportunities to ensure that Auckland's diverse communities can participate. For example, three aquatic centres offer weekly women's only swimming sessions responding to community needs, particularly amongst Muslim women.
The Parks and Open Spaces Strategic Action Plan sees 'connecting our communities' as one of its priorities for the next 10 years, to ensure that our network of parks and open spaces are inclusive and accessible, for all Aucklanders to enjoy.
Impact:
The plan also has a monitoring plan including 33 measures. A “scorecard” reflecting the progress will be prepared each year.
Key reference documents:
