FROM POTHOLES to POLICY: How Invercargill City Council Informs Itself Of, and Has Regard To, the Views of All of Its Communities
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FROM POTHOLES TO POLICY: How Invercargill City Council informs itself of, and has regard to, the views of all of its communities Janette Malcolm School of Geography, E nvironment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington Wellington, ew Zealand Submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of D evelopment Studies D egree JULY 2008 Abstract In the 1990s, governments in the Western world were seeking solutions to the economic and social dysfunction resulting from a decade of pure neo-liberal policies. Increased inequalities in the distribution of wealth, the promotion of individualism at the expense of community and citizens feeling alienated from government had become critical problems, nowhere more so than in New Zealand. A solution that has been adopted is to reconnect government at all levels with citizens and the civic sector. The good governance agenda proposed increased transparency and accountability of government to citizens, and a new role for citizens as participants and partners. It became the foundation for a fundamental reform of local government in New Zealand, resulting in the Local Government Act 2002. However, the acquisition of a right to participate does not necessarily lead to knowledge of that right and the capacity to exercise it on the part of citizens: nor the willingness to allow it on the part of government. There are also more general questions about the exercise of power, about representation and about whose voices are heard. This thesis, through a case study of Invercargill City Council, a local government authority in Southland, New Zealand, examines these issues relating to citizen participation and the extent to which the Council has been able to create an environment and processes that enable all of its communities to participate. In doing so, it draws on a body of literature in the field of Development Studies, where participatory theory and practice have held centre stage for almost two decades. The thesis asks whether the lessons learned in that field could inform the practice of citizen participation in local government in New Zealand. Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere thanks to my thesis supervisor and Course Director, Professor John Overton. His excellent supervision, wisdom and enthusiasm have been greatly appreciated. I would also like to express my gratitude to :t-.1ike Reid of Local Government New Zealand. His insights and his ready willingness to share his knowledge and provide assistance by way of hours of discussion have been an essential input into this thesis. There are others who provided advice, information and support in the early phases and in this regard I would particularly like to thank Dr Christine Cheyne of Massey University and Professor Vijay Naidu, the Course Director for Development Studies in 2006, who fIrst mentioned to me the idea of studying local government. I would especially like to thank Invercargill City Council for its openness in allowing me to experience the work of the Council fIrst hand for almost three months. During this period, and in my subsequent research, I was grateful for the knowledge and assistance of Corporate Planner, Pamela Gare and the information and support provided by Community Development Manager, Mary Napper. I would also like to thank the Deputy Mayor, Councillors and Council staff for their readiness to participate in the interviews and their time. The people of the Invercargill Maori and South Invercargill communities who took part in the research deserve a special vote of thanks for their time and their willingness to share their stories with me, without which this research would not have been possible. I hope that this thesis will be seen as an informative and constructive contribution to the ongoing discussion about the objectives of citizen participation, particularly in local government in New Zealand, and how these can best be realised. 11 Contents Abstract. ........................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... ii Contents ..................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables and Figures ........................................................................................ vii Chapter 1: Overview of the Research .................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Personal positioning ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Research aim and approach ............................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Structure of the thesis ......................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Participation in Development and Governance ................................. 7 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 The theory of participatory development .................................................................................. 7 2.2.2 The tools of participatory development.. ................................................................................. 11 2.3 Critique of participatory development ........................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Philosophical issues ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.3 l'v1ethodology problems ............................................................................................................... 14 2.3.4 The response ................................................................................................................................. 18 2.4 Governance ......................................................................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 \v'hat is governance? .................................................................................................................... 20 2.4.2 The rise of governance in the \\/est .......................................................................................... 21 2.4.3 The response ................................................................................................................................. 22 2.5 New Zealand ...................................................................................................................................... 25 2.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 3: Local Government in New Zealand .................................................. 28 3.1 Local gm'ernment in New Zealand 1876 - 1989 ......................................................................... 28 3.2 The lead up to the Local Government Act 2002 .......................................................................... 31 3.3 The Local Government Act 2002 ................................................................................................... 34 3.3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 34 3.3.2 The purpose of the Act.. ............................................................................................................ 36 3.3.3 The purpose, role and principles of local government ......................................................... 36 ill 3.3.4 The provisions for planning ...................................................................................................... 37 3.3.5 The provisions for consultation and decision-making.......................................................... 38 3.3.6 The provisions regarding Maori ............................................................................................... 40 3.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 4: Invercargill Profile ............................................................................. 45 4.1 InvercargillCity .................................................................................................................................. 45 4.1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 45 4.1.2 History ........................................................................................................................................... 48 4.1.3 Invercargill today .......................................................................................................................... 50 4.1.4 Population and age structure .....................................................................................................