Waimate Matters Community Research Report
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Waimate Matters Report Waimate Matters Community Research Report Report prepared by Dr Bronwyn Boon th 9 April 2018 Page 1 of 101 Waimate Matters Report Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following people: The residents of the Waimate District who shared their time, experience and views of living in their neighbourhoods and the Waimate District. Members of the Project Reference group who gave so generously of their time and energy providing important community input into the specific areas of focus for the survey. Members of the Project Steering Group: Jakki Guilford, Glenda Begg, John Begg, Jacky Keen, Kylie Douglas and Katie Wiseman. Taimaz Lariman and the Greater Green Island Community Network for their permission to use particular questions from their survey. Waimate District Mayor Craig Rowley and Chief Executive Stuart Duncan for their time and sharing their thoughts about the project. Members of the Waimate District NZEI who brought their expert critical eye to the pilot survey and provided valuable editorial feedback. Members of the New Zealand Ethics Committee who reviewed the design and processes associated with the research project. NZ Lotteries Community Sector Research Committee for funding this community research project. Page 2 of 101 Waimate Matters Report Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to present the findings of the 2017/2018 community survey undertaken by the Waimate District Resource Trust (WDRT) known as Community Link. The primary objective of the research was to identify barriers to participation for residents of the Waimate District. This research will in turn support strategic planning undertaken by Community Link. The research used a 23-question survey to collect data from Waimate District residents. The survey was developed drawing on findings from previous research on the Waimate District, a set of questions from the Greater Green Island Community Network survey and consultation from community members. Surveys were distributed at community events, regular meetings of community organisations and groups, through the News & Views Newspaper and a digital version via facebook. At the conclusion, 239 surveys were received, 191 in hardcopy and 48 electronically. The respondents were more likely to be female, over 50 years of age and in some form of paid employment or retired. While there was representation from across 15 centres in the Waimate District, the respondents were more likely to identify with Waimate, Timaru and Oamaru. Two thirds of the respondents engage in volunteering activity, over half for five hours or less a week. The barriers to engaging in volunteering were primarily insufficient time or being too busy. Suggestions for encouraging volunteer activity centre around an explicit and purposeful recruitment and support of volunteers that contains encouragement, support and appropriate matching of person to the role. Survey results suggest that residents of the Waimate District feel their local communities are good places to live, they know the names of their neighbours, regularly stop and talk and their friendships and associations with other people in the community mean a lot to them. As a result, residents feel a certain pride in their community. Page 3 of 101 Waimate Matters Report At the same time residents are less likely to actively engage with their neighbours and social groups within the community. Residents are confident their neighbours would help them in an emergency. Indeed, neighbours are the third highest source of help and support for the respondents, after family and friends. Having said this, many respondents don’t necessarily feel they belong in their community. Survey participants expressed considerable pride in the natural, social, and lifestyle features of the Waimate District, along with key community events such as Strawberry Fair and Christmas in the Park. They were less enthusiastic about the dairy industry, rodeo and the climate. Overall, the highest barriers to people living well in the Waimate District are related to: poor employment opportunities, the lack of shops and services, poor availability and high costs of health care and limited social services, no or limited access to transport and low numbers of volunteers for community groups. Additional frustrations and barriers faced by residents of the Waimate District span five “environments”, the built, economic, natural, social, service, and political. Over half of survey respondents have heard of Community Link, a quarter had not and a small group weren’t sure. Not surprisingly, there was notable confusion about the services Community Link did provide. It was suggested that Community Link should: promote themselves and their services, expand the services they deliver to include, for example, activities for children and young people and support of the elderly. The preference for methods of communication between Community Link and residents were email, Facebook and the News and Views newspaper. Recommendations include: • To engage in further research with focus groups or one-to-one interviews to better understand the feeling of not belonging in their community. • To explore the possibilities of extending the reach and community engagement associated with Strawberry Fair and Christmas in the Park. This could be in relation to the profile of Community Link, communicating and consulting with community over research or planning, and the promotion of community groups and volunteering, for example. Page 4 of 101 Waimate Matters Report • Community Link to recruit key community contacts and lobby the Waimate District Council and central government agencies to participate in a joined- up holistic series of problem-solving forums. Solutions to these challenging and multi-faceted issues require sustained and effective collaboration and support, at multiple levels. This is not something Community Link can achieve on its own. • Community Link engage in a programme of promotion of its existence and services. An independent website will assist with the differentiation between Community Link and the Waimate District Council. • Continue to build and maintain: a facebook presence, community email lists and editorial management of News and Views. • Community Link to re-use this survey, or core elements of it, for future surveys of the Waimate District community. In this way, gathering a longitudinal sense of progress towards realizing community goals. Page 5 of 101 Waimate Matters Report Table of Contents Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 8 Community Link ........................................................................................................ 8 The Research Project ................................................................................................ 9 What we already know about the Waimate District ............................................ 11 Method ......................................................................................................................... 18 Survey ................................................................................................................... 18 Sampling ............................................................................................................... 19 Research Process ................................................................................................. 19 Findings ........................................................................................................................ 21 1. Who responded ............................................................................................. 21 2. Living in Your Local Community ................................................................... 27 Social Interaction ................................................................................................. 27 Pride/sense of belonging to my community ..................................................... 28 Community Spirit/Social Participation ............................................................... 29 General perception .............................................................................................. 29 If you needed help or support, who would you turn to for help? .................. 32 3. Waimate District ............................................................................................ 32 Residents feel proud of living in the Waimate District ..................................... 33 Barriers that might stop people living well ....................................................... 39 Other things that stop people living well .......................................................... 44 4. Community Link ............................................................................................. 45 Awareness of Community Link’s existence ....................................................... 46 Page 6 of 101 Waimate Matters Report The services Community Link provide............................................................... 46 The three things Community Link could do to improve