What do we want for the future in Taranaki?
On the way there, how do we know which signposts to follow and which milestones to celebrate? Taranaki people in their hundreds answered the first question during a region-wide consultation process in 2003-04
Required by the 2002 Local Government Act to identify and work towards desired community outcomes, the region’s four local authorities (the New Plymouth, Stratford and South Taranaki District Councils, and the Taranaki Regional Council) pooled their resouces and used surveys, focus groups, public meetings and questionnaires to find out what the people of the region want.
The answer took the form of seven agreed goals, known as community outcomes:
- Secure and Healthy Taranaki - region is a safe, healthy and friendly place to live, work or visit.
- Prosperous Taranaki - regional economy is sustainable, resilient and innovative, prospering with the natural and social environment.
- Skilled Taranaki - region values and supports learning so all can play a full and active role in social, cultural and economic life.
- Connected Taranaki - region has accessible and integrated infrastructure, transport and communications systems that meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.
- Sustainable Taranaki - region appreciates its natural environment and its physical and human resources in planning, delivery and protection.
- Together Taranaki - region is caring and inclusive, works together and enables people to have a strong and distinctive sense of identity.
- Vibrant Taranaki - region provides high-quality and diverse cultural and recreational experiences, and encourages independence and creativity.
Measuring progress
So began the journey to get there. The four councils joined four other agencies – the Taranaki District Health Board, the Ministry of Social Development, Te Puni Kokiri and the Venture Taranaki Trust – to form the Future Taranaki Facilitation Group to co-ordinate efforts to reach these goals and to measure progress and identify priorities along the way.
A series of statistical indicators has been developed under each of the seven headings and updates have been published regularly. These updates, and other Future Taranaki documents, are posted on this page (see navigation panel above right).