Community Consultation, Public Participation, Needs Assessment
We believe that the effective involvement of local communities and interest groups is an essential part of sustainable resource management, community development, and public decision making.
We specialise in consultation, and have extensive experience in designing and implementing consultation processes as well as running training programmes in consultation techniques. This experience includes consulting with community groups, individuals, government departments, iwi, environmental and other interest groups. We are skilled at involving the public or special interest groups in decision making processes.
We have worked throughout New Zealand and the Pacific and have acquired a wide diversity of knowledge, skills and experience through past work in central and local government and our involvement with community groups and non-government agencies. This means that we are able to consult effectively with people from all walks of life – urban and rural, young and old, people of many different cultures.
Examples
Waitangirua Park
2007 - 2008: Facilitated a process with the Waitangirua community to design a community park. The process involved forming a Community Design group comprising residents and representatives of community groups and organisations to work with a landscape architect on the design over a six month period; working with local schools to get student input to the project and buy-in to the park; formulating press releases and giving presentations to a wide range of community groups and organisations to raise awareness of the process, gather input to the design and encourage the community to be involved in the actual construction of the park. This work was undertaken for Porirua City Council as part of its Village Planning Programme.
Porirua City Draft Annual Plan and LTCCP
Design, co-ordination and facilitation of a six-week city-wide consultation programme for the Porirua City Council. The information gathered was fed into the review of the Annual Plan and preparation of the Long Term Council Community Plan under the new Local Government Act. The process included focus group meetings with specific sectors of the population as well as a community workshop in which participants were divided into five topic-specific groups, each with a trained facilitator and note-taker.
HNZC Priority Setting
Facilitating meetings with ten stakeholder focus groups in Eastern Porirua. Each group was asked to prioritise actions under three topic headings: Housing NZ Corporation Housing Stock; the Physical Environment; and Community Services and Facilities. The purpose was to assist the Housing NZ Corporation with setting priorities, including co-operation with other agencies operating in the area.
Survey of Blenheim Residents on Wastewater Disposal Options
Telephone survey of Blenheim residents on their views on wastewater disposal options and the quality of the waterways affected by the current disposal system. The questionnaire survey was administered under sub-contract by a specialist survey company. Corydon Consultants designed and piloted the questionnaire, analysed the responses and wrote a report on the findings for the client — the Marlborough District Council.
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington
A community consultation process on the draft management plan for a world-first inner-city conservation initiative, involving a series of public meetings with key stakeholder groups, seeking responses to a preliminary draft. Corydon Consultants Ltd then worked with the proponents to amend the document prior to its release for public comment, and summarised the resulting submissions.
State Highway 1 Improvements, Mana
A questionnaire survey of residents alongside State Highway 1 in Porirua City. The study was designed to identify the effects of the current traffic situation and proposed roading changes on the community.
Hutt City Waste Management Plan
A public consultation process which sought public input to help finalise the Hutt City Council’s strategies for solid waste collection, waste minimisation, refuse disposal, public education and funding. The resulting report made numerous recommendations which informed the final drafting of the Draft Waste Management Plan.
Miramar Peninsula Community Needs Assessment
This study was designed to assist the Wellington City Council in setting priorities for expenditure within the Peninsula community. It included a series of focus group meetings to discuss participants’ needs and preferences, followed by a statistical survey which was designed to identify the relative weightings given by respondents to those needs and preferences.
Conservation Field Manual, IUCN
Contracted to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Switzerland to complete a manual for field workers on processes and techniques for involving communities in planning, implementing and monitoring conservation initiatives. This manual was translated into three languages and is available to conservation organisations world-wide (entitled Beyond Fences: Seeking Social Sustainability in Conservation).
See also the examples under Social and Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Research.