Entry received from: Kāpiti Coast District Council
Category: The Department of Internal Affairs Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
With a high proportion of elderly people living in Waikanae, their library is a much loved important community asset. Since the original library closed in late 2018 due to toxic mould, it is temporarily housed in an old shop.
The first stage of the project to replace the library was to identify the optimal location and size for the new facility. After detailed investigations and engagement with iwi partners and key stakeholders, staff presented councillors with 11 options to build new or renovate existing buildings. Councillors directed staff to engage the community on three possibilities before deciding which option to progress.
The objectives of the engagement programme were to provide councillors with the community’s views on options for the new facility and build support for an eventual decision. We aimed to reach as many people as possible from Waikanae and across Kāpiti, especially those who don’t usually engage with Council.
Over six weeks in June and July 2023, we carried out a high-profile, people-centric programme of creative engagement activities to encourage people to share their thoughts with us. We asked people to comment on the costs, speed of delivery, and scope of offering of three potential options.
Thank you to our category sponsor