Taituarā today announced a shortlist of eight finalists for the 2024 Great Consultation Document competition.
Awarded once every three years, this award celebrates excellent practice in the design of long-term plan consultation documents (CDs). A CD provides each local community with a fair representation of the significant matters each councils seeks feedback on and other significant or important matters.
Shortlisted finalists are displayed on the Taituarā sector good toolkit as a source of inspiration and design ideas for the rest of the sector in future years. Particularly effective practice may also be featured in our guidance on long-term planning – especially (you guessed it) on the consultation document.
Drawn from a field of 45 entries, this year’s finalists include a metropolitan council, a regional council, and six provincial centres. The finalists include:
- Ashburton District Council – 5 for Our Future
- Gisborne District Council – Healing Our Region for Our Future
- Hauraki District Council – Love this Place
- Hawkes Bay Regional Council – Have Your Say Hawkes Bay on Our Recovery Focussed Three Year Plan
- Hutt City Council – Whaowhia Te Pae Tawhiti: Help Us Take the Next Steps
- Manawatū District Council – What Matters Manawatū?
- Taupō District Council – Looking After the Place We Love
- Thames-Coromandel District Council – Hoea Ki Tua O Pae Tawhiti: Tackling the Future Head On – What’s Your Take?
In 2024 we extended the coverage of the competition to include CDs for those councils affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, and who prepared a three year plan that drew on many of the same disciplines as a ‘regular’ long-term plan. Two of these have been shortlisted – Gisborne District Council and Hawkes Bay Regional Council.
This year’s list features two councils making their first appearances in the final for this competition – Hutt City and Taupō District.
Previous winners of the competition include Tauranga City (2006), Waitaki District (2009), Timaru District (2015 – no award in 2012), Gisborne District (2018) and Waipā District (2021).
The winner will be announced at 5 pm on 7 November, the end of the first day of the Taituarā Community Plan Forum (the leading professional development event for those who lead long-term planning projects).
