GBI Ecology Vision: Creating an Ecological Vision with the Community of Aotea
In 2014 the Aotea Great Barrier Local Board Plan had as a key outcome, “The Environment Is At Its Best Here”. The first step on this journey was to agree a plan with the community for the island’s ecological future by undertaking independent community-led engagement to enable this to be developed collaboratively. I was asked to work with a part time islander to facilitate this project.
The project, 'GBI Ecology Vision,' was launched to undertake the process of engaging with the island’s diverse community of both permanent and part-time residents. The project included all the island and stretched down to the low-tide mark to cover estuarine and intertidal areas, but didn't extend into issues such as marine protection. The work was endorsed and funded by the Great Barrier Island Local Board, as it aimed to give effect to the objectives of the local board plan. The project was divided into different phases.
Phase 1: Understanding and capturing community perspectives (February - August 2015)
As ecology is about understanding the relationships of plants, animals and the environment, the project began by canvasing community opinions about all aspects of the island’s ecology to capture the breadth and diversity of people’s perspectives of and vision for the island’s ecology. This first scoping phase was undertaken between March and August 2015 and the report from this phase of the project is available on the link below.
Phase 2: Working with the community (November 2015 - November 2016)Phase 2 began at the very start of the busy summer months. Recognising that the community was preoccupied during these hectic months, the project was divided into two stages with stage 1 proceeding from November 2015 to January 2016 and stage 2 proceeding from February to November 2016 to enable the significant and more intense community engagement to occur after the busy summer season.
The goal of Phase 2 was to harness the information that was gathered during Phase 1 and build on the previous engagement with the community to begin the journey towards an agreed ecological vision that would deliver measurable and durable benefits for the island community.
During Phase 1, and particularly at the Phase 1 report meetings in September 2015, the community called for tangible outcomes to be realised from the project. The community's expectations therefore lay not just in the creation of a vision but in the creation also of a tangible project or projects with benefits for the island's environment, its community and its economy. Phase 2 sought to foster and more deeply explore tangible outcomes to meet these community aspirations.
Some key initiatives that were undertaken in Phase 2 included:
Connecting with the Community
At all times the project sought to be open and transparent so that every member of the community had the opportunity to be involved in collaboratively creating a vision of Great Barrier’s ecological future. A full range of communication channels were used to enable island residents to engage with and participate in the project. Articles in the Local Board newsletter, the Barrier Bulletin and direct mail enabled residents to participate in the project and to stay informed.
The project, 'GBI Ecology Vision,' was launched to undertake the process of engaging with the island’s diverse community of both permanent and part-time residents. The project included all the island and stretched down to the low-tide mark to cover estuarine and intertidal areas, but didn't extend into issues such as marine protection. The work was endorsed and funded by the Great Barrier Island Local Board, as it aimed to give effect to the objectives of the local board plan. The project was divided into different phases.
Phase 1: Understanding and capturing community perspectives (February - August 2015)
As ecology is about understanding the relationships of plants, animals and the environment, the project began by canvasing community opinions about all aspects of the island’s ecology to capture the breadth and diversity of people’s perspectives of and vision for the island’s ecology. This first scoping phase was undertaken between March and August 2015 and the report from this phase of the project is available on the link below.
Phase 2: Working with the community (November 2015 - November 2016)Phase 2 began at the very start of the busy summer months. Recognising that the community was preoccupied during these hectic months, the project was divided into two stages with stage 1 proceeding from November 2015 to January 2016 and stage 2 proceeding from February to November 2016 to enable the significant and more intense community engagement to occur after the busy summer season.
The goal of Phase 2 was to harness the information that was gathered during Phase 1 and build on the previous engagement with the community to begin the journey towards an agreed ecological vision that would deliver measurable and durable benefits for the island community.
During Phase 1, and particularly at the Phase 1 report meetings in September 2015, the community called for tangible outcomes to be realised from the project. The community's expectations therefore lay not just in the creation of a vision but in the creation also of a tangible project or projects with benefits for the island's environment, its community and its economy. Phase 2 sought to foster and more deeply explore tangible outcomes to meet these community aspirations.
Some key initiatives that were undertaken in Phase 2 included:
- Topical Issue Workshops
- 'Do It Yourself' Pest Management Guides
- Project newsletters
Connecting with the Community
At all times the project sought to be open and transparent so that every member of the community had the opportunity to be involved in collaboratively creating a vision of Great Barrier’s ecological future. A full range of communication channels were used to enable island residents to engage with and participate in the project. Articles in the Local Board newsletter, the Barrier Bulletin and direct mail enabled residents to participate in the project and to stay informed.