Media Release

“Self-help” is a concept the Far North District Council wants to promote among its many and varied communities and community groups.

“The council, through its three community boards, wants to become known as an organisation that helps communities help themselves,” said Far North Mayor Wayne Brown.

“This requires a different way of thinking by both communities and their boards: individual communities within each board area need to agree on one or two projects that they would like the board to support, and each board then needs to assist with those projects as much it can.

“In terms of boards’ meeting the needs of their communities, this would be far more effective than the common practice of dishing out small sums of money to a wide range of community groups.

“Often there is little or no tangible benefit because the amounts are too small to achieve anything of note, and the communities feel that they have not received the assistance they need to achieve the things they really want to see happen in their areas.”

An example could be that groups within each smaller community worked together to identify and agree on particular projects such as a footpath or a landscaping initiative and then presented a united voice to their local community board for assistance.

The board could then support the projects with a lump sum that may cover the cost of materials and the combined community groups could do the work themselves with some practical council assistance.

Mayor Brown said the proliferation of organisations in some smaller communities hindered their ability to be effective in attracting funding because they were often competing with each other rather than presenting a cohesive case for assistance.

“As a basic principle, I would encourage these groups to reduce, coalesce and think in terms of self-help,” he said. “Instead of asking how much money they can get from the board, they could consider how to combine their efforts in order to best improve their communities with the assistance of the board that represents their interests.”

Expanding on the self-help concept, Mayor Brown said people were often able to solve some of their own problems with a bit of help from the council. He cited a scheme whereby the council could help property owners who wanted their road sealed ahead of the time when it would be sealed in the normal course of events.

Provided that 75 per cent of the affected property owners (as determined by a poll of property owners within a pre-determined area of benefit) agreed to fund 66 per cent of the cost, the council would fund the balance.

“There are a number of ways that the council and the community boards can help their communities and a number of ways in which communities can help themselves,” Mayor Brown said.

A report on discretionary funding schemes administered by the council, either on its own behalf or for central government agencies, is scheduled for the council’s next meeting at the end of this month.

For further information please contact:-

Go to top

Page created/updated: 14 May, 2008

• Media Release index

• Public Notices