Conclusion
Forces shaping society are complex, but there are some repetitive themes which emerge in terms of how this complexity can best be managed to enable the land based industries to maximise their contribution to New Zealand’s economy. The themes are participation, consultation, recognition of diversity, and access to skills, information and most of all education.
The ability of communities to form clubs, associations and participate in civic activities is important for community ‘spirit’ or well-being, for open trade, and economic progress. Where people are united by common goals and vision they are better placed to take action to benefit the community. Why? They know where they are heading, they know what they want to achieve, they know what their community considers to be beneficial for its progress.
Co-operation and partnerships between different groups within a community and betweencommunity and service providers is an important starting point for finding innovative ways to meet servicing needs. Agencies need to be pro-active in evaluating the impact of policies (especially decisions to close) on rural communities. This requires active and real consultation with all sectors of the community, particularly key service users who may not be accustomed to participating in decision-making processes, not just informing people of decisions already made.
The future wellbeing of rural areas will not come from government edicts but from the dynamism of local initiative. The survival and prosperity of New Zealand’s rural communities in the future will depend on people - on their ability to cope with change, on their ability to work together, on their ability to pull themselves up, on their ability to build community capacity and on their ability to create innovative projects and community networks (Gannon, 1994).
In taking a social development role by initiating and supporting strategic operational research, by co-ordinating information to rural communities, by providing a sounding board for rural people, advisors and policy analysts, and by working with a range of agencies on rural issues and opportunities, and to generally raise the profile of rural New Zealand, MAF is enabling rural communities to build capacity to raise their economic and social well-being.
Contact for Enquiries
Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
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