Stu Kneebone
Waikato Regional Council recently adopted a new strategic direction which sets out its priorities are for the next three years. It replaces our earlier strategic direction the previous council adopted and reflects there is a new council in place, and priorities change.
A high-level review of progress towards the goals contained in the previous document, a review and refresh of the evidence base that the previous document was based on and engagement with various stakeholders all formed the basis on which the new strategic direction was built from.
The 2023–25 Strategic Direction is not significantly different from the previous one. This reflects that many of the priorities contained in these strategic documents are long-term in nature and ongoing, and many of our longer term challenges have not changed significantly during the past three years.
Our council’s vision for the region is “The Mighty Waikato: Caring for our place, empowering our people”. Woven throughout all our priorities is a focus on wellbeing and how we respond to climate change. Our changing climate has significant ramifications for all of us, both from an adaption perspective (for example, rising sea levels and increased weather events) and how we make a just and fair transition to a low emissions economy. This will undoubtedly be a key focus for us going forward. This leads into our purpose which we define as “Working together for a Waikato region that has a healthy environment, vibrant communities and a strong economy”.
We have adopted six strategic priorities. In no particular order, they are :
Water – We want to achieve clean water and healthy aquatic ecosystems that meet iwi aspirations and community needs within defined environmental limits.
Biodiversity and biosecurity – We want people to be working together to protect and restore our unique native plants and animals and the indigenous ecosystem they live in.
Coastal and marine – Our aim is to have healthy marine ecosystems that provide us all with many benefits, such as recreation, food, improved water quality, increased resilience to climate change and sustainable economic opportunities.
Sustainable development and infrastructure – We want resilient communities that plan for intergenerational wellbeing, develop with nature in mind and are able to respond to and recover from adversity.
Community connections – This is about enabling vibrant communities that are well connected with each other and to services.
Transition to a low emissions economy – We want to work with others to transition to a competitive low emissions economy that’s fair for everyone and enhances community wellbeing for the future.
The document is available on the Waikato Regional Council website. The priorities are listed with a more comprehensive commentary explaining what the goals for success look like.
Waikato Regional Council – Strategic direction
This document will help form development of our upcoming Long Term Plan. This is our 10-year work programme and associated budget that is reviewed every three years.
