Kāpiti Coast District Councillors will be out in force in Mahara Place, Waikanae next Tuesday (22 August) as part of their commitment to making sure people have plenty of opportunities to get involved in Council decision-making.

Mayor Janet Holborow said Councillors are keen to uncover what matters most to our community, what change people want to see now, and to understand people’s aspirations for how future generations might live, work, and play in Kāpiti.

“As a district we’re facing some big challenges and it is crucial that we take the time to talk with our community about what we need to prioritise now, as we work to agree activities and budgets for our next Long-term Plan (2024), versus what kind of things we need to focus on over the longer-term as we work together to land a districtwide vision for Kāpiti that will guide our planning and help us work towards a sustainable future.

“On Tuesday, Councillors will be at our engagement hub in Waikanae between 10am and 10.45am and we’ll be inviting feedback on our ten strategic priorities and key actions for the triennium, how people want to live, work, and play in our district in the future, and other important topics such as housing and health,” said the Mayor.

“We know we’ve got some work to do make sure we understand people’s aspirations for our district’s future and we are committed to listening and learning, and working with our iwi partners and community boards to make sure Council’s activity and available funding is directed in the right areas through and delivers a future Kāpiti that we all want.

“To do this, we need to hear from all corners of our community, and I strongly encourage people to make sure they take the time to have their say by visiting our roving engagement hub – we’ll be in Ōtaki next month – or by visiting us online at kapiticoast.govt.nz, or by popping into to our libraries, pools, and service centres and filling out a feedback card.”

Running alongside the Councillors district-wide engagement, the district’s five community boards will be asking their communities what matters most – to inform more localised visions to support the work they do and to feed into the districtwide vision. The Local Area Visions will replace existing Local Outcomes statements which were last refreshed in 2007.

“It's been some time since we’ve updated our local vision and outcome statements,” says Mayor Holborow.

“Local vision and outcomes statements play an important role in protecting and preserving the unique local character of each area and are used to inform Council planning and investment decisions.

“The mahi of our community boards will be instrumental in helping to build collective, community driven visions for each area that have a strong local voice and reflect the needs, aspirations of the people who live there,” Mayor Holborow said.

For more information about Councillors ten strategic priorities for the triennium which will inform the Council’s next Long-term Plan (2024) and work to develop a districtwide vision visit haveyoursay.kapiticoast.govt.nz/vision-for-kapiti

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