In April, Wellington City Council’s Kōrau Mātinitini Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee asked Council staff to review and provide advice on potential future models for the Council’s existing community advisory groups – the recommended hybrid version was adopted by the committee today.

The Council has five existing advisory groups: Accessibility Advisory Group, Environmental Reference Group, Pacific Advisory Group, Takatāpui and Rainbow Advisory Council, and Youth Council.

Previous reviews of the existing model identified recurrent issues including role clarity, timeliness, effective feedback loops, maintaining effectiveness, and resourcing pressure.

The review was done to ensure the City Council engages more constructively and inclusively with Wellington’s diverse communities so they have an effective and mana-enhancing voice to inform the Council’s work – including how to engage better with ethnic communities.

Options for models were explored and developed via research, statistical analysis, a literary review, engagement with the advisory groups and an ethnic community focus group facilitated by Aotearoa Refugee and Migrant Support Services.

The hybrid model maintains the strengths of the existing model, while positioning it in a more strategic way, and providing a more transparent and connected structure to allow the diverse voices to come together with the Council’s elected members, including pouiwi.

The proposal’s key recommendations include a more collaborative and strategic approach with fewer members, a combined panel, reduced number of meetings, more effective and efficient meetings and better use of resources, adding an ethnic advisory group and changing the form of the Environmental Reference Group. The Environmental Reference Group, which is not an identity-based group like the others, will become a bi-monthly mayoral forum.

The Chair of the Kōrau Mātinitini Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee, Councillor Teri O’Neill, supports the adopted model. “Wellington has a vision of being a city for everyone, and it’s our job to make sure all voices, especially those underrepresented in the past, have a real say in shaping our future. This new model is about making that happen in a way that’s authentic and impactful.

“I want to acknowledge the incredible contributions of past and current advisory group members. So many over the years have been strong advocates for their communities, laying the foundation for this next step in improving how we work together.”

Deputy Chair Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman also welcomes the change. “The new model of advisory groups focuses on communities that have been traditionally underrepresented and where there is a need to uplift voices. It also recognises that it is unfair to seek technical advice from these advisory groups which if required should be sourced elsewhere.

“The groups bring their lived experiences which are most valuable in these spaces. Advisory groups are also just one of the many tools of community engagement that will be used by the Council.”

As part of a recent full recruitment round for all advisory groups, recruitment for the new Ethnic Communities Advisory Group has been undertaken. This additional group will operate under the existing terms of reference and the first meeting for this group is expected in December.

A budget increase of $130,000 was included in the 2024 Long-term Plan (LTP). This funding was for fees and additional resource to support the new Ethnic Advisory Group, the Takatāpui Rainbow Advisory Group, which was established without additional funding support, and to support the new model.

Additional funding of $85,000 is required over the above allocation to support the reset to the recommended model for expert facilitation costs, coordination, leadership to uplift the effectiveness of the relationships and advisory outcomes.

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