Goal 8

Effective, Collaborative Leadership

Leadership comes from all parts of society. All levels of government achieve excellent cost-effective results by collaborating to reduce trade-offs and maximise shared opportunities. This is achieved by integrating planning within government, and through partnerships with the business and community sectors. The place of Mana Whenua as the region's first peoples, and the role of the Treaty of Waitangi are given due effect. Within our democratic processes all voices are heard and decision-making processes consider everyone's well-being.

The focus of this goal is to provide more effective and efficient institutional arrangements to prepare for future challenges and to move the region towards achieving Auckland's long-term sustainability goals.

This goal provides an emphasis for the future on:

  • Effective, collaborative leadership at all levels of government.
  • Integrating planning, funding and implementation, and improving coordination between the public and private sectors.
  • Respect and consideration for all the people of the region and their right to contribute to the democratic process.

Opportunities

As well as being a goal in its own right, developing effective and collaborative leadership will be a key method for achieving our other goals and the vision of a sustainable Auckland. Opportunities include:

  • Taking leadership in sustainable development now is a vital opportunity for the prosperity and security of the future. Because our understanding of natural and social systems has deepened, we can no longer rely on the defence that ‘we simply did not know' that our lifestyles were generating such long-lasting and unsustainable impacts. 
  • By making sustainable development the basis of decision-making in the Auckland region, we have the opportunity to ensure better coordination of decisions across the region.
  • By working effectively in coordination with others we can harness the strengths and talents of different stakeholders.
  • Working with communities is a great opportunity to build local leadership amongst people who know their environments and have an ongoing stake in the sustainable development of their neighbourhoods.

Challenges

Achieving the goal of effective, collaborative leadership will be greatly challenged by the potential future shifts and shocks identified in this framework:

  • Although we have a clear idea of some of the impending challenges that the region will encounter, we cannot be certain exactly how these challenges will play out. Leadership needs to be developed to promote gradual improvements in the region's performance whilst also being prepared for more sudden action.
  • It will be a challenge to keep sustainable development at the forefront of decision-making processes, particularly as the sustainability implications of decisions can be quite long-term and cumulative, and when more short-term factors such as cost and community acceptance are more immediately apparent.
  • The future of planning will be less about moving towards fixed outcomes, and more about managing uncertainty and securing options for future actions. This will have implications for how we make decisions, prioritise investments, and work with communities.
  • As the population of the region grows and diversifies, it will be a challenge to ensure democratic processes stay engaged with communities.

Indicative Strategic Responses

Shift required to meet goalStrategic responses which will contribute to meeting the goal
Integrate thinking, planning, investment
and action
  • Ensure public sector is aligned, integrated and focused on priorities that will contribute most to the region's sustainability.
  • Increase public sector collaboration with Mana Whenua, and the civic and private sectors.
  • Put in place stronger regional governance with sufficient mandate and financial capability to make decisions in the regional interest.
  • Ensure decisions affecting the region are made at the correct level - closest to those affected and most appropriate to deal with the consequences.
  • Lead by example by applying the Framework to public sector, corporate policies (e.g. building, travel, human resources).
  • Build a collaborative relationship with adjacent regions (Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty).
Activate citizenship
  • Strengthen local decision-making capacity.
  • Recognise and nurture local leadership, particularly within younger age groups.
  • Recognise the role of community and urban renewal programmes, and the benefits of integrated local planning, as a key ongoing part of the regional planning process.
Value te Ao Māori
  • Ensure Mana Whenua play a meaningful role in regional governance.
  • Give due effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi in regard to how Mana Whenua and Māori residents and ratepayers contribute to decision-making.
Think in generations,
not years
  • Build leadership that is confident to take decisions that will stand the test of time.
  • Maintain a watching brief on known and emerging sustainability challenges so as to be prepared for changes before they occur.

Supporting Documents