Shift 2

Think in Generations, Not Years

Ensure that today's decisions leave a positive and enduring legacy for future generations by taking a long-term rather than a short-term approach to decision-making, planning and investment.

Thinking long-term is critical for ensuring the sustainability of the region. Much of what the region enjoys today can be attributed to long-term planning and investment of the past. Likewise, many of the problems now confronting the region could have been avoided with better long-term thinking. We need to ensure that future generations of New Zealanders are not adversely affected by our decisions.

This shift provides emphasis on:

  • Creating legacies
  • Planning for an uncertain future
  • Intergenerational equity
  • Holistic thinking.

Creating Legacies

Different decisions have different life spans, and many of our decisions may impact the region beyond our life time. Decisions on the built environment can largely determine the shape of urban development for 100-years or more. Likewise, rail and roading infrastructure development requires enormous public investment and can affect how well a region functions for a generation.

Taking a long-term view on the non-physical aspects of the region is equally important. The level of investment in education and in our youth will contribute to Auckland's skills base for the next 30+ years. Poor social outcomes at a household or community level can become entrenched and create intergenerational disadvantage.

Planning for an Uncertain Future

Traditional ways of planning for Auckland's future are becoming less effective against a backdrop of rapidly increasing global interconnectivity and increased rates of change. We need to consider future trends and forces of change in our decision-making and planning. However decision-making models need to shift from specific predictions of what the future holds, to an approach that manages uncertainty and adapts to changing circumstances.

This shift therefore focuses on developing a resilient region that can adapt to change. Building strong communities and robust ecological systems, and designing flexibility into our economy, infrastructure and buildings are key objectives of the Framework.

Intergenerational Equity

If we wish future generations of Aucklanders to grow up with the same opportunities we had, then we need to rethink the way we treat regional resources and care for our environment.

The health of ecological systems and supply of natural resources can often not be restored in the short and medium terms, and alternatives to finite resources need to be developed far in advance of depletion. Without taking into account the lives of those who come after us, we risk making short-sighted decisions that negatively impact upon their quality of life.

Holistic Thinking

Short-term thinking is usually quite linear in nature and ignores actual or potential relationships between resources, processes and results. Long-term thinking on the other hand can be broader and more holistic perhaps to the point of taking a systems approach. Moving toward a systems approach to decision-making, by its very nature, will lead to taking a long-term view.