What is Creating Our Future?
Creating Our Future is about what kind of city we want Palmerston North to be in 2015. The Palmerston North City Council is co-ordinating this project, but the resulting 'community outcomes' will belong to the whole community, and the whole community will have a part to play in helping achieve them.
Why are we doing this?
Because we want to build strong and vibrant communities. We want to do this by working together - to strengthen relationships that already exist and to help build new ones. Once we know what everybody wants, organisations and individuals will develop their own action plans to help achieve the community outcomes.
What sort of city do people want to live in?
We asked people to imagine Palmerston North in about ten years time and to tell us the key things in that future.
What they told us fell into nine areas:
• People have lots of fun things to do
• People feel safe
• Palmerston North is attractive, clean and green
• Businesses grow here and people have lots of job opportunities
• People have lots of learning opportunities
• People can move easily around Palmerston North
• Palmerston North's physical infrastructure is reliable
• The community is supportive and people and organisations work together
• People are well-housed and healthy
These are the community outcomes for Palmerston North. To show in a bit more detail what they mean we have put them into a story - an email from people living in Palmerston North in 2015.
How did we identify the community outcomes?
We talked with "the person in the street." To do this we went to places like shopping centres, suburban buses, schools, events and festivals, the Saturday market.
We put postcards in cafes, libraries and major businesses. We sent a brochure to all households.
Over 1,000 people told us what they wanted for the future of their City. We grouped all of their thoughts into the nine community outcomes.
What is happening now?
The community outcomes are for the whole community to work towards.
The Council is working with other key organisations in the City to make sure we all play our parts in achieving the outcomes.
How can you get involved?
Look at the outcomes. Decide what they mean for you, your family and friends. Then get out there and make those things happen.
You could pick up some litter, be a courteous driver, volunteer, join a club, keep fit, eat healthy food, form a neighbourhood support group, do something just for fun, learn how to paint, teach somebody how to skateboard. It is easy and some of the outcomes will happen if lots of people do lots of little things.
