Issue
Bay of Plenty Regional Council were keen to explore the potential social and economic impacts of key directions in its draft Regional Policy statement. Decision-makers in particular wanted to hear the voices that are often not under-represented in policy debates, particularly Maori and high deprivation communities.
Solution
Synergia explored qualitatively a range of potential impacts identified by stakeholders from communities and organisations across the Bay of Plenty, including iwi, NGOs, local government and budget advisory services.The process drew on stakeholder interviews, supplemented by analyses of demographic and environmental data, submissions on the regional policy statement, and a review of earlier impact assessments in this area.
Outcome
Synergia delivered to the regional council a comprehensive set of community aspirations and concerns, and potential forward directions.
Core directions of the social impact assessment included:
- Fostering more integrated solutions to water allocation
- Improving farm management systems
- Identification and management of water-related health impacts, and support and advocacy for local water quality initiatives
- Review of regional monitoring frameworks
- Protection of traditional food sources and cultural sites.
A copy of the full report can be downloaded here.
Synergia’s experience spans the continuum of the health and social service systems, including national policy development, population and public health, primary and community care through to specialist hospital
Whether your task involves policy development or management of service delivery, Synergia’s capability in the collaborative development of dynamic simulation models, to support more effective decision-making, can help you think and plan more effectively.