How can local government councils transform "community cynics" into engaged citizens? How can councils foster trust amongst communities?

1. Future engagement skills – the same but different?
It’s a cynical
world out
there

2. 2
Complexity Cultivates Cynics
• In an open and connected communications landscape,
technology has freed citizens to seek their own truth… and
create it
• Rising education levels mean people have more
knowledge about issues and so more scepticism
• The growing complexity of decisions means it is becoming
more difficult to predict the outcome to plans and
strategies
• Councils and communities are continually in a state of flux
(restructuring, migration)
• Then there’s history … political turnarounds and bad
decisions, global financial crisis, rise in corporate fraud,
politicians indiscretions… all highly publicised

3. 3
The basis of citizen engagement in council
decision making?
• Citizen’s involvement is generally reactive
• A citizen’s real experience in involvement relates to
protecting their own or immediate community
interest.
• Citizens have difficulty maintaining participation
efforts, often relying on a few
• Citizens are largely unaware and uninterested in the
limitations of council roles and responsibilities

4. 4
Citizens’ perception of council consultation
2007 research by the Department of Internal Affairs found that citizens
typically think that councils either have no intention of listening, or
show that they have not listened
- thinking decisions were already made by councillors and business
mates
- seeing councils making decisions counter to popular views
- finding the timing or length of consultation was a barrier to
participation
My 2009 research agreed - submitters were most dissatisfied by the
feedback step in the consultation and council decisions.
Trust and confidence levels are directly linked to how responsive
councils are to public input on key issues.

5. 5
Trust and confidence levels are directly linked to how
responsive councils are to public input on key issues
Recent amendments to the LGA2002 have done little to
improve the key weakness in our consultation process
requirements …. responsiveness
• Hypothesis : Relaxing the requirement to directly inform
the community and submitters of consultation decisions
will have a lasting negative effect on council/community
relationships because feedback and actively explaining
decisions is a cornerstone to satisfaction and ongoing
positive council-community relationships

6. 6
The need for trust
• The need for trust is a natural response to the
growing power of government and the professions
• Trust and confidence levels are directly linked to how
responsive councils are to public input on key issues.
• Conversely distrust is a very lucid and rational
response to encounters with distrustful governance

7. 7
Bureaucracy is a poor playmate of democracy
Feedback, explanations, responsiveness … empowerment
If councils are serious about wanting their communities to
trust their decisions, they need to trust their communities to
make decisions.
How is your council fostering trust?