SURVEY OF RESIDENTS' GROUPS

One of the board members of the Draco Foundation, Jarrod Coburn, is undertaking a nationwide survey of residents' groups as part of his Masters thesis.

The survey, sent out to 500 groups by Victoria University of Wellington, will provide valuable information toward our understanding of civil society and the community sector.

The survey can be completed online or on paper so keep an eye on your inbox or mailbox over the next month!

CONFERENCE 2012

The Community Governance Conference 2012: Beyond Resilience will be held in Christchurch in October, following a planned forum for local residents' groups in May.

This conference will be a bold initiative to revitalise involvement in local government affairs by New Zealanders.

The inaugural conference, held at Parliament Buildings in Wellington last April was a huge success, and has paved the way for a bigger, better, brighter gathering of delegates.

Work is currently underway to identify a suitable venue for the conference, which will attract up to 500 delegates from Residents' Associations, civil society groups, NGOs, and local- and central government.

If you are interested in participating or assisting with the conference then please email info@residents.org.nz.

Further information will be added here as it comes to hand.

ONLINE RESOURCES

One of the recommendations from the recent Residents2010 conference in Wellington was that resources be developed to assist and support residents' associations.

As part of the organising committee we have put our hand up and offered this website as a location to source these resources.

Click here to visit the page with resources on it.  There are only a few there now, but new resources will be added on a regular basis.  There are also copies of the papers/speeches presented at the conference by Pat Hanley and Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem.

If there is a resource you think would be useful, or if you have a resource you would like to share with the rest of New Zealand, please email us:

resources@residents.org.nz

COUNCIL WATCH

The mission of Council Watch is to undertake timely, relevant, and robust research on local government, provide checks and balances to local government in New Zealand, and make it easier for residents to have their voices heard.   Despite the obvious benefits to disaffected or disadvantaged people, this site is much more than just a way to "keep Councils honest".

 There is very little known about the mechanics of local government in this country, so Council Watch serves as a clearing house for community-based research and trends.   The site also has special sealed sections specifically for residents' groups and for journalists, to promote collegiality and oneness amongst these bastions of social justice.

 Council officers and elected members are encouraged to use this site as well. However they only will have access to the non-password protected pages.

Council Watch is funded by the Draco Foundation (NZ) Charitable Trust, the same entity that is responsible for the National Database of Resident's Associations.

LATEST DATABASE UPDATES

RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION DATABASE

In 2008 we looked for a list of residents' associations in New Zealand and couldn't find one anywhere.  So we decided to build it ourselves.

The database has nearly 1,000 organisations listed.  Much of this information was gathered by painfully trolling through public records (such as those held by the Companies Office).  Thus, not all the entries are up-to-date.

However, we are seeing more and more organisations coming to the site to ensure their details are updated.  We still haven't written to everyone on the database (you can imagine how much that will cost!) but we're intending to in the near future.

In the meantime please feel free to visit the database and - if necessary - add or update your organisation's details!

WHAT IS A RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION?

A residents’ association is a group made up of local residents who represent the interests of everyone living in a geographic community.  It helps local people deal with problems they are having as well as organising social networking and activities.

Meetings might be attended by elected officials or state employees (if permission is given). A well-run association will have a constitution and produce agendas and minutes, which are available for everyone to see. Membership should be open to all residents and should not discriminate against any members of the community.

Some residents' associations are formed for a specific purpose, such as keeping watch on a public asset or promoting environmental stewardship in an area.

Residents' associations can also be known as ratepayers or progressive associations, "friends of" groups, public watchdog groups, and may be formal or informal.  See also community association, homeowners association, and neighbourhood association.