CASE STUDY VOICEBOX CONSULTATION TOOL

Hastings District Council purchased a 20 foot shipping container and converted it into a mobile display and thinking space to communicate

with the community. Named the Voicebox it was used to consult with the community on the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. It has

helped reduce consultation costs and is a great tool by which to initiate direct engagement with the community.

To develop a visible, flexible and adaptable, community-based consultation tool

HASTINGS DISTRICT COUNCIL

Evaluation critEria

The success of the service can be determined by the number of formal submissions and questionnaires that were completed during consultation on the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. Thirty-seven formal submissions were received, along with 127 completed questionnaires. We believe this far exceeded the numbers, which would have come from public hall meetings. Voicebox consultation on Councils Long Term Plan was also carried out and contributed to 635 submissions being received.

background

Hastings District Council wanted to find a new way of communicating with the public to replace a public expo, which was held every three years, but had attracted only a small number of ratepayers.

The motivation to develop the Voicebox came from the changing patterns of people’s lives. No longer is it possible to attract large numbers of people to public hall meetings or rely on replies to written information sent by post. The tool was created out of the development of a broader community engagement strategy.

dElivEry

The Voicebox is an innovative way of communicating with the community. There is printed information available, while officers are on hand to answer any concerns that ratepayers have on the various issues,

which are being discussed. The Voicebox is easily transported and placed in position by a hiab equipped container truck. It is painted bright yellow for high visibility and includes the Councils interactive website MyVoiceMyChoice branding. There was an initial set up cost, but from then on the costs are comparable to newspaper advertising for updating and reusing. When in use the container doors at each end are opened and ramps provide access to the interior. The inside walls of the container are lined with plywood, which allows corflute panels to be attached. The corflute is printed with the information, which pertains to the current consultation exercise. A small lighting system that runs off a car battery helps illuminate the inside of the container, when the light begins to fail.

rEsults

The aim of the consultation exercise for the LTP and joint WMMP was to provide our community with honest and open access to the documents and the very best information that was available.

In Hastings we have 3 main urban centres; Hastings, Flaxmere and Havelock North. The Voice Box was located in each of the town centres for a day. It was thought that the Hastings’ Farmer’s Market might also be a good place to engage with the community, as it has a strong following and people wouldn’t be pushed for time. Unfortunately, the ground was very wet on the day we scheduled to have the Voicebox at the market and we weren’t allowed to have the Voicebox in the centre of the market. This meant the

WHO

AIM

SUMMARY

CASE STUDY

Angela Atkins, Hastings District Council angelama@hdc.govt.nz

engagement numbers were down, as we were located outside one of the gates. However, we still believe that a place like a farmers market would be very attractive for consultation with the public. The Voice Box was also taken to Clive and Haumoana, because these communities were strongly affected by some of the options contained within Council’s LTP. We believe that the consultation programme was a success, because we took the information to the people rather than relying on the people coming to us. Locating the Voicebox in areas of high foot traffic ensures that the information is available to a wide range of people.

information & promotion

Consultation on the WMMP plan was not just confined to the Voicebox. During the month of consultation, 350 commercials were played on 4 radio stations. Half the commercials were 15 seconders and included both Hastings and Napier Voicebox location information. The

other half were 30 seconders, which included some information as to the content and more contentious issues that were contained in the draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. Two public notices were placed in the local newspaper and four adverts were printed in the free community newspapers.

bEhaviour changE tools usEd

Prompt – to encourage people to participate in council consultation processes.

The Voicebox radically changed the way we thought about communicating with the public. Gone were the traditional public hall meetings or a flyer in the letter box. Now we have a highly visible cost effective communications tool that we can take to the people. No longer do the people have to come to us; we go to them.

Evaluation

The Voicebox can be a very successful tool for communication with the community, but there needs to be smart marketing around it, to ensure that it receives maximum exposure to the public. Placement of the box is crucial and needs to be in areas of high foot traffic. There are definite advantages in placing the Voicebox in a town centre rather than a carpark or reserve. The My Voice My Choice consultation model was a fantastic way to literally open our doors to the whole community and to have an open and frank conversation. It demonstrated a willingness to break down barriers to communication and allowed many members of our community the opportunity to talk to Council, possibly for the first time.

www.wasteminz.org.nz

VOICEBOX CONSULTATION TOOL

MORE INFO

The Voicebox is a highly visible, flexible and adaptable consultation tool that is suitable for many different consultation opportunities. It

has created increased opportunities for direct engagement with our local community. The community is beginning to recognise the Voicebox

as a place where Council information is available.

CONCLUSION