By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting
Whanganui’s first citizens’ assembly will present its recommendations next week on the future of the district’s outdoor swimming facilities, including Whanganui East Pool.
The Whanganui District Council will hear recommendations from eight participants of the 39-person assembly at a livestreamed meeting on Tuesday, 15 July, at 5.30pm.
The democracy experiment has been kept under wraps, with assembly meetings behind closed doors.
The council kept secret the identities of the residents selected for the assembly, and there was no public access to the five meetings.
The 39 locals were randomly selected according to Whanganui demographics and were to be paid $500 each to come up with answers for the council.
In May, the council declined to reveal the names of assembly members to protect privacy and “members, officers, employees and persons from improper pressure or harassment”.
The council said it feared publishing names would discourage future participation in similar processes.
The council will discuss the group’s recommendations before making a decision on the future of swimming facilities.
Everyday voices
Whanganui District Council chief experience officer Catherine Dutton said the assembly brought everyday community voices to the fore for an important community decision and was a milestone for participatory democracy in Whanganui.
“From the beginning, we’ve been really impressed by the commitment and full participation shown by the group,” Dutton said.
The group had met regularly since May, working through a structured process designed to encourage open dialogue, robust questioning, and collaborative thinking.
It had narrowed the options down to two pathways for elected members to consider.
Dutton said the citizens’ assembly process built on the concepts and tools of deliberative democracy.
“We chose to use it for this project to help our community navigate complex conversations and make recommendations together about the long-term future of our aquatics needs for Whanganui.”
‘We need to get out in the community a lot more.’
Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe said the assembly had been “a great success”.
“A lot of decisions and discussions are made and had in the council building,” Tripe told Local Democracy Reporting. “We need to get out in the community a lot more.”
The assembly’s two recommendations include a preferred recommendation.
“I have no idea what they’ve recommended, but I’m excited to hear,” Tripe said.
The meeting can be viewed at https://www.whanganui.govt.nz/live-council-meetings
Awa FM – Te Reo Irirangi o Whanganui
For more of our people, our stories, our way, click News or follow us on Facebook.
