COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
An examination of the purpose and intent and structure of residents' groups in New Zealand
What does it mean when one refers to a “residents’ group” in this country? What exactly is their purpose? Does it matter if they are in the heartland of New Zealand or in the middle of our largest city? Do they do different things in different parts of the country? Is there any connection between their objectives and the amount of interaction they have with local government agencies? Do older and newer organisations share similar purposes?
This research examines 582 New Zealand organisations to derive a set of purposes that residents’ groups perform and ascertains how their purposes differ between geosocial and political locality and over three distinct eras of community development. The thesis also examines the relationship between residents’ groups and councillors, council officers, district health board members and civil defence and seeks to uncover if the level of engagement (if any) has an affect on their overall raison d’etre. The research concludes with a typology of New Zealand residents’ groups along with the key purposes of each type.
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This research examines 582 New Zealand organisations to derive a set of purposes that residents’ groups perform and ascertains how their purposes differ between geosocial and political locality and over three distinct eras of community development. The thesis also examines the relationship between residents’ groups and councillors, council officers, district health board members and civil defence and seeks to uncover if the level of engagement (if any) has an affect on their overall raison d’etre. The research concludes with a typology of New Zealand residents’ groups along with the key purposes of each type.
Click HERE to download this document.
Map of survey undertaken with New Zealand residents' groups