The Green Party will actively support resilient regional economic development, including through infrastructure development and procurement. We will remove barriers to local economies and encourage new, sustainable local industries. We will take a Tiriti-based approach to the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector, focusing on strengthening government and business relationships with the sector, improving funding and accountability, and maintaining its independence.
Vision
Community wellbeing and local ecosystems are enhanced by resilient local economies and a strong, independent tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector.
Values and Principles
Policy decisions that impact community economic development must be consistent with the following values and principles:
- Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Local hapū and iwi should lead the development of local economies.
- Ecological Wisdom: Local economic activity should have an enduring, net-restorative outcome for local ecosystems.
- Social Responsibility: Local economies should equitably serve their communities and enhance community wellbeing.
- Appropriate Decision-Making: Communities should be empowered to shape their economies.
- Non-Violence: Local economic activity should be equitably supported to address historic and current systemic oppression.
- Risk-taking and Innovation: Community economies and organisations should be recognised and cherished for exploring the cutting edge of our social, political, economic and environmental development.
Strategic Priorities
The Green Party’s strategic goals include:
“...thriving neighbourhoods will be available to everyone.
“Meaningful work will be available and people will have sufficient time to enjoy and participate in their communities.
“All people will be empowered to shape the systems that affect them…”
Actions in this policy that will help achieve this include:
- Ensure Māori maintain ownership over taonga created by Māori within tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector organisations, including intellectual property, regardless of Government funding. (2.7)
- Enhance mechanisms and resourcing to enable the sector to fully participate in policy and planning processes at all levels of Government. (2.10)
- Pursue a co-ordinated approach to infrastructure development and procurement to enhance the sustainable economic potential of all regions. (1.1)
- Reduce tax compliance costs for not for profit organisations. (2.22)
- Support quality education and training programmes that increase sector capacity at all levels, both within and outside the formal education system. (2.23)
Connected Policies
Community economies are part of the wider Economic system and should be guided by policies for Sustainable Business. They are also affected by regionally-based policies, including Local Government, Housing and Sustainable Communities, and Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
