Strategic priority

Hononga hapori
Community connections

What we want to achieve

Vibrant communities that are well connected with each other and to services.

The why

Our people are as diverse as the region we live in, and our social structures are changing. For example, our population is ageing but we’ve also got growing numbers of young Māori and Pasifika people.

The Waikato is experiencing higher than average rates of social deprivation and the intergenerational social issues that poverty and other associated issues create. Our lives have also changed dramatically in the past few years. Social division, disconnection from community and a growing mistrust in information are ongoing issues.

We need to work together to build trust and understanding, and counter inequities where we can. This means we need to understand our communities better and ensure people have access to education, employment, recreation, health and other services.

Goals for success

By 2025

  • Lead and encourage land-use decisions that shape sustainable, resilient transport networks to ensure communities have affordable access to services, amenities and social life.

  • Improve safe, accessible and affordable low emissions passenger transport options for our communities, with a particular focus on frequency and reliability.

  • Work with local councils to understand what communities, and iwi and hapū value most and make it easy for people to participate in decisions and actions that affect them.

  • Strengthen our role as a trusted source of timely, relevant, and high-quality information, and make it easy for people to access environmental, economic and social information.