About

The LocalNZ workshop brought together members of youth councils and other youth interested in local government from throughout New Zealand. The first two days were spent at the A Place to Live conference in Wanganui, followed by a day where the participants focused on workshopping their thoughts and observations. On the final day participants presented their combined thinking at two presentations – held at Parliament and the Treasury.

This workshop connected 35 New Zealanders between the ages of 18 and 25, providing a collaborative space for them to identify existing and emerging opportunities and challenges. This initiative formed part of the McGuinness Institute’s TalentNZ project – creating an informed, focused and networked group of young New Zealanders able to engage effectively with government and the communities in which they live. Participants explored the question:

How do regional goals align with national goals, and how might these goals need to change in order to aid regional growth?

This workshop was a collaboration between the New Zealand Treasury, Wellington City Council, the MacDiarmid Institute and Victoria University of Wellington, in association with the Royal Society of New Zealand, Wanganui District Council and the Whanganui River Māori Trust Board (the organisers of the A Place to Live Conference), and the McGuinness Institute.

Participants

• Hon. Paul Goldsmith MP
• Richard Louv
  
• Mark Baxter
• Jim Callaghan
• Helen Craig
• Toby Cooper
• Professor Charles Daugherty
• Shamubeel Eaqub
• Peter Hardy
• Kim Hill
• Clodagh Jolly
• Dr Girol Karacaoglu
• Chris Laidlaw
• Justin Lester