Resource for planning simulation: fictional report on public meeting development proposal
Akaroa: Monday. A public meeting held at Gaiety Hall last night was crammed full of Akaroa residents, bach owners and tourist operators. A lively meeting produced not only divisions within the community, but also some consensus on the proposal for a major Maori tourist village and resort development.
The Banks Peninsula Council member for the Christchurch City Council, Bob Parker, opened the meeting by appealing for people to be objective about the issues and consider all information carefully. The City Councillor also pointed out that a decision on these issues would be a balancing act between increased tourism and its economic benefits, and the social and economic costs including new infrastructure that will be borne by both residents and ratepayers. Mr Parker stated that areas like Banks Peninsula needed financial support from Central Government or the developers in relation to these major proposals. The Department of Conservation's (DoC) Akaroa Field Centre Manager, Alistair Hutt warned that there could not be huge increases in the number of interactions between tourists and marine mammals. He stated that it would be difficult for DoC. to issue any new permits for new operators in the area.
The spokesperson for Pacific Circle Resorts, Michelle Jones highlighted her organisation’s environmental awareness policies. She assured those in attendance that the development would be in harmony with Akaroa’s unique environment, and that the organisation would employ local workers and would abide by any Council requirements. Dave Saunders, speaking on behalf of Akaroa residents, warned that ratepayers had already borne the infrastructural cost of tourism in addition to various social costs. He detailed the social impacts residents faced, like heavy traffic within the tourist precinct, lack of privacy and parking problems.
A representative from the Akaroa Maori Association expressed his concern regarding the commercialisation of Maori culture in the area, as he didn’t want to see Akaroa turn into another Queenstown. Furthermore, he pointed out to developers that they must respect the position of the Maori in tourism in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi. New Zealand Tourism Board member, Paul Bingham, warned the people of Akaroa not to put too many conditions in the way of tourism development. He stated that the government has an open door policy to foreign investment and hoped that the local people would grasp this excellent opportunity. The meeting ended with agreement to hold a further meeting when more details of the proposal are known.
Evaluation
From the Simulation Scenario and the Resource for Planning Simulation “Report on Public Meeting on Development Proposal”, the goals of the various interest groups can be seen. Students can then choose some of these goals for their Development Plan, or add their own. Strategies can then be developed that enable these goals to be actioned. The goals can be ‘planning stereotypes’ that are used generically in many planning studies, for example, to protect the environment at all costs, of to make provision of employment top priority. Strategies should be action plans which achieve the goals, for example to set strict tariffs on water usage so the tourism industry pays for increased water demands arising from increases in visitor numbers, to achieve the environmental goal mentioned earlier.
When goals and strategies have been chosen and entered on the Hill’s Goal and Achievement Matrix values can be entered. If a strategy meets a goal, a value of one is given in the matrix. If a strategy does not meet a goal, a value of zero is given in the matrix. If the strategy partly meets a goal, give a value of 0.5. The values can then be added to give the most viable strategies with the highest values. These strategies then become the basis for the Development Plan. The Development Plan should include the strategies selected to meet the chosen goals. Details can then be added to elaborate on the development proposals. Further elements such as infrastructure changes and commercial developments can also be included. A map of spatial phenomena resulting from the developments including features such as resort buildings and wharves can also illustrate the development plan proposals.
Conclusions
The conclusions of this Planning Simulation can then be stated. These should include a justification of the strategies in the Development Plan, and a discussion of the natural and cultural processes that interact in this study, with a description of interactions. Finally, the conclusions should include statements on the role of geography in planning.
Learning activities
- Draw a map of Akaroa and locate the most likely places for a large luxury Maori village and resort.
- Work through the evaluations and conclusions (above) individually or in groups. The evaluation is best done as a group exercise and the conclusion as an individual essay.