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Keeping on track
How can we promote the agreement, make sure we do things right and be responsive to the changing needs of communities and government over time? How will we know the agreement is working?
The success of the relationship agreement depends on how it’s put into practice. We want to hear your ideas on how to implement the relationship agreement so we can advise the Government on priorities and next steps. Please tell us what areas for action YOU think are priorities.
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Relates to
document:
Vision diagram PDF - English (247.007 KB)
Comment 1 16 Jul 2010, 5:44 PM
The priority is that the Agreement actually makes a difference to the working relationships between tangata whenua, community and voluntary groups/organisations and the government agencies. This draft Agreement looks like it won't make any difference at all. By trying to be an agreement between all the people of Aotearoa and the government, it is trying to provide a solution to the wrong problem. As long as the tensions remain between the community and government organisations, then the best results for communities won't be achieved. Focus the Agreement on the organisations that make up the sector, so you have an identified group to work with and THEN you will make a difference for the people. Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao, Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata! (translation: Ask me what is the greatest thing in the world, I will reply: It is people, it is people, it is people.)
Comment 2 20 Jul 2010, 7:50 PM
The timeframe for the consultation on what, in theory, should be a very important document seems quite short, and typical of government dictating how a joint process should work. With your timeframe stating that you will seek Cabinet agreement in October so the agreement can be signed in November - you are constraining the amount of time that communities have to consider the topics in the consultation, let alone find out about it. Surely the communities should have the time required to reach their collective decisions. I think this type of arrogance and "hurry up and tell us what you think" attitude of government is just the type of approach that the agreement should be addressing - not reflecting in its own development process. These constraints mean the agreement cannot hope to be between the communities of Aotearoa NZ and government - but only a few people lucky enough to find out about it in time. Make the agreement between clearly defined parties (ie: groups and organizations) and then you can be sure almost everyone potentially directly affected by the agreement has been involved in the process.
Comment 2.1 23 Jul 2010, 8:43 AM
In all honesty this discussion has already been going on for a very long time. I can't agree with your comments (although normally I would). Yes the document itself is only being consulted on for a couple of months, but this isn't a new conversation. The Steering Group has been putting out updates as it went along. Shouldn't we all take on some responsibility for keeping ourselves abreast of developments if we care about this? Its time we actually got something in place rather than dragging it on. Sorry everybody, I'm guessing my comments won't be too popular!
Comment 2.1.1 2 Aug 2010, 8:59 AM
I have not received updates from the steering group and I suspect a number of other organisations also haven't.
The draft agreement is the underlying principles which might be expected to form the basis of such an Agreement. However there is no detail on how the relationship should work in practice. I would have thought recognising and respecting Te Tiriti O Waitangi is a given, and should be the overarching principle, not added on at the end. The proposal that the agreement be between the Government and effectively the whole New Zealand population is ridiculous. The relationship should be between the Government and its agencies and the 'tanagata whenua, community and voluntary sector" ie the community organisations who comprise the sector, as was, I believe the original intent.
Comment 3 22 Jul 2010, 1:42 PM
There is a strctural issue with the report - it needs to provide the vision, a premable/background; the principles AND a statement on how we will know its working/making a difference. For examples, "we will know this Agreement is effective when we see:
* funding decisions are based on local needs and issues and support local initiatives, rather then communities needing to meet government defined needs/issues
* robust discussions within the sector lead to improved policies and practices in both the community and public sectors
* etc etc"
This woudl then enable all parties to identify if these things are happening or not - and maybe even for the public sector to develop and resource monitoring/evaluation of the agreement over time.
Comment 3.1 25 Jul 2010, 3:38 PM
Great idea to include some accountability measures /guides in the actual document!
Comment 4 26 Jul 2010, 7:12 AM
I have been thinking about this over the weekend - if the Agreement is to have any relevance/impact for the parties that sign it must be integrated into reporting and accountability. Eg, included as a schedule in contracts for service between govt and providers; included in Statements of Intent and Annual Reports (which public sector must produce); be incoporated into grant funding policies; etc.
Otherwise we will waste a quantum of resources on something that sits on the shelf and gathers dust at a time when real and practical action is needed to tackle the issues/challenges that face us a country. We don't need yet another talk-fest that doesn't actually result in anything except making those people sitting at the table feel good and adding another ego enhancer to their CVs.
Comment 5 26 Jul 2010, 8:25 AM
Generally agree with the comments and feedback.
The Whanau Ora programme appears to be an attempt to make it easier for the community based providers and client families, and it appears the revamp of this agreement and IMPLEMENTATION ? go hand in hand.
Reporting and auditing systems need to be based on integrity and honesty (as opposed to who you know, political alliances etc). This needs to include Govt depts being monitored and auditored by community - not Govt agencies like Ombudsman, Privacy Commission etc that are often toothless, lack integrity, and side with the powerful.
Govt will need to invest ongoing resources for a far more Just and Trustworthy system of accountability for all, especially Govt Depts.
Comment 6 26 Jul 2010, 2:26 PM
Additional discussion is also appearing online in response to an item from the NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations. You can see these comments at http://www.nzfvwo.org.nz/featured/draft-relationship-agreement-with-government-feels-hollow/
Please share your thoughts here or there after reading what others have to say.
Comment 6.1 28 Jul 2010, 7:47 AM
Thanks Grant - I have finally figured our how to copy my comments over from our website to this site! After attending a very lively meeting of national organisations in Wellington I made the following notes on our site!
Content of the draft Agreement
The draft Relationship Agreement is very high level – as promised – but it’s actually less strong and less clear than the previous Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship (the SOGI). We would like a document that spells out the respective roles and responsibilities of parties, and has considerably more substance than this draft.
Parties to more…
Comment 6.1.1 31 Jul 2010, 5:27 PM
Thank you Tina - a breath of fresh air!
The Draft Relationship Agreement, and the consultation process, has not as yet given me confidence that the Community / Third Sector, Tangata Whenua, or any other organisation labelled 'community' will be able to establish a relationship with Government that enhances the delivery of services.
I would like to think otherwise, but I think Government needs to grasp our perception of 'community' and what works best in our sector.
Comment 7 10 Aug 2010, 6:53 AM
Kia ora, I've been running youth consultations around the country on the relationship agreement to get young peoples feelings and perspectives on the value of the agreement and it's potential to impact on their communities. The overwhelming response has been excitement at the possibility of a real partnership between the government and the community sector. While young people can also get involved in concerns about accountability and enforcement thinking, they are more interested in what practical actions they can take to move the relationship forward.
Comment 8 12 Aug 2010, 8:16 AM
I think that the low level of interest in the topic 'keeping it on track' says a lot about the future of the document....there is high interest in getting the words right, who'll sign it, etc etc but little interest in Day 2 (or what happens after the signing ceremony is over)...the document will end up being irrelevant to the everyday issues and needs of communities - unless there is a way of keeping it in the spotlight and keeping it referenced (via reporting/monitoring/etc).
If we are happy to put the money into creating the jolly thing (which given the number of hui and govt officials involved must be over $50k by now) we should be prepared to resource it on the longterm to make sure it works and actually makes a difference.