The following is a transcript of an interview with Jacqui following the WDC Rates Roadshow held at the Tamahere Community Centre.
Jackie, what's at the core of the relationship with central government as far as funding for community is concerned?
Sure. It's a really good question. In my opinion, and what I've taken to the rest of the counselors in Wellington was we've got to change the model and the model is not as effective. It's broken. So it's broken and what we are not realising as the most fundamental part is we should have a relationship with central government and we are actually partners together... a bit like partners in a marriage. You decide that you're in partnership together, you're stronger together than apart, you have strengths. You work out and identify what any rocks might be, and find solutions to the rocks.
The opposite of what we keep doing for millennium is basically going and asking for a handout, saying we are under pressure for money.. please give us some money like everybody else.
So as good partners we know what we're doing. We can help the government with their policies and their outcomes for the whole of NZ Inc, which is why partnership is good.
So the first thing is to have a relationship. It's bonded, and then we look at how we grow the pie.
What the government want is for example, is increasing the GDP and our productivity. So that's taking $100 of the pie and making $110.
Now we've got solutions as to how we can make that a bigger pie with tourism and economic development and lots of things that we can do, but we need to actually be in a good relationship to do this.
Trust us like any other good relationship, working together through those rocks so we can actually help them grow their pie so we get our rightful slice of the pie.
As yet we have not been able to meet any government ministers.
ENDS:
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