GRASSROOTS II: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES AT THE GRASSROOTS

Disclaimer
Foreword
Greetings
Acknowledgements
Glossary

GRASSROOTS II: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES AT THE GRASSROOTS

MAF Policy Technical Paper 94/10

ISSN: 1171-4662
ISBN: 0-478-07368-2

A report sponsored by the Rural Resources Unit of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Wellington

Kath Boswell, Denise Brown, Jo Maniapoto and Tamati Kruger

July 1994

Disclaimer

While every effort has been made to ensure that the information herein is accurate, MAF does not accept any liability for error of fact or opinion which may be present, nor for the consequences of any financial decision based on this information.

Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the official view of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Comments and enquires concerning the contents of this document should be directed to

Manager
Information Bureau
POBox2526
WELLINGTON

Telephone (04) 472 0367
Facsimile (04) 472 9071

All rights reserved. No pant of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Foreword

One of the key objectives to which MAF works is to encourage a confident, self-reliant, profitable and forward-looking agriculture industry. It has been recognised that to achieve this goal there is a need for an improved understanding of how the agricultural sector integrates wit its infrastructural support community. Understanding the integration of agriculture with other sectors is also important for achieving sustainable agricultural systems. MAF has, therefore, developed a programme on integrated rural development and undertaken or sponsored several operational research projects to improve its understanding of the linkages between agriculture and its support community. Some of these studies focus on opportunities and barriers to improving economic and social well being in the agricultural and rural sectors. The information provided assists local people and government agencies to identify the issues and resolve them, thereby strengthening agriculture's regional and local support base.

MAF saw an approach for assistance from the authors of Grassroots II to complete their follow-up study in rural communities and regional service centres, as fitting within its programme of integrated rural development facilitation. Under this programme, MAF is tasked to, among other things, assess policy impacting on agriculture's servicing infrastructure, and monitor the access rural people have to basic services.

The findings of particular interest to government agencies from the Grassroots II report are that by listening to local people, considerable improvements have been, and are being, made to government programmes targeting (at one end of the spectrum) basic skills training and (at the other) established enterprises.

However, the report identifies some gaps in the system. There is a particular need for appropriate training to be developed for those who have acquired basic skills, but are not sufficiently advanced to be able to cope with formal tertiary training such as that offered by polytechnics.

Many of the people interviewed were particularly keen to sever their dependence on the state, but lacked the capital to do so. They were caught in a situation where they had insufficient assets to borrow against for both establishing the business and living-on until the business was self-supporting, but would lose their unemployment benefits once the business had begun. For these people, the government could perhaps consider some kind of assistance to bridge this gap.

A third problem identified was that while there are people available to advise prospective business proprietors, the approach of the advisers can be too theoretical, or may be patronising, or inappropriate. The people interviewed identified a need for good business advice from friendly people they could relate to. This is particularly important for women and Maori.

It is hoped that by listening to needs identified by local people who are trying to break out of the unemployment trap, the appropriate agencies may be able to devise policies or programmes to fill the gaps, and assist in removing the barriers for those trying to help themselves and their communities.

Alan Walker
Director Rural Resources
MAF Policy

Dr Ann Pomeroy
Manager Rural Affairs
MAF Policy

Greetings

Tihe mauri oral

Herea te kakano o te rangi kki a paahuru.

He toka i tu ake ko te aroha puman.

Matemateaone te tukunga a Tane.

He kahui rakorakoa ki te ara hihiri ka tau.

E nga Hapu, e nga Whanau

E nga Mana, e nga Reo

Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou

He mihi malohaoha teni ki a koutou i tuiw whakaaro,

Korero, aroha hoki ki tenei tuhituhinga.
Ahakoa te wa, e kitea ana te pono
Te toikaha C a koutou mahi i roto
i nga haupukana. E hika ma kia maja
Kia matapopore kite 'Kaupapa'.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the many people involved in this project, in particular:

the Council and Secretariat members of the former New Zealand Planning Council for supporting this follow-up study;
Dr Ann Pomeroy, Manager Rural Affairs, MAF Policy for sponsoring its publication; Karen Thompson for her skills in typesetting the publication;
our co-interviewers Gloria Hunter and Maui Te Pou; and
the 73 people we interviewed who have waited patiently for their voices to be heard

Cover design: Maui Te Pou, Waimana Valley

Glossary

ACC	Accident compensation Corporation, now Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation.
ACCESS	Vocational training courses targeted at disadvantaged, unemployed people. Transferred from Department of Labour to Ministry of Education in 1990. Now Training Opportunities Programme (TOP)
BDC	Business Development Centre, Ministry of Commerce.
BDIG	Business Development Investigation Grant, Ministry of Commerce.
BRANZ	Building Research Association of New Zealand.
CEDU	Community Employment Development Unit, Department of Labour. Now Community Employment Group.
CEG	Community Employment Group, Department of Labour.
CEIS	Community Employment Investigation Scheme, Ministry of Commerce.
COGS	Community Organisation Grants Scheme, Department of Internal Affairs.
DEC	District Executive Committee, (since disestablished), Department of Social Welfare.
DOC	Department of Conservation
DSW	Department of Social Welfare
DYW	Detached Youth Worker, Department of Internal Affairs - now known as Community Project Worker (CPW).
Hui	a meeting
ITA	Iwi Transition Agency or Te TAI (Te Tira Ahu Iwi). Took over Department of Maori Affairs programmes in 1989. Disestablished in 1991.
Iwi	a tribe, people.
JOS	Job Opportunities Scheme, Department of Labour.
Kaumatua	an elder (male) respected as having considerable knowledge of Maori tikanga (customs).
Koha	gift.
Korero	talk, to talk, speak, say.
LEEDS	Local Employment and Enterprise Development Scheme, CEG, Department of Labour.
MACCESS	Maori delivery system for ACCESS. Funding since transferred from Te TAI to the Education, Training and Support Agency (ETSA), Ministry of Education.
Mana	prestige, influence, standing, power, strength
MANA Enterprises	Programme for creating or expanding Maori business to create employment for Maori people. Funding since transferred from Te TAI to Department of Labour and Ministry of Commerce.
mana motuhake	separate responsibility.
mihi	a greeting.
mokopuna	grandchild.
NBIG	New Business Investigation Grant, Ministry of Commerce.
NZES	New Zealand Employment Service, Department of Labour.
Runanga	council.
SCOPE	Small Cooperative Enterprises Scheme, Department of Internal Affairs, (funding transferred to CEG).
tangata whenua	people of the land, local people, indigenous people.
Tikanga	customs, protocol.
tino rangatiratanga	self determination.
Tipuna	ancestor, grandparent.
WDS	Work Development Scheme, Department of Internal Affairs, (funding transferred to CEG).
whanau	family, extended family.

	© MAF 1994
MAFnet Help	Last updated: 28-Nov-2002	Important Disclaimer

Contact for Enquiries

Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
Contact this person