6. Promoting Industry & Rural Community Performance
The broader economic and social environment significantly affects New Zealand’s ability to produce quality products and take advantage of opportunities offered by international markets. This category provides information that will assist in developing and implementing policies that encourage the development of an efficient domestic business environment and viable rural communities.
6.1 ICP 420
Programme Title: |
Voluntary contribution to rural emergency services |
Programme Leader: |
Sue Cumberworth |
Institution: |
Agribusiness Group |
Programme Goal and Rationale: Goal: to investigate the capacity of emergency response in rural communities with a concentration on the changing role and capability of volunteers to contribute to the provision of the services.
The ability of rural people to contribute voluntarily to the provision of emergency services is declining. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the capacity for emergency responses in some rural communities is being diminished by this decline in voluntary contribution. There are a number of reasons why there is a diminished ability to contribute in a voluntary manner. These reasons are primarily driven by general rural depopulation but are also contributed to by the pressure on people's time, raised delivery standards or requirements, financial pressures on the individual and the community in terms of ability to raise funds and general overload on volunteers.
In order to be able to contribute to the development of the delivery of services in rural areas MAF Policy needs to define the extent of the issue and create a policy framework for its contribution to policy development.
Objective 1
Objective Title: |
Scoping of Voluntary Service Issues |
Research Leader: |
Sue Cumberworth |
Description:
The intent of this objective is to gain an overview of the situation and generally to scope the nature of the issues facing volunteers in rural New Zealand. This will be done by looking at the issue on a broad basis across organisations, sectors and geographic locations to see where there are significant areas of concern or there are major problems. The outcome of this objective will be a general scoping of the issue from a delivery and policy point of view.
The methodology proposed has a number of tasks:
- Task 1 will be to carry out a literature review of relevant existing information and research which has occurred around the issues in New Zealand, and where appropriate, comparative overseas situations e.g. Tasmania, Victoria. The main focus will be on local, first response to emergencies.
- Task 2 will be to carry out a comparison of the provision of emergency services for urban vs rural people and the issues relating to voluntary community contribution. Where applicable existing industry and agency indices will be used.
- Task 3 will be a review of the legislative framework, which the provision of emergency rescue services is carried out under.
- Task 4 will be a review of the policy positions and directions of the various providers and funders of emergency services.
Objective 2
Objective Title: |
Demonstrate Issues through Case Studies |
Research Leader: |
Sue Cumberworth |
Description:
The aim of this objective is to investigate and demonstrate in-depth the issues identified in objective one. These will be specifically as they relate to the delivery of ambulance and fire services in rural communities. The outcome of this will be a detailed demonstration of the issues related to the services at a national and regional level but in depth through the demonstration of the issues in three rural communities. The location of these rural communities will depend on the outcome of the early investigations but it is suggested that one area of rural Southland, one North Island East Coast area and a Canterbury rural area near Christchurch will be chosen.
Methodology:
- Task 1 will be to determine the availability and adequacy of the two emergency services in each of the study areas.
- Task 2 will be to create a profile of the volunteers involved in delivery of the services and what is required of them in terms of time, training, cost, OSH requirements etc. this will be done by interviewing volunteers and their organisations in the case study areas.
- Task 3 will be to detail the funding sources available for these services and adequacy requirements and policy positions. This will be done by interviewing the service providers in each of the case study areas.
- Task 4 will be to list and detail the skill levels and requirements of volunteers including the demands of training and skill levels to provide the services.
- Task 5 will be to identify the users of these services and the beneficiaries of their provision in rural communities. This is expected to include residents in the area and visitors to the area including tourists.
- Task 6 will be to look at alternative delivery options other than the use of voluntary contribution.
- Task 7 will be to give a general outlook of the future direction of the provision of the services given the current situation.
Objective 3
Objective Title: |
Summary and Recommended Policy Issues |
Research Leader: |
Sue Cumberworth |
Description:
The aim of this objective is to pull the work of the previous two steps into a summary document and then to create recommendations on policy issues for MAF Policy to be aware of and pursue. This will be done in a workshop format where appropriate MAF Policy staff will be brought together to hear the outcomes of the first two objectives and then to participate in the development of a policy issues framework for MAF Policy on the issue.
Methodology:
- Task 1 is to document the results of the previous two objectives.
- Task 2 is to prepare a draft framework of policy issues for MAF Policy.
- Task 3 is to facilitate a workshop of MAF Policy personnel and present the results or outcomes of the first two tasks to MAF Policy staff. This workshop will be held in Christchurch and will include the development of possible policy positions for MAF Policy as a result.
- Task 4 is the production of a final report, which contains the outcomes of all three objectives and can be used as a resource document for policymakers.
Contact for Enquiries
Farm Monitoring Programme Manager
Monitoring and Evaluation
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0623
Fax: +64 4 894 0741
Contact this person
