The How Team


Building trust between communities and public agencies for better decision making.

 

The How Team was a new model for collaboration that originated in New Brighton, Christchurch. Renew Brighton initiated the How Team and managed the first How Team process.  The project was designed with the input of community members, engagement experts, local and central government staff and elected representatives, and informed by community engagement models and theory.

It was initiated due to increasingly dysfunctional and ineffective engagements between agencies and the community and a general lack of trust on both sides. A different approach to community engagement was needed.  

 If you would like a copy of the Evaluation of the first How Team project, please email your request to Renew.Brighton@gmail.com.

What is a How Team?

 

The Concept

The How Team is focused on how decision-makers and communities work together – how can we improve participatory democracy and develop channels to help local communities and agencies to engage with each other. The How Team complements existing elected representatives, amplifying the impact of representative democracy. Recognising that ‘one size does not fit all’, it brings community intelligence and ownership to engagement design to connect projects to the communities they impact.

It represents the idea of ‘nothing about us, without us’.  

The How Team that has been piloted consists of a mix of community members and government agency staff, convened by a community member and managed by Renew Brighton- a community group. The community positions are publicly advertised and selected by community leaders following an application process.

Community Reference Group Vs the How Team

The 'Community Reference Group' concept has been employed frequently by government agencies and is often familiar to them and communities.  The differences between the How Team and a community reference group concepts are that the How Team:

  • Focuses on how to have a discussion, not what the decisions should be. Their single focus is making sure the process is good with a view that if the process is better, the decisions will also be better.

  • Is run by a community group, not a governmental group.

  • Includes a mix of both community and government members with equal status.

  • Has community members chosen on their ability to listen and represent the common good rather than as representatives of groups, demographics or single issues.   

  • Focuses on building trust between community and agencies rather than keeping agencies accountable.

  • Pays community members for their time (also provides a meal at meetings and childcare costs for both government and community members).

The How Team in Southshore/South New Brighton

 

  • South New Brighton and Southshore are strongly connected communities that have been through a lot.

    South New Brighton and Southshore are suburbs of Christchurch and are home to approximately 2,000 households. We are extremely active communities and were some of the worst affected by the Canterbury Earthquakes.

    The How Team is a model that can be applied where needed and appropriate.

    In early 2018 the How Team was formed for the purpose of developing an engagement plan for a new project focusing on adaptation to sea level rise and responding to earthquake issues in South Brighton and Southshore. The earthquake/adaptation project was initiated by Regenerate Christchurch, a governmental organisation tasked with Christchurch’s regeneration post-earthquake.

    The How Team concept is a new way for community and government agencies to work together.

    The engagement plan outlined a four-stage process for engagement, and clearly articulated the purpose, aims, key messages, methods for engagement and desired outcomes for each stage.

    The engagement plan was very positively received by both community stakeholders and government agencies. A copy of the evaluation of the How Team and lessons learnt is available by emailing Renew.Brighton@gmail.com.

  • Following the provision of the engagement plan to Regenerate Christchurch, in June 2018 the How Team was offered a subsequent contract to advise on the implementation of the Engagement Plan, to provide support and advice to the engagement staff, and to develop a wellbeing strategy for the project.

    The How 2 Terms of Reference are available by emailing Renew.Brighton@gmail.com.

    The implementation phase was delayed for various reasons and with the delays it became more difficult to discuss climate change adaptation issues without prior resolution of the earthquake legacy issues. Subsequently in May 2019 the project was passed to Christchurch City Council with the earthquake legacy issues given priority. After a short and intense community engagement period, decisions on earthquake legacy issues along the estuary edge in the South Brighton/Southshore areas were decided in late August 2019. Due to the change in project scope, the How Team’s original engagement plan needed to be amended, however the How Team helped advise on the engagement and communications during this period.

  • The How Team has merit

    As evidenced by the evaluation of the First How Team, the How Team model has merit, providing community nuance and local intelligence to engagement design. It demonstrates how community engagement can be more than a tick box exercise by agencies; or an opportunity for organised vocal groups to drive their own agendas. It provides a deeper consideration of what effective community participation looks like at the local level, while also building relationships and trust on both sides. With this approach, community engagement is more likely to be effective and meaningful, and as a result of genuine engagement, lead to decisions and outcomes of which both the community and agencies feel joint ownership.