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Where are we heading?The purpose of Councilsis twofold.to enable democratic localdecision-making and action by,and on behalf of, communities;andto promote the social,economic, environmental,and cultural well-being ofcommunities, in the presentand for the future.Council’s VisionCouncil developed its visionin 2000 following an extensiveconsultation process and thedevelopment of a strategic plan.Council’s vision is:To develop the Waikato districtinto an even better place forliving, working, investing andvisiting.The ChallengeTo be successful the Council willneed to work in partnership withthe community and will needto manage resources to achievethe community’s goals. Thisrequirement to consult and workwith the community has beenre-emphasised through the LocalGovernment Act 2002.Since Council determined itsVision for the district, Council hasconsulted with the public and thecommunity on the key issues andCommunity OutcomesCouncils are required, not lessthan once every six years, tocarry out a process to identifyCommunity Outcomes for theintermediate and long-term futureof its district, and to work withother groups and organisationsto work towards achieving thesegoals. Councils are also requiredto monitor and, not less than onceevery three years, report on theprogress made by the communityin achieving the CommunityOutcomes for the district.Waikato District Council hasundertaken targeted consultationwith its local community inorder to identify a set of localCommunity Outcomes, unique tothe Waikato district. Key themesof the Community Outcomeswere initially drafted using thesignifi cant amount of communityfeedback and information thatCouncil had collected over theyears. Key documents, includingCouncil and other widerstrategies, plans, and submissionswere also used as a basis fordeveloping key Outcome themes.The themes were then collatedand provided to the communityat ward meetings and workshopswith residents, and to everyhousehold in the district, seekingfeedback on the developmentof Community Outcomes. Thethemes were then draftedinto Outcome statements, andprovided back to stakeholdersand residents to check that wehad ‘got it right’. The resultingfeedback was incorporated intothe statements, and nine finalCommunity Outcomes wereagreed.These Outcomes are aspirationaland encapsulate what thecommunity wants the Waikatodistrict to be like in the future.They are not Council Outcomes.They are owned by the wholecommunity, and will require thewhole community’s efforts inorder to achieve them.The Community Outcomes that have been identified for the Waikato District are:ACCESSIBLE WAIKATOACTIVE WAIKATOGREEN WAIKATOEDUCATED WAIKATOSUSTAINABLE WAIKATOTHRIVING WAIKATOVIBRANT WAIKATOWELL WAIKATOSAFE WAIKATO22 THE ROAD AHEAD - LONG-TERM COUNCIL COMMUNITY PLAN 2006-2016