Nelson 2060 - The Goals

These goals are by no means the final list of what we need to do to reach our vision, but they are an important starting point. Fundamental to all of the goals are our sustainability principles.

Goal One: We support and encourage leaders across our community

Who is a leader? Is it the Council; is it representatives of local industry; is it the coordinator of a neighbourhood group or an inspired college student?

The answer is, of course, they’re all leaders.

Often our most effective leaders are those who have the least time, or the least awareness of their ability to create change. Working to encourage all forms of leadership will be an essential key to the success of the vision.

Empowering, celebrating and valuing those who step up is part of being a positive, thriving and resilient community.

Goal Two: We are all able to be involved in decisions

It’s going to take everyone working together to make this ambitious vision happen. Asking everyone to truly contribute to decisions goes beyond traditional consultation into new areas of collaboration.

Tangata Whenua and Nelson’s whanau, hapu and iwi are key partners in the changes we need to make. We can add to that the diverse groups of residents who have chosen to live in Nelson. Nelson 2060 gives us all a chance to establish common values and goals to support cultural, social and economic wellbeing, as well as a thriving environment.

Goal Three: Our natural environment – air, land, rivers and sea – is protected and healthy

A healthy natural environment is essential for life – it sustains everyone and everything in our community. This means that in future years everyone will see the connection between healthy land, rivers, sea and air as the starting point for everything from our food and water through to health and a successful economy. From this will follow our ability to understand the impact of climate change on our environment; and our ability to manage and protect our resources wisely now and for the future.

Goal Four: We produce more of our own food

Affordable and accessible food is seen as a key priority by everyone involved so far in the development of Nelson 2060. We need to explore opportunities to increase our local food growing capacity to meet local demand without compromising the contribution that commercial growers make to our economy.

Goal Five: We are able to rapidly adapt to change

This is about our ability to pick ourselves up and carry on even when faced with unexpected and sometimes catastrophic change. It’s a vital ingredient for a successful and thriving community.

Goal Six: We move from using fossil fuels to renewable energy sources

Here in Nelson we are very dependent on carbon based energy. The challenge we face is to maintain our lifestyle in a fair and equal way that makes us less vulnerable to changing energy costs and supply, while reducing our contribution to climate change.

Goal Seven: Our economy thrives and contributes to a vibrant and sustainable Nelson

Forestry, horticulture, seafood, farming and tourism - we have a diverse economic base on which to build our future. But that’s only part of who we are. Nelson, with its culture of creativity and strong partnerships for learning, and with iwi, is ideally placed to develop new industries. Opportunities include research, food production and energy generation.

Goal Eight: Nelson is a centre of learning and practice in kaitiakitanga and sustainable development

We are all the guardians of our city’s future. We need to make decisions that improve the social and physical world around us as well as our own wellbeing. Kaitiakitanga - guardianship and protection - is a helpful idea. It includes our kinship with the environment and everything else that connects with us.

Using what we already have and attracting the right knowledge and skills to Nelson, will be a foundation of a successful future.

Goal Nine: Everyone in our community has their essential needs met

Before we can make choices about how we use resources and contribute to our community, we need to be able to meet our basic needs. If food and housing isn’t affordable; if education doesn’t meet needs and there is no work for our young people; if places aren’t easy to get to or if there is no fun and life is only about survival we might all struggle with the idea of a different, better Nelson in fifty years.

Goal Ten: We reduce our consumption so that resources are shared more fairly

Everything we need comes from our one planet—what we eat, the things we buy, the transport we use, the electricity that powers our homes, the metals and plastics in our computers, the air we breathe…it’s a long list.
Our challenge is to work out how we can meet our basic needs, enjoy living in Nelson, and make sure we’re not using more than our share of resources.