Your voice matters: Improving our engagement

Share Your voice matters: Improving our engagement on Facebook Share Your voice matters: Improving our engagement on Twitter Share Your voice matters: Improving our engagement on Linkedin Email Your voice matters: Improving our engagement link

We’re working on a project to improve how we connect with you and our many communities. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to share their thoughts and see how their feedback influences Council decisions. We’ve also heard that our current engagement methods don’t always work for everyone—so we’re creating a plan to improve, we will call this our Engagement Framework and Action Plan.

To start, we’ve reviewed past feedback and spent time in the community to understand what we can do better. From these insights, we’ve drafted a set of Engagement Principles to guide our work, we've tested these with a group of community members who agreed they set the right direction but mentioned they are ambitious - that's right! These principles reflect our commitment to meaningful engagement, and while ambitious, they set a strong foundation for change. Change won’t happen overnight, but we’re taking the right steps to get there - take a look at 'Our engagement progress' document to learn more.

Your feedback

Thank you for your feedback on the draft engagement principles! We already have something to share.

Graph of engagement results

First impressions of the principles show over 70% of responders thought they were at least on the right track, with 37.2% saying they didn't need any changes!

Since a majority said they had at least a couple suggestions, we're going through your comments now and seeing what tweaks we should make. We'll share the amended principles and how your feedback influenced them after they go to Council in May.

What happens next?

Now that we have your feedback, we'll review the principles and make changes based on what you tell us. We'll share a summary of what we heard and the changes we made. If we don't make a change, we'll explain why.

After that, we'll keep working on the Engagement Framework and Action Plan which will set out the details of how we improve the way we engage and stay true to our principles. During this time, we'll keep talking to groups across the city to make sure we're on track. Once our draft is ready, we'll reach out in different ways to hear your thoughts.

How do I stay updated?

We’ll keep this page updated as the work progresses, so be sure to check back! You can also click the subscribe button under the 'stay informed' section to receive updates.

We’re working on a project to improve how we connect with you and our many communities. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to share their thoughts and see how their feedback influences Council decisions. We’ve also heard that our current engagement methods don’t always work for everyone—so we’re creating a plan to improve, we will call this our Engagement Framework and Action Plan.

To start, we’ve reviewed past feedback and spent time in the community to understand what we can do better. From these insights, we’ve drafted a set of Engagement Principles to guide our work, we've tested these with a group of community members who agreed they set the right direction but mentioned they are ambitious - that's right! These principles reflect our commitment to meaningful engagement, and while ambitious, they set a strong foundation for change. Change won’t happen overnight, but we’re taking the right steps to get there - take a look at 'Our engagement progress' document to learn more.

Your feedback

Thank you for your feedback on the draft engagement principles! We already have something to share.

Graph of engagement results

First impressions of the principles show over 70% of responders thought they were at least on the right track, with 37.2% saying they didn't need any changes!

Since a majority said they had at least a couple suggestions, we're going through your comments now and seeing what tweaks we should make. We'll share the amended principles and how your feedback influenced them after they go to Council in May.

What happens next?

Now that we have your feedback, we'll review the principles and make changes based on what you tell us. We'll share a summary of what we heard and the changes we made. If we don't make a change, we'll explain why.

After that, we'll keep working on the Engagement Framework and Action Plan which will set out the details of how we improve the way we engage and stay true to our principles. During this time, we'll keep talking to groups across the city to make sure we're on track. Once our draft is ready, we'll reach out in different ways to hear your thoughts.

How do I stay updated?

We’ll keep this page updated as the work progresses, so be sure to check back! You can also click the subscribe button under the 'stay informed' section to receive updates.

  • The Draft Principles

    Share The Draft Principles on Facebook Share The Draft Principles on Twitter Share The Draft Principles on Linkedin Email The Draft Principles link

    We will…

    Engage well on what matters to you

    We'll keep you updated on council work that affects you, in ways that make sense for you. We'll focus on talking with people most affected by our decisions and find ways to connect that work for them.

    Be clear about the impact of your feedback

    We'll tell you how your ideas and comments shaped our decisions and share results quickly and clearly. If we couldn't use your feedback, we'll explain why.

    Be inclusive and accessible

    We want to hear from everyone in Lower Hutt, especially people who haven't been heard before or have struggled with council processes. We’ll listen at times and places that work for you.

    Engage genuinely with no hidden agendas

    We'll be honest about why we're asking for your input and what influence you have in each decision. We'll listen, make room for new ideas, and be upfront when we need to change direction and why.

    Be responsible partners under Te Tiriti

    We commit to engaging with Mana Whenua and hapori Māori in good faith, upholding tikanga and our commitment to Te Tiriti.


    Our consultation on these draft principles has closed and we're working through your feedback to see what changes we should make.

Page last updated: 15 Apr 2025, 01:03 PM