In the report on last week’s Tuesday Club meeting there was an excellent example of how important it is that Council staff are able to sit and play with ideas with a group which is only about sharing them. Tony Moore, who is an amazingly enthusiastic public servant, had just presented on the proposed CCC Strategic Plan on how the City could address the challenge of Global Warming. Then Professor Emeritus of Geography, Eric Pawson, walked up the front and challenged us all to think carefully about what the Climate Change Commission is setting as targets for us as Kiwis. Axel Downward-Wilke took up that challenge and that set our meeting this week.
Last week I attended a Zoom Forum where a group has been established to promote greater democracy at all levels in our society. I spoke about the Tuesday Club and have had several people contact me to ask about what we do here every week.
The thing I have turned over in my mind is the fact that this City could really lead the way with greater democratisation. We have been through a number of major challenges and have survived. Now we could move up a few gears and take up new challenges. The role of a group like the Tuesday Club is to encourage discussion on new ways of going about things and talking with those in power and to encourage institutions to change how they go about things.
When we consider the number of elected reps who come to the Tuesday Club either as speakers or as attendees the number is impressive. That means that we have people in key slots who welcome our feedback. That’s about as good a place to start as any!
Then consider the way Tony Moore and John Filsell responded to feedback last week as public servants working at CCC. They were open and welcomed the chance to respond to intelligent and thoughtful feedback from Tuesday Club attendees.
We really have a wonderful future. Our challenge is to be prepared to lead. To be prepared to ensure that we are the City which embraces change whilst respecting what has gone before us. To ensure that our society is one where everybody can participate to the best of their ability.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have written about a man who inspired me, Jaime Lerner, the Mayor of Curitiba. I will conclude with one of the many quotes I have from him in an article below:
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