Abstract | The value of community values assessments in transport projects

Transport projects contribute to our quality of life and the economy, but also have negative impacts on people, our heritage and the natural environment. Assessment of the effects of transport projects focus on what can be quantified and measured. Those dealing with people are often buried within planning assessments, consultation feedback, or at best through a social impact assessment. They rely heavily on quantitative demographic data or material drawn from other specialist assessments viewed through a ‘social lens’.

Baseline assessments provide the foundation for assessing change and impact and are recognised best practice for understanding the natural environment. However, when it comes to understanding the effects on communities’ baseline assessments are often weak or non- existent. To fully understand how a community might be affected by a project baseline assessments are needed. This has been recognised by the NZ Transport Agency who are developing and trialling a Community Values Assessment (CVA) process, which is initiated right at the beginning of a project before major decisions and investment is made.

The CVA is a community-led process aimed at identifying and understanding what is important to a community, tangible and intangible, what they value about where they live, work, learn, play and shop. Understanding the relationship between transport projects and a community’s quality of life leads to better outcomes that are responsive and resilient. A CVA’s value is that it provides a community baseline upon which to meaningfully inform decision making from the outset and becomes a reference point moving forward.

The CVA process has been applied to two Agency projects (Otaki to North of Levin and Old Mangere Bridge). This paper shares the approach the Agency is developing and some of the unique grass-roots tools and techniques used work with communities to understand what is important to them at the start of the journey

Bio | Rebekah Pokura-Ward MEIANZ

Rebekah is an environmental and planning practitioner with over 20 years private sector, and more recently public sector experience. Qualified in law and environmental science Rebekah has led the environmental and planning teams on many of NZ’s major infrastructure projects in the transport, water, and community sectors. Her speciality area is environmental and social impact assessment and has won a number of industry awards in working with communities in public infrastructure projects. Rebekah recently joined the New Zealand Transport Agency as Project Director for the Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing Project and as a Principal Social and Environmental Specialist where she is leading areas of best practice within the Agency.