Could a Toolbox help?

Coherent action by local government could include:

• Sharing experience developed in one council with other councils
• Identifying from the approach taken by a council, something that could be rendered down to being a "tool" which would be more widely useful
• Collaborating to develop new tools
• Jointly evaluating results and agreeing how best to implement the tools.

Just part of the picture

A toolbox is just part of achieving more effective contributions to biodiversity outcomes by local government. Other key elements are leadership commitment, uptake, resourcing, real connection with the community and others, and most importantly, action on the ground.

How does the toolbox relate to "building capacity"

The toolbox is not the same as capacity, but because of the way the toolbox is structured, all the key elements that a council needs to pay attention are addressed. The toolbox design is like a checklist for senior managers.

If each council were to take into account the matters addressed in each part of the toolbox; were to commit, collaborate and follow through to build some capacity in each of these areas, the ability of each council in New Zealand to contribute to biodiversity outcomes would be significantly enhanced.