STRATEGY SUMMARY ~ CULTURE, CAPABILITY & IDENTITY
CURRENT INITIATIVES
PURPOSE ~ LEADING & LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY
The cultural of sustainability is reflected more strongly than any
other attribute in the one hundred year vision.
At the deepest level the strategy is about nurturing the values and
beliefs which have integrity sustainability, however there is great
breadth to this strategy:
• considering culture across time ~ from ancient first Australians
to modern global connectedness;
• learning & growing in capability, adapting & evolving together
• taking & sharing leadership, working in partnership &
collaboration;
• changing to enhance the richness of life, our wealth of spirit,
though retaining our unique and special identity; and,
• promoting & using our strengths & assets to create opportunity.
STRATEGIC QUESTIONS
• What other current initiatives aren't represented?
• How do we better integrate, collaborate & support across
various initiatives & strategies?
• What else do we need to do now?
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New culture of innovation, develop
innovative creative leaders farm,
business & enterprises, experimentation
in a sustainable learning environment,
sustainability knowledge bank for
regional, community, international
education & training, support
community groups in grant
applications to become more
effective, sustainability health checks,
applied research partnerships with UNE
& Councils, Colleges with sustainable
contracts & sustainability officers,
succession planning for ageing
volunteers, more funding for regional
arts events & facilities to reduce over-
dependence on volunteers, develop
directory of regional skill base, harness
& build regional focus ~ learn with
regional communities (local, national,
global), achieve agreements for
schools being open for wider
community use
NESS is an initiative of
Promoting & branding New England as
a sustainable region, build regional
identity (eg Margaret River), build on
existing strengths, assets & knowledge,
report on significant stories of change,
Branding Plan, Creative Toolkit, Business
& Marketing Toolkits (style guide,
templates & guidelines), branding the
natural advantages ~ ‘top of the
mountain’ in terms of health &
wellbeing symbols, stories, facts, colours
& words, highlight prominent visual
examples (eg solar panels buildings,
wind turbines), website to broadcast &
showcase lifestyle & affordability, Track
Network eMagazine, poster place,
through clubs, printed & e-newsletters,
blogs, better inform communities about
who and what is being done around
sustainability (locally & beyond), better
communication within Council around
bridging and supporting sustainability
initiatives, better public communication
to close the gap between what is
actually going on with what is known
to be going on
STRATEGY SUMMARY ~ CULTURE, CAPABILITY & IDENTITY
Becoming a “Lighthouse Community” -
reaching out to support other
communities, connecting with
what's in peoples' hearts, , taking
ownership & responsibility, listening &
respect, walking the Talk, apply
learning organisation theory to build
learning regions, Eco-Uni - green &
carbon neutral, create an
enabling cultural environment, foster
creative vs reactive regional leadership
that can co-ordinate environmentally
aware initiatives Innovative leadership
with less complacency, more energy
driven, more vision, co-operation
support & action glued together by
strategies for sustainability
Keep our sense of community in
modern & changing world, maintain
autonomy & identity of community,
preserve streetscape & character of
place, maintain unique social fabric,
building development that is aligned
with heritage & landscape
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Thriving cultural, music & arts scene,
cultural richness multicultural activities,
opportunities for contact with
Aboriginal people (story telling),
opening up a diverse set of
experiences (ecology, cultural history,
pioneers, geology, cuisine & art), social,
cultural, economic & environmental
audit to see what we have, what to
develop, living sustainably (compost,
bike, local products, veggie garden,
sun oven, water tanks, yoga, pilates,
volunteer, bike, train, bus, eat less
meat, fair trade), build a respect for
the environment (attitude, knowledge,
management), Conscious Consumers,
promote local events that encourage
widespread participation & awareness
of sustainable practices, strategies to
challenge human centric views of
society, the world & nature, create a
more outward focus, NAIDOC, Sorry
Day & Reconciliation Week
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Match-up & better coordinate working
together, promote & seek partnerships
& dialogue around sustainability
initiatives & roles, revitalise & develop
new sustainable sister city links, charter
& extend, diversify include trade,
education to Japan, China, form Grow
with Guyra Stakeholder Group, start
RDANI Chairs Forum to bring together
lateral thinking on 'wicked problems',
convene Walcha Innovation Steering
Committee, Regional global
stakeholders network, contribute to
developing & maintaining
sustainability indicators & aligning
actions, ADC vision to restructure
business to align with sustainability
vision & create a sustainability
performance team, more partnership
initiatives of Council with stakeholders,
UNE Steering Committee with open
internal dialogue around transition to
sustainability, develop strategic
alliances with other cities, research &
other institutions with a strong
commitment to climate change
adaptation, Aboriginal cultural
heritage partnerships, Involve Local
Health Advisory Committees, Health
Forums & Area Health Advisory Council
NESS is an initiative of
Design aesthetically pleasing, green
buildings, sub-divisions & streetscapes
(creative architecture), integration of
art into public projects, interpretive
signage, history & heritage, public art &
sculpture (Mt Mutton Mural, Backyard
Art Park, Hand crafted picnic tables,
Mosaics, Sculptural footbridge for The
Glen), Art Loan Scheme, Apex Peace
Park, exhibit art in public buildings
(Council, Railway), “Meeting Place”
branding, Cultural Centre, Social
history, Art Gallery, Turtle parties,
Footprints Project, discourage large
housing developments, no high density
development, retain the atmosphere,
culture & landscape, support regional
variability in Council guidelines &
regulations, encourage & support
property owners to refurbish main
street facades, learn how to protect &
sustainably manage environmental &
cultural landscapes
Prizes for positive work on
environmental issues, especially
climate change, promote a Hall of
Champions & Icons
STRATEGY SUMMARY ~ CULTURE, CAPABILITY & IDENTITY
An outdoor classroom & learning place to discover distinct environments,
geomorphology & cultural histories ~ for students, adults & visitors, community
sustainability workshops & social events, UNE to develop sustainability programs,
peer to peer learning programs & research institutes, information
on how to achieve change, school education for sustainability, community
education via shop fronts, integrate ecological economics, climate change,
alternative economic theory
KEY PERFORMANCE & PROGRESS INDICATORS
Awareness & Capability to Lead & Engage in sustainable
initiatives, decision-making
• Numbers participating in SLEX, farmers markets
• Renewable energy connections, ebates uptakes
• Numbers of enterprises & institutions with sustainable policies &
initiatives – schools
• Ethical investment
Data sources include Who Cares & National Values Surveys,
identifying regional environmental leaders & notions of self-agency

Nurturing a Sustainability New England Culture, Identity & Stories Other measures identified but not defined included adoption of
• Branding New England as a sustainable region – promotion & new technologies (innovation), resource use & footprints – draw-
recognition, visual evidence & prominent examples eg solar downs on future generations.
panels on local government buildings, wind turbines
• Livability Index – unemployment, income, lifestyle measures
compared to the national average
• Sense of Place & Community & Prominence of Indigenous &
Minority groups
• Agreed Regional Principles on sustainable growth - Regional
Charter
• Carbon Footprint per capita

Data sources including survey of attitudes, perception of visitors,

livability etc

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STRATEGY SUMMARY ~ CULTURE, CAPABILITY & IDENTITY
Hunter New England Health Service NSW Aboriginal Land Council

EXISTING PLANS, PRIORITIES, STRATEGIES Strategic Plan & New England

Divisions of General Practice
Northern Region Regional
Economic Development Strategy &
Implementation Plan
In addition to the 2½ years of work on NESS, the following existing
plans, priorities and strategies have been integrated:

Climate Change Consensus ~ Waterfall Way Eco-Tourism Initiative

Uralla, Guyra & Armidale Councils

2010 Northern Tablelands Climate Change Adaptation

Electorate Survey ~ ‘The shape of Action Plan ~ Uralla, Guyra, Walcha
the future’ & Armidale Councils

University of New England Strategic Uralla Creative Village

Plan (2007 - 2010)

Northern Inland Regional Healthy People ~ Living and

Development Plan (2010‐2015) Learning in a Health Environment

Local Government Plans – Walcha Southern New England State of the

Social Plan, Armidale Strategic Environment Report (2008-2009)
Community Plan, Guyra
NSW State Government North West
Management Plan & Uralla
Regional Cluster
Community Management Plan

Catchment Management Action Rural and Regional Taskforce

Plans ~ Namoi, Border-Rivers Report (2008)
Gwydir

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