Bringing Best Practices from New Zealand to British Columbia · 2.0 – 2018 SOLGM Annual Summit:...

LGMA OVERSEAS EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Matt Vader

September 5-25, 2018

Learning from Government-Maori Relations and the Best of Developing Great Trails

Bringing Best Practices from New Zealand to British Columbia

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Bringing Best Practices from New Zealand to British Columbia L E A R N I N G F R O M G O V E R N M E N T - M A O R I R E L A T I O N S A N D T H E B E S T O F D E V E L O P I N G G R E A T T R A I L S

Tēnā tātou katoa (Greetings to you all)

Ko Matt Vader tōku ingoa (My name is Matt Vader)

Discussion Point One: Government-Maori Relations and Government-First Nation Relations

The Indigenous peoples of Canada and New Zealand share similar experiences as subjects of British colonialism.

Yet there are acute differences both in the situation for Indigenous peoples in both countries and in the opportunities they’ve been able to pursue.

"Reconciliation is about forging and maintaining respectful relationships. There are no shortcuts." - Justice Murray Sinclair

Discussion Point Two: Developing Great Trails

As the Chair of the Okanagan Rail Trail Committee I am keenly interested in bringing best practices from around the world to our newly opened and still developing Okanagan Rail Trail.

“Breathing new life into old tracks, roads and railways, ‘Nga Haerenga’ means ‘the journeys’, in a physical and spiritual sense, which is exactly what you will experience.” - New Zealand Cycle Trail


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Table of Contents

1.0 – Introduction “Whakataki”

2.0 – 2018 SOLGM Annual Summit: Know your Community, Serve your Community

3.0 – New Zealand: The People and Places Visited and Experienced

4.0 - Discussion Point One: Government-Maori Relations and Government-First Nation Relations

5.0 - Discussion Point Two: Developing Great Trails

6.0 Conclusion “Mutunga”


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1.0 – Introduction “Whakataki”

I was fortunate enough in to be selected to participate in the Local Government Management Association (LGMA) and the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM) Overseas Manager Exchange for 2018. I travelled to New Zealand in September 2018. For this opportunity, I thank both organizations.

I was also fortunate to be paired with my exchange partner, Glenn Young. Glenn is a Utility Manager from Manawatu District Council.

With my wife being an elementary school teacher as well as having a 6 year old daughter and 2 year old son, the beginning of September is a busy time with school and daycare commencing after a long Okanagan summer. Accounting for this, my journey began by meeting Glenn at the SOLGM Conference prior to my experience in the Manawatu. We had corresponded by email numerous times leading up to the conference about likes and dislikes, whether maple syrup is a staple of our diet, and Glenn’s amazing effort in planning meetups across the country based on our conversations of what my learning objectives for the exchange were. I felt like Glenn and I hit it off right away and it was as if we’d known each other for an extended amount of time.

The SOLGM Summit was held in the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown! What a spectacular site for the conference! I arrived two days before the conference was to commence, which seemed like a good idea to get some rest after flying the red-eye flight combined with a 19 hour time change. That’s if Queenstown wasn’t such a buffet of visual awesomeness for anyone who goes there! Instead of catching up on some sleep, I thought it would be a better idea to go to what was called by Rudyard Kipling as the eighth Wonder of the World, Milford Sound. I read on Wikipedia that Milford Sound receives on average 252 inches of annual rainfall, making it one of the wettest places in the world with an average of almost 22 inches of rain in 17 days in September. The weather gods must not have received the message because that day was absolutely beautiful, without a cloud in the sky.


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2.0 - 2018 SOLGM Annual Summit: Know your Community, Serve your Community

The Annual Summit

The theme of the Summit was Know your Community, Serve your Community. It focused on understanding our diverse communities, and how best to respond to them.

There was an intriguing line-up of speakers with a focus on representatives from diverse communities who through their efforts harnessed capabilities and encouraged engagement.

I’d like to highlight a couple of these impressive speakers:

- Dame Louise Casey, Chair of the Institute of Global Homelessness Advisory Board:

Dame Casey has been a driving force in the formation of the Institute for Global Homelessness, whose aim is to deliver an international solution to homelessness. A former British government official, she worked for four British Prime Ministers on issues surrounding, and related to social welfare. One specific point of note I took from her outstanding talk was the term ‘truth to power’. This term, as used by Dame Casey, refers to providing counsel to those with the position and authority to make the decision, typically politicians, with what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear or what we perceive they want to hear.

- Kaila Colbin, New Zealand Ambassador for SingularityU

Kaila is originally from the States, but she is now living in Christchurch. She is the co-founder of the not for profit, Ministry of Awesome. Her exhilarating discussion was focused on the way that exponential technologies are transforming the world. By definition, exponential technologies are technologies where the price-performance (ie. how much performance you get for your dollar) doubles on a consistent basis. Kaila described that the characteristics of exponential growth appeared to be flat for a long time, that our brains are not wired for it and that experts continue to predict by linear theories. The difference between exponential progress and linear progress is as Kaila said, hard to wrap your head around. For example, if you take 30 linear steps, you’ve gone 30 metres; take 30 doubling steps (ie, 1 becomes 2, 2 becomes 4, 4 becomes 8, 8 becomes 16 etc.)


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and you’ve gone around the world 26 times, the equivalent of 1.04195 billion metres! What’s most interesting about exponential growth is that when you double your action, you progress the same distance with each action as all the previous actions combined! That means that any progress of the previous action looks minuscule compared with the last few actions of explosive growth, and most of the growth happens over a relatively short period of time. The main point to pick up from her talk was that we often miss exponential trends in their early stages because the initial pace of exponential growth is deceptive – it begins slow and steady and is hard to differentiate from linear growth. Hence, predictions based on the expectation of exponential pace can seem improbable. Fascinating stuff!


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3.0 – New Zealand: The People and Places Visited and Experienced

With Manawatu District Council being on the North Island and the SOLGM conference in Queenstown on the South Island, it provided me an opportunity to drive, with Glenn, pretty well the entirety of the beautiful and diverse country of New Zealand.

With the completion of the conference in Queenstown, Glenn graciously arranged meetings with those responsible for different aspects of governing, maintaining and building some of the iconic Great Trails of New Zealand. Those who kindly took their time to meet with me provided an abundant amount of information on the choices made and paths taken to develop their respective trails. For this invaluable information I would like to thank:

Queenstown Trail: Queenstown Councillor, Alexa Forbes

Alps 2 Ocean: Project Manager, Hamish Seaton

Otago Central Rail Trail: Daphne Hull, Honorary Life Advisory Trustee

As our travels headed northward, we continued through the majestic countryside of the South Island of New Zealand past Aoraki/Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepard, through to Kaikoura. The significance of stopping in Kaikoura is evident the moment you enter the area, either from the north or from the south. In November 2016, Kaikoura was affected greatly by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has been described as the most complex earthquake every studied. Kaikoura itself moved to the northeast by nearly one metre, and rose seventy centimetres and the whole south island moved to the north-northeast by more than two metres – putting it that much closer to the North Island – and rose almost one metre. Glenn and I decided to make a detour to Kaikoura just to show our respects and inject even a small amount of funds into the local economy with a fuel purchase, lunch, some delicious locally made cheese and meats for the road and an obligatory coffee from one of the local cafes. As a side note, I’d say that I had probably 60-70 flat whites in my 3 weeks in New Zealand, the kiwis love their java!

From Kaikoura we headed further through the Marlborough, a globally significant wine area, to Picton. This was, by naming anyways, a personally significant area of New Zealand for me as I grew up on an island in Ontario in the town of Milford. On this same island were the towns of Wellington and Picton, of which my parents and brother still live.

We took the Interislander Ferry from Picton to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Luckily for us, the All Blacks were playing the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup in


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Wellington the night we arrived! As is well known worldwide, the All Blacks rugby team is the winningest team in the history of team sports. The All Blacks hadn’t lost to the Springboks in 9 years but unfortunately for my kiwi hosts, they succumbed 36-34. For the next week this was a national travesty that filled the newspapers and airwaves, similar to when Team Canada doesn’t win gold in hockey in the Olympics.

Approximately 2 hours north of Wellington is Palmerston North, where my host Glenn and his family reside. Affectionately known as Palmy, Palmerston North holds the distinction of being the largest inland city in New Zealand. This is actually quite the accolade when your country is made up primarily of two islands (there are approximately 600 islands overall though) that at its widest point is 400km across but with 15,000km of shoreline. We spent 4 days in Palmerston North/Manawatu District where I was given extensive time to observe the entire local government operation, ranging from lengthy discussions with their Chief Executive Officer and leadership team to being given tours of their infrastructure facilities. I am truly grateful for the courtesy and respect that all the staff I met at Manawatu District Council showed me.

From Manawatu District we headed north on State Highway 1 on the Desert Road section through the Rangipo Desert and past Lake Taupo to Hamilton to attend a three waters conference. The three waters term is the reference in New Zealand to drinking water, wastewater and storm water with a goal to better support New Zealand's prosperity, health, safety and environment. It was an interesting conference, especially since a colleague of Glenn’s was a speaker at one of the plenary sessions.

To complete my experience in New Zealand, I spent 3 days in Auckland solo to see some of the local sights and experience the city. Auckland reminded me of Vancouver in many aspects; from the proliferation of building in the central business district (CBD), or as we typically call it in North America, the downtown, to the port and ocean aspect of the cityscape. I took some time to take a few ferries to smaller islands in the immediate vicinity to this major cosmopolitan city. Rangitoto Island is a dormant volcano and Waiheke Island is a gorgeous island that is world renowned for its wine and beautiful beaches. I can happily attest to the quality of both! This was a great way to cap off a highly enlightening and enjoyable trip!


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4.0 - Discussion Point One: Government-Maori Relations and Government-First Nation Relations

I would like to clearly acknowledge that the topic of crown and indigenous relations are not something that cannot be fully addressed in a limited discussion. In this report I would like to merely point out a few themes that could be considered as differing in the historical relations between the New Zealand Government and Maori and the Canadian Government and First Nations.

The Indigenous peoples of Canada and New Zealand share similar experiences as subjects of British colonialism. Yet there are acute differences both in the situation for Indigenous peoples in both countries and in the opportunities they’ve been able to pursue. Unlike in Canada, New Zealand is subject to a historic treaty, the Treaty of Waitangi, which has helped shape Government-Maori relations since it was signed in February 1840. While it should be acknowledged that it is imperfect in nature, it has played a significant role in shaping the relationship nationwide between the levels of government and the Maori people.

According to New Zealand taught school curriculum, the 19th century is broken into three distinct time periods which trace some of the major developments in the advancement of the relationship between Maori and Pakeha. (For reference, Pakeha is a Maori reference to a white New Zealander as opposed to a Maori.)

1. The relationship between Maori and Pakeha before the Second World War

Until 1940, it was always noted the national population figure was ‘exclusive of Maori’. This was from an earlier time when Maori were seen as a race on the verge of extinction and adding them to the population seemed unnecessary. The 1896 census counted fewer than 40,000 Maori, but that placement of Maori in New Zealand society was soon called into question with regards to the extensive Maori participation in the First World War.

2. The effects of the Second World War and increasing urbanization of Maori on race relations

Maori participation in the Second World War helped to convince many Pakeha of the contribution the Maori people make to wider New Zealand society. Maori urbanization resulted in some of the most profound changes to Maori lifestyles since early colonial times.


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3. Key issues in race relations after 1960

A number of issues faced by Maori during the 1960s and 1970s resulted in the emergence of new Maori leadership. Issues such as the historic loss of Maori land, the retention of language and culture, education and employment were of particular concern. A number of highly visible protests helped bring these matters to the attention of the entirety of New Zealand society and put Maori issues on the political agenda.

In Canada, the importance of King George III's Royal Proclamation of 1763, which proclaims it’s in the honour of the Crown to protect the aboriginal rights of its allies for "as long as the sun shines, the rivers flow, and the grass grows..." unfortunately to date does not seem to hold the same weight for either our society or our government as the Treaty of Waitangi does in New Zealand. With that being acknowledged, The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was the biggest and most expensive public inquiry ever undertaken in Canada. This public inquiry represented an opportunity to advance in legitimizing the relationship between the Canadian Government and its Indigenous peoples. The report provides recommendations regarding treaties, treaty making, Aboriginal land base, Aboriginal title, and Métis rights to land and governance that still need to be observed, and while it is acknowledged the report has influenced government policy, the absolute rights of Canada’s aboriginal peoples have not been recognized fully as described in both the Royal Proclamation or the Royal Commission Report.


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5.0 - Discussion Point Two: Developing Great Trails

What is the definition of a Great Trail? This question was asked of Mark Nelson, an associate of Hamish Seaton, the Alps2Ocean project manager I had the pleasure of meeting up with on a chilly September day in Kurow, New Zealand. “There is no written definition. It’s a definition in the mind of New Zealanders, and that’s probably the most powerful definition you can have. It’s about showcasing the best New Zealand has to offer in its best light and putting people in a natural environment where they go, ‘Wow’.”

This statement really resonated with me. We have presented a vision of the Okanagan Rail Trail to be the essential link to experience the Okanagan. But what does that mean to people?

The overarching principle that I derived from all the conversations and discussions I was fortunate to have in New Zealand and is one that I wholeheartedly support and encompass fully in our decision-making process, which is to match people’s experience with their expectations. This statement is the driving factor in how the committee has and will continue to look at all aspects of the trail. I don’t think we could overstate the importance of having this as a driving factor in all efforts that are undertaken. If we are promoting and creating a vision of a world class amenity, then we need to deliver the product as advertised.

It was of great value to me, as the Chair of the Okanagan Rail Trail Committee to visit a country such as New Zealand that has a globally recognized reputation of establishing Great Trails. I’d like to further explore some notable points gleaned from my meetings with these trail aficionados’ and how I have taken these insights and experiences and applied them to our decision making process regarding the Okanagan Rail Trail.

Know your target markets By definition, a target market is a set of individuals sharing similar needs or characteristics that you hope to serve. Identifying who is the user of your product, in these instances the users of the trails, and what provisions are necessary to fulfill the expectations of these users is vital to creating an environment of success for the trail.

What have we done or what do we plan on doing? To determine who and what the target market is and how many people this encompasses, we have installed trail counters at strategic access points to identify how many people, what mode of activity (either pedestrian or cyclist), and when people are most accessing


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the trail. Along with the passive collection of data, we have a Memorandum of Understanding signed with a community group that through their volunteerism is going to establish a trail ambassador program to be on the trail to connect with users of the trail. This will help to determine where people are from, what distance they are using the trail for and what activities they are or would like to partake in. Accuracy of maps Hamish Seaton, the Alps2Ocean project manager I had the pleasure of meeting up with, was steadfast that on the Alps2Ocean trail one of the most important functions they undertook was to have maps available to users that fully described the environment they were in, accurate distances identified between locations, and what users could expect along the trail including elevation changes and trail surface materials. What have we done or what do we plan on doing? We have created a dynamic GIS map available on-line that allows for data to be adjusted based on trail conditions, events, maintenance, etc. Additionally, through our partnership with tourism organizations, hardcopy maps will be distributed at visitor centres in Central and North Okanagan communities to educate and assist travellers starting late spring/early summer 2019. Quality photos and videos for magazines and websites It is said that every Great Trail has its scenic drawcard, its landscape x-factor. The idiom a picture is worth a thousand words is completely relevant to the natural beauty that is captured by many of the Great Trails in New Zealand. What have we done or what do we plan on doing? In conjunction with Tourism Kelowna, Tourism Vernon and Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association the committee is undertaking a marketing campaign for the Okanagan Rail Trail that identifies the production of professional photography, video and online presence as central tenet to our campaign for the Okanagan Rail Trail that will: - Raise awareness of the Okanagan Rail Trail with visitors - Increase overnight visitation numbers to Central and North Okanagan communities - Increase visits to the Okanagan Rail Trail by overnight visitors - Increase net promoter score for individual communities and regions


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Maintenance is important As John Wesley stated in his sermon in 1778, “cleanliness is next to godliness.” In terms of a trail, that statement should be apportioned to the maintenance of the trail and environmental considerations. What have we done or what do we plan on doing? With over 24 km of waterfront and truly unique natural habitat along the Okanagan Rail Trail, the environmental uniqueness of the trail is an important factor in what people are wanting to experience. This is something to cherish, embrace and protect for current and future generations. Our goal is to keep the symbiotic relationship with the natural environment and users. Being able to witness and experience these environments is a driving factor in educating the public on the importance of protecting and respecting our environment. Providing adequate garbage receptacles and timely maintenance is also consider important in the functioning of the Okanagan Rail Trail. Signage to be informative and controlled In 1971 a Canadian band called Five Man Electrical Band released a song called “Signs”. The main chorus goes like this, “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind… Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?” What have we done or what do we plan on doing? The committee is tendering a wayfinding sign package that will be placed at access points to the trail only. The package of signs includes a pedestal sign that functions similarly to highway signs to identify the next 3 locations of interest as well as a trail etiquette sign and an agricultural information sign where there is agricultural land adjacent to the trail. Further development of the trail will encompass wireless opportunities for information, including QR codes for interpretive elements and wireless hotspots to be able to connect to off trail partners to enhance the quality of the experience on the trail. Relationships and partnerships with marketing boards (or as known in Canada, destination marketing organizations) While I was in New Zealand I had the opportunity to have many discussions with many people. One of these conversations was with Daphne Hull of the Otago Central Rail Trail. I stated to Daphne that New Zealand, especially the South Island wasn’t all that unique and was actually quite similar to British Columbia in many respects. Being a devout enthusiast of all things Kiwi, Daphne appeared to be a bit astounded that this person from Canada would even make such a statement. I went onto further explain to her that, when I look out


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my window at home I see many similar beautiful natural attributes that I saw in looking out my window in the Central Otago area. But regardless of this, on my wife’s bucket list is to travel to New Zealand to see and experience the world renowned Kiwi landscape even though she can see very similar landscape without have to travel for 19 hours with a 19 hour time change! I attribute much of this desire to the fantastic job that New Zealand as a whole does to promote everything Kiwi with much of this coming directly from the role and talent of the marketing boards or as we call them in Canada, destination marketing organizations. The alignment and consistency in messaging, market development and visual representation is extremely professional and effective in New Zealand. Everyone that goes to New Zealand knows what to expect and New Zealand as a whole delivers this in spades, time and time again. We in Canada have a lot to learn from our friends in New Zealand. What have we done or what do we plan on doing? The Okanagan Valley has a large multi-faceted tourism industry and associated business and public infrastructure. The Okanagan Rail Trail has been developed to take advantage of this well-functioning regional tourism industry and create further economic stimulus. The Okanagan Rail Trail Committee in a coordinated effort with Tourism Kelowna, Tourism Vernon and Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association is undertaking marketing campaign for the Okanagan Rail Trail that will: - Raise awareness of the Okanagan Rail Trail with visitors - Increase overnight visitation numbers to Central and North Okanagan communities - Increase visits to the Okanagan Rail Trail by overnight visitors - Increase net promoter score for individual communities and regions We will monitor advertising tactics and report on impressions, reach, engagements, distribution, visitor satisfaction and online visits.


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6.0 Conclusion “Mutunga” Being selected to participate in the 2018 LGMA Overseas Exchange Program will undoubtedly be a career highlight. New Zealand was as advertised, spectacular. I felt at home with the beautiful scenery, similarly friendly people and a somewhat common heritage. Out of the many places I have been in the world New Zealand, specifically the South Island, felt comfortably similar to British Columbia. My exchange partner Glenn, his family, and friends and colleagues at Manawatu District Council were gracious and generous with their time for questions and discussion. For this I am grateful and thank each of them for their role in forming my experience on this journey. I look forward to hosting Glenn Young and his wife Marg in June 2018, and showing them the beauty of the Province of British Columbia and the workings of our local government system.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa “Greetings to all”

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