Is anybody interested in discussing (on xmca), or giving advice (privately)
on the following issue?
THE SITUATION.
Small New Zealand coastal community, achingly beautiful, but so far
relatively undiscovered by international tourism (at the end of a no exit 80
km. winding road). It's essential character is at least partly protected by
zoning laws which have allowed limited and controlled tourist development.
In winter 800 year round residents. For about two months in summer an
additional 1200 who own holiday houses. Of the 800 permanents about half are
there because of its remote beauty, and about half are in the tourist
business. In the past five years, in summer, about an additional 500
transient tourists on any given night.
Water supply comes from three streams. Plenty of flow in winter, very little
flow in summer. The place has just got by about 8 years in 10 until
recently, but those 500 overnighters in summer have pushed the water supply
over the edge every one the past 4 years.
There is no additional water supply. The geology is against it. Long range
piping options are simply not viable for a community of 2000 (maximum),
especially where the need is for only about 8 weeks a year. Metered water is
an absolute political no no in New Zealand.
Water conservation is an option. Much current waste. Those 1200 holiday
house owners also mostly have boats. The amount of water they use in washing
the salt off their boats is huge. They also water their gardens madly. But
their attitude is antagonistic ("I pay huge property taxes and I'm only here
8 weeks a year. Why should I pay huge taxes AND restrict my water use?").
The 400 in the tourist business are also ambivalent. They see the need, but
are reluctant to put off their business by, for example, restricting showers
in their B&B's.
ENTER US.
The local council approaches the government's environmental research
institute. They fund a resource management research project around this
issue. A couple of other local councils in other parts of NZ, who have
similar problems, join in.
The research agency does not have a well developed social science capacity.
They hire us to help design and carry out an intervention.
OUR ISSUE
CHAT provides a very good explanatory framework for this issue, but is it
possible to design an intervention based on LBE and DWR principles? This is
a 'community' issue, not an organisational or institutional one. But I put
community in quotes because the 1200 holiday home owners spend most of the
year distributed around NZ, and do not regard themselves as part of the
'community'. It is difficult even to find them most of the time, let alone
talk to them, and certainly impossible to bring any of them together. When
they are all there in summer they are definitely NOT sympathetic to
participating in earnest in workshops or anything similar.
Any thoughts or suggestions from xmca would be gratefully received.
Phillip Capper,
Centre for Research on Work, Education and Business Ltd. (WEB Research),
Level 9
142 Featherston Street
(PO Box 2855)
WELLINGTON
New Zealand
Ph: +64 4 499 8140
Fx: +64 4 499 8395
Mb: +64 021 519 741
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