The approach presented has been developed collaboratively using a team across Southland District Council and MWH and sponsored by senior management at Council and NZTA. While the approach has been discussed with, and presented at a high level to, Councillors, it is a work in progress and has not been adopted at this stage by the council executive or elected members.
From daunting to achievableFinancially possible, financially sustainable
Quantifies economic contribution of a road associated with adjacent land useQuantifies proportion of current total investment in the road that provides for the economic activity, and therefore can quantify what proportion is mainly an investment in social, cultural and environmental well beingsCan be used in a variety of ways to make investment prioritisation and decision making more transparentEnables alignment of shorter term tactical responses with longer term strategies (primarily related to economic outcomes)
The approach identifies valid opportunities to investigate changes to levels of service investment on a predominantly rural and low volume road network, ensuring you don’t impact adversely on economic activity.Future land use scenarios and funding scenarios are readily combined in the methodology, and effective responses are clear regarding their impacts on the four well-beings.Opportunity to change standards over the longer term appears to be significantly greater than the opportunity to (for example) reduce maintenance investment in the short term.Opportunities to change social, cultural and environmental investment need risk based prioritisation and consultation with affected parties.Method gives transparency and makes consultation processes related to service level change more tangible.