Shaw, Richard2010-05-172010-05-171997https://hdl.handle.net/10182/1880The Resource Management Act 1991 provides a framework for environmental management, with the majority of implementation responsibility directed at the local government level. It was intended that the local community would set goals for environmental quality through local policy statements and plans, with a variety of statutory mechanisms created to assist this intent. Local authorities have been allocated discretion to determine which methods are used to implement this ideal. Many councils have chosen to use a combination of formal and informal mechanisms. The Sumner Concept Plan represent the outcome of an informal attempt taken by a community group, in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council, to influence policy and planning. The objective of this report is to determine why this attempt at community planning apparently failed so completely. Following from this is the need to determine how and where expressions of community aspirations for the local environment could be more effectively integrated into the policy and planning process. When considering community policy development, the interconnected issues of legitimacy and integration are of central importance. There is a need to find meaningful, but practical, definition of community, as the unit through which concerns and issues find expression. Once this has been achieved there is a need to integrate this expression of community concern into the structured policy process as set out under the Local Government Act 1974 and the Resource Management Act. The issues raised in the Sumner case study are analysed against; public participatory theory, the process model of policy analysis, and the institutional and legislative background to environmental management and policy formulation. From this analysis a range of options for advancing the issues, and areas for further research are presented.enhttps://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/pages/rightsResource Management Act 1991public participationcommunity viewsenvironmental decision makingenvironmental managementcommunity policyLocal Government Act 1974Sumner Concept PlanThesisDigital thesis can be viewed by current staff and students of Lincoln University only. If you are the author of this item, please contact us if you wish to discuss making the full text publicly available.ANZSRC::050205 Environmental ManagementQ112854078