Community Well-Being

Community outcomes are about improving the well-being of communities over time, in a sustainable manner.

Well-being happens when people and communities feel fulfilled and satisfied that their needs are being met.

Well-being is seen as being made up of four inter-related dimensions – social, environmental, economic and cultural.

Social well-being

encompasses those factors which enable communities to set and achieve goals - such as education, health, strong community networks and associations, financial and personal security, rights, freedom and levels of equity.

For more information about social well-being, see the Ministry of Social Development website www.msd.govt.nz

encompasses the capacity of the economy to generate the employment and wealth necessary to provide many of the pre-requisites for social and personal well-being.

For more information about economic well-being, see the Ministry of Economic Development website: www.med.govt.nz

encompasses the capacity of the natural environment to support in a sustainable way the activities that constitute community life.

More information about environmental well-being, see the Ministry for the Environment website: www.mfe.govt.nz

encompasses the shared beliefs, values, customs behaviours and identities reflected through language, stories, experiences, visual and performing arts, ceremonies and heritage.

For more information about cultural well-being, see the Ministry for Culture and Heritage website: www.culturalwellbeing.govt.nz

(Source: KnowHow Guide to Governance under the Local Government Act 2002, jointly produced by LGNZ, SOLGM and The DIA, p.21-22) (pdf 953kb)