Cultural
Cultural well-being is about the vitality that communities and individuals enjoy through participation in civics, arts and cultural activities, and recognising and valuing our history, heritage, culture and diversity.
Under the WRS Community Outcomes the area of cultural well-being is represented by only one community outcome called strong and tolerant community. This means that the GPI for cultural well-being is the same as the strong and tolerant community GPI.
Cultural diversity can make the community and the life we live much richer, with cultural activities contributing to social connectedness. People’s sense of connection with wider society is also reflected in participation in the political process. The arts make a strong contribution to community strength and identity, and are recognised for facilitating communication across social, economic, cultural and ethnic groups.
Overall, from 2001 to 2010 there have been decreases in voter participation, the percentage of children enrolled in Māori language education and a decrease in the percentage of the population that can have an everyday conversation in the Māori language.
However, from 2001 to 2010 it has been encouraging to see increases in the number of registered heritage places, overall positive perception of cultural diversity and the perception that the public understands council decision making and the ethnic diversity.
Measurable Outcomes
Strong & Tolerant
People are important. All members of our community are empowered to participate in decision-making and to contribute to society. We celebrate diversity and welcome newcomers, while recognising the special role of tangata whenua.
Cultural well-being (and strong and tolerant community) GPI, 2001-2010
What this means
Over the 2001 to 2010 time period, the cultural well-being GPI was found to be highest in 2001 and lowest in 2007. The cultural well-being GPI gradually decreased from 2001 to 2005, remained relatively unchanged between 2005 and 2009, but has increased over the last year. However, these changes have resulted in little change overall in the cultural well-being GPI over the study period.
Looking at the indicators used to measure the regions progress towards our strong and tolerant community outcomes and measure our cultural well-being it is found that there is room for improvement. Of the 12 indicators used to measure our progress, only four showed improvements, three showed declines, four remained unchanged and one indicator had only one year of data available over the 2001 to 2010 period.
Did you know?
A GPI is an attempt to measure whether a nation’s or a region's growth, increased production of goods, and expanding services have actually resulted in the improvement of the well-being of the people in the region.
