Palmerston North city councillor Rachel Bowen: Arts and sports sectors face similar opportunities and challenges

Palmerston North city councillor Rachel Bowen says committee structures come and go but Palmy remains full of cultural and sporting activities. Photo / Supplied

OPINION

Last month I chaired the first meeting of Palmerston North City Council’s new culture and sport committee – a combination of the old arts, culture and heritage and play, sport and recreation committees.

It considers matters relating to cultural wellbeing, acts aa s shareholder for the trusts that operate the Regent on Broadway, Globe Theatre and Te Manawa Museum, and oversees our sports and leisure spaces and facilities.

As part of our first meeting, the council hosted a morning tea for the community groups that will most regularly interact with the committee. About 50 people came along, and it was interesting to join conversations about the similarities of the opportunities and challenges faced in both the arts and sports sectors. But one of the most-asked questions from the community groups was about why the two sectors are being looked after together this time around.

To answer that I need to explain how the decision is made about how the committees of the council are structured. The mayor has the same duties and responsibilities as any other elected member but also has the power to appoint the deputy mayor, establish committees and appoint their chairperson, and to serve as a member of each committee.

So, once elected, the mayor decides what committee structure they think will best enable the council to function most effectively. It’s amazing to see the different structures adopted by councils across the motu – there’s very little consistency. Our mayor decided to reduce the number of committees from 12 to seven to streamline the meetings and enable us to get through the work more efficiently. And that’s how we ended up with culture and sport.

But there is more than streamlining and efficiency at play here. The structure aligns with the wellbeings of the Local Government Act that local councils are required to give effect to and has a clear line of sight to our strategic goals. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage defines cultural wellbeing as “the vitality that communities and individuals enjoy through participation in recreation, creative and cultural activities”. Culture and sport speak to both the passive and active recreation opportunities that are such an important part of our quality of life here in Palmy, and what makes this a creative, liveable and exciting city.

Whether it’s Saturday’s Open Day at Square Edge Community Arts, National Secondary Schools Athletics at the Community Athletics Track, or the Hurricanes taking on the Western Force at CET Arena on Sunday, there is always so much going on here – whether you’re a sports fan, an arts lover, or both. Committee structures come and go, but long may that continue.

Rachel Bowen is a Palmerston North city councillor.