Selwyn District Council offers Lincoln students real-life experience
Last modified: 03 Sep 2024 9:11am
The Strategy Team at Selwyn District Council is providing Lincoln University students with a unique opportunity to use their newly-acquired planning skills to help develop a spatial plan for Eastern Selwyn.
The partnership between the Council’s Strategy team and the university’s Environmental Management and Planning students is a product of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in June to build on a longstanding informal relationship between the two organisations.
“This project offers amazing opportunities for future planners to experience working on a live planning project in a supported environment with insights from a local government perspective. It also provides us access to innovative ideas from bright young minds at Lincoln University,” says Ryan Mayes, Strategy Planner at Selwyn District Council.
The three groups of undergraduate, plus several masters students have been invited to work on the Eastern Selwyn Strategic Spatial Plan which aligns with the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan and will deliver on the aspirations of Waikirikiri Ki Tua Future Selwyn strategy which will become the guiding vision for the district for the next 50-100 years.
The course replicates professional practice and begins with students assembling a project team and preparing a proposal to get the fictional contract for the spatial planning work. They then have to present that proposal to Council planning staff.
The second stage of the course focuses on developing an area plan for Eastern Selwyn Area that includes the main urban areas of Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton, and West Melton, as well as a large rural area.
In the final part of the course, the groups present a wider spatial strategy that aligns with both the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan and Waikirikiri Ki Tua Future Selwyn.
Council staff will deliver a series of lectures on a variety of topics, including spatial planning and the development of scenarios, as well as sharing their professional expertise as the students develop their ideas.
Mayes, who leads the planning for the Eastern Selwyn Area, is excited to see what the students can envisage and hopes the Eastern Selwyn Area Plan will capture many of the ideas presented by the students.
“The students can help us push the boundaries, while we can guide them to find a balance between being aspirational but also realistic, with the resources we have available as a small council,” says Mayes, who adds that many planners at Selwyn District Council are Lincoln University alumni.
Lincoln University Senior Lecturer Dr Femi Olajide says that the collaboration with Selwyn District Council is a wonderful opportunity for his students to experience the intersection of theory and practice.
“Working alongside council planners from the Strategy and Policy Team on a project with such long-term significance allows them to contribute meaningfully to the future of a growing and dynamic district while honing their professional skills,” says Dr Olajide.
“I am excited to see the shared enthusiasm between students and council staff as we work together.”