Background papers for the 1999 Manawatu Employment Summit

Wairarapa Green Dollar Exchange members are gearing up for a stimulating and exciting Local Employment Trading System (LETS) 1999 annual conference in Masterton, on April 9 - 11.

Inspired by the extremely high calibre of conference speakers and the overall conference agenda, Wairarapa members hope their enthusiasm will spur other people from throughout New Zealand with an interest in alternative economic systems and community economic development to attend the conference, which looks set to be thought-provoking and trail-blazing.

With a conference theme of 'Community in Balance', the keynote speaker is London-based social economist, Dr Peter North. Guest panellists and workshop leaders include Alan Fricker of the Wellington Sustainable Futures Trust; the Mayor of Masterton Bob Francis who also heads the Masterton Business Enterprise Group and computer software inventor Vince Martin-Smith.

Dr North,36, is a research feloow in Community Economic Development with the Local Economy Development Unit at London's South Bank University. He completed his doctorate in 1996 on 'LETS: A Social Movement Approach' -- analysing the debate between those people who see LETS as a social movement which critiques the way money, work and community operate in conventional society; and those people who see LETS as an uncontroversial policy proposal of use to mainstream organisations. His thesis defended LETS as an environmental social movement delivering many benefits to participants and offering a valuable critique of status quo economic systems. With LetsLink UK, the UK Lets Development Agency, he has been working with the UK Government's Social Exclusion Unit to develop the role of LETS as a tool for community empowerment.

During his academic and work-force careers, Dr North has been involved with LETS and employment initiatives, excluded communities (particularly outer urban housing estates), urban regeneration, the development of community economies and ecologically-based economies.

With Green Dollars moving from being a proven means of improving people's skills, enhancing their self-esteem and quality of life and cementing a sense of community over profit into the role of a complementary alternative economic system, based on sustainable local communities, Dr North's address will be timely, relevant and offer considerable information about the UK LETS experience.

His most recent focus has been on the relationship dynamics of LETS and mainstream businesses --a poosible future partnership for LETS in New Zealand. According to Dr North, while LETS is now taken seriously as a 'social', 'anti-poverty' or 'community economic development strategy' which complements mainstream local and central government welfare and employment schemes, LETS is still "located within a trickle-down paradigm" within UK government policy to get the unemployed into work.

For LETS to generate employment, the involvement of mainstream businesses may be an essentail pre-requisite.

In January Dr North presented two papers to the annual conference of British Geographers --"Transforming the Mainstream of Building Lifeboats? Contested Strategies for Social Changes Through LETS" and "Towards a Constructivist Analysis of Business Agendas for Local Economic Development". This month (March) he is scheduled to address the American Association of Geographers annual conference in Hawaii on "We are the Little Folk,We! LETS Urban Social Movements and the Production of Emancipated Spaces".

While in New Zealand Dr North will be researching LETS and Green Dollar Exchanges. He is interested how exchanges originated and developed; general trading and membership issues; involvement of local government and relationships - if any - with local businesses. Dr North will also research the impact of New Zealand's recent welfare reforms in relation to Green Dollars and how central government, particularly Work and Income NZ, views LETS.

In keeping with the theme of community involvement and empowerment, a conference website can be accessed via the Department of Internal Affairs community groups website at www.community.net.nz and contact can also be made through http://homepage.ihug.co.nz/-plumbing/links.htm.

The setting for the Masterton conference is the English park-like campus of St Matthew's Collegiate, with trading, reports. entertainment, practical workshops and free time rounding out the agenda.

If you have any queries and/or wish to register for the conference please contact:

www.wairaka.net/ubinz/IR/1999summit/employ31.html

[Table of Contents]   [Ian Ritchie]