Book Reviews

157

© 2007 The AuthorJournal compilation

© The New Zealand Geographical Society 2007.

more deeply, and health geography is coaxedcloser to the nuanced nature of wellbeing.

Students taking courses in each field(social and health geography) will be richer forembracing the landscapes of the human spiritsuggested by this book. But all who read itshould be warned: this book may change theway you

feel

about geography!

Robin Kearns

School of Geography, Geology andEnvironmental Science

The University of Auckland

References

Anderson K, Smith S (2001). Editorial: emotionalgeographies.

Transactions of the Institute of BritishGeographers

NS

26

, 7–10.Porteous J (1986). Geography as personal art.

Operational Geographer

10

, 43–4.

Living together: Towards inclusive

communities

Michelle Thompson-Fawcett and ClaireFreeman (eds). University of Otago Press,Dunedin, 2006. 240 pp. ISBN 1-8-77372-29-3.

As New Zealand society becomes morediverse, the issue of how to foster inclusivecommunities is attracting growing attention.Media reports regularly address the dynamicsof community harmony and discord, for in-stance, whilst conversations regarding immig-ration and wealth disparities similarly touchupon how we live together. Drawing on recentsocial science research,

Living Together

offersa considered perspective on these challenges.The volume investigates some of the key axesof difference within New Zealand society, whilstalso examining a selection of the strategiesemployed to enhance community wellbeing.The geographical focus is local and national,but reference to international developments ismade at relevant points.

Despite its frequent invocation, the meaningof community can be surprisingly elusive. Theintroductory chapter therefore outlines someof the key dimensions of community, noting

the importance of relational bonds, psychologicalaffiliation, a shared sense of history and, insome cases, connections to place. Guided bylegislation such as the Resource ManagementAct, both government and private sector organ-izations are now routinely expected to engagewith such communities in the course of theirbusiness. The quality of consultation has beenhighly variable, however, with questions suchas ‘what do the community want?’ too oftenassuming a unified group able to speak withone voice. Effective consultation instead needsto recognize the diverse constituencies thatcomprise most geographical communities, whilstalso seeking to include those who are variouslydisenfranchised.

Effective community consultation is dependentupon understanding the group(s) one is seekingto engage. The first part of the collectiontherefore examines some of the key axes ofsocial differentiation in New Zealand. The ini-tial chapters review the political and legislativecontext for community involvement, address-ing the changing role of central government,along with the Treaty of Waitangi and theResource Management Act. We then gaininsight into ethnic diversity and multiculturalism,the socio-economic position of women, thechallenges facing young people and the elderly,and the rise of online communities. Takentogether, these chapters provide an informa-tive window onto diversity in contemporaryNew Zealand.

The second part of the volume, ‘Tools forAchieving Better Communities’, considers aselection of the approaches currently employedto foster healthy and inclusive communities.We start with ‘co-management’, a philosophythat seeks to combine indigenous knowledgeand insight with the predominantly Europeanknowledge embedded in New Zealand plan-ning legislation. Three relatively well-knownapproaches to community involvement indecision-making are then considered, high-lighting advances in each field: participatoryplanning, social impact assessment and com-munity development. We then learn about thesocial challenges associated with the develop-ment of medium- to high-density housing inrecent years, an urban form that remains un-familiar to many New Zealanders. The final sub-stantive chapter draws on M

a

ori conceptions

158

Book Reviews

© 2007 The AuthorJournal compilation

© The New Zealand Geographical Society 2007.

of wellbeing to develop a holistic frameworkfor healthy communities.

In covering this terrain, the volume willundoubtedly prove a valuable resource forplanners and planning students. It provides anup-to-date discussion of legislation and debatesin community planning, whilst also sign-postinga series of new developments. Given the widerresonance of urban and rural communitydynamics, there is also much of relevance herefor human geographers and sociologists, par-ticularly those interested in cultural difference.In terms of limitations, at times a more criticalapproach to contemporary government policyand legislation would have been welcome,as material from the Ministry of Social Devel-

opment was occasionally discussed in a mannerthat appeared to assume its value and merits.I was not sure that the concluding optimismabout the future of New Zealand society quitereflected the evidence of the substantive chap-ters; it seemed to be based more in assertionand the familiar trope of New Zealand unique-ness. But these are small points.

LivingTogether

offers fascinating insights into NewZealand communities, and the editors havedone us a service in compiling such an inter-esting collection.

David Conradson

School of GeographyUniversity of Southampton