Getting people together

A key advantage of public meetings is that participants have the opportunity to hear and respond to other points of view. Sometimes it is possible to develop group consensus.

You can encourage participation by, for example:

• offering people a small reward for their time, eg, a book or supermarket voucher
• covering the direct costs of people's participation (eg, travel and childcare).

In your planning you will need to consider wheelchair access, and facilities for the hearing-impaired and non-English speakers.

You will also need to consider how best to present material, and elicit and record participants' views.

Signal ahead of time if you want to tape or electronically record the proceedings, and remember to seek participants' permission.

Participation in hui can be open, or you may wish to invite specific individuals or groups.

First, check within your agency that previous hui have not covered the same topic.

Then ask for help from people who have organised hui before. They may be able to put you in touch with key people who can help.

They may also be able to advise you on tikanga or customary practices to be aware of. It is important to ensure appropriate contact is made with local Maori communities.

Regional staff from Te Puni Kokiri can also provide assistance.

Participation in fono can either be open or limited to invited participants.

The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs has carried out extensive nationwide consultation processes with Pacific communities. Ministry staff should be your first reference point for existing information – and for helping to organise the consultation process.

The Ministry can also advise on which groups and individuals to include in the exercise.

Focus groups are usually limited to 8-10 people to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to speak and points can be discussed in depth.

There are two keys to a successful focus group process.

First, get the right person to run the focus group. It takes a great deal of skill to manage group dynamics and to ask questions that elicit useful information.

Second, include the right people. They need to be representative of the population that will be affected, and they need to have knowledge to contribute to the discussion.

Tips for getting the right people:

• use your active relationships
• contact other community groups working in related services
• ask regional staff from your agency to help identify key people who may be interested
• hold the focus group meetings at places where people normally gather (eg, play centres, Returned Services Association halls, and sports clubs), and at times that are convenient for them.

When organising focus groups you should:

• give sufficient advance notice
• send written invitations and background information to participants well in advance
• choose a venue with good parking, public transport and accessibility
• consider the best time of day to get people together, and fit in with their requirements
• tell participants if you want to tape proceedings, and ask permission
• consider sending your notes of the meeting back to participants to check for accuracy.