Late last year Ryan Jones (19) promised to deliver "fresh input, fresh ideas and dynamic ways of interacting with people" if he was voted on to the West Harbour Community Board.
At the board’s first meeting of the year on Wednesday Mr Jones delivered on his promise, presenting a social media strategy plan to other board members.
The strategy is the first communications and engagement plan for a Dunedin community board.
Mr Jones said under the strategy people could message board members on a Facebook page, drop in for casual chats at spots across West Harbour and the use of social media photo sharing site Instagram was also a possibility.
The strategy had been influenced by his own attempts to engage in local politics, he said.
"I have had personal interaction with local government. In 2013 and 2016 I submitted on the annual plan and I found it [the submission process] didn’t necessarily reach well to all people.
"A lot of people don’t know what the community board does or the annual plan does, and conveying that is important."
The closest member in age on the board was more than twice his age, but his idea had received unanimous support.
"Steve [Walker, chairman] was very supportive of the Instagram idea.
"He is an Instagram fan."
It was unlikely all board members would have to become more technologically savvy than they wished to because he would monitor all social media platforms himself.
The board had received the first submission on its community plan in 10 years after Mr Jones posted a PDF link to the submission page on the board’s Facebook page.
He intended to report back all communications from social media at each board meeting and was confident social media feedback would be given as much consideration as that presented in person.
Other Dunedin community boards had approached him asking for help and advice to establish their own social media plans, and he hoped similar strategies would soon be used across the city.
