The draft document is set to be presented to the elected members early this year.
Since the consultation commenced in March last year with two well-attended information evenings, the Waimate District Council received 488 individual pieces of feedback from the community.
In a statement Climate Change and Biodiversity officer Andrew Oliver said they now had the framework for the strategy.
"It has never been a top-down process, we set out to capture the knowledge, feelings and opportunities that already existed in the district, and we now have it in one place.
"Essentially what we’ve done is a shadow audit of the economic, social and environmental opportunities this strategy has presented.
"It is up to the community to lead it, and council to facilitate."
Two of the suggested strategies participants emphasised from the consultation were:
- Development of a Waimate brand to market locally sourced and climate-resilient products and services, such as wool, wood and local tourism.
- A sector collaboration network for key industry and small business. Such a network would enable the sharing of best practices and resources, enabling stakeholders to work together towards common climate goals. This collaborative effort is seen as essential for building a resilient local economy.
— APL
