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Helps to ensure that the City’s plans and policies meet with community expectations.
Provide relevant input to help ensure that plans and policies are consistent with the City’s strategic goals and values.
Assist in developing partnerships and communication networks to ensure effective dissemination of information and coordinated sector advice and feedback to the City.
Pillar 1: Information Sharing - The Coffs Resilience Map, Know the Climate, R.I.S.K – including a Coffs Resilience Map covering local food and producers, energy savings and waste reduction; sharing evidence-based climate change information and strengthening climate communication through Know the Climate; and R.I.S.K community resilience and recovery support information covering recognising and reducing risks, informing communities, securing and supporting, and keeping protocols and knowledge.
Pillar 2: Skill Building – Save Money, Grow Food, Reduce Waste, Foraging – including practical education and activities covering food growing, seed saving and propagation, food preservation, verge and front-yard food gardens and First Nations food knowledge; household energy audits, solar and battery information and appliance efficiency; repair cafés, a Library of Useful Things and waste reduction workshops; and foraging and recreational fishing through the Know your landscape and Catch your own ideas.
Pillar 3: Seed and Plant Libraries – including expanding the existing Coffs Harbour Libraries Seed Library with locally adapted, open-pollinated varieties and exploring a new complementary Coffs Coast Plant Library for sharing plant cuttings, seedlings, tubers and divisions.
Pillar 4: Grow the Grower – Supporting Local Food Producers – including producer mapping and promotion, connecting producers to consumers, producer knowledge exchange, educational pathways for future growers, improving market access and visibility, creating pathways for new growers, and supporting succession planning across local food-growing organisations and producers.
Pillar 5: Community Activation and Events – including an awareness campaign; regular market activations; monthly food swaps; seasonal planting days; verge garden blitzes; a school food garden program; and an annual Growing Together Festival.
What ideas do you have, what would you like to see in Coffs?
which ideas do you support?
what do you think could be improved?
which ideas do you think should be priorities
Are there other ideas or opportunities that should be considered.
What is Growing Together: Save Money, Build Resilience, Strengthen Community?
Growing Together is a discussion paper developed by the City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. It explores ideas for a community-led initiative focused on practical ways residents could save money, build resilience and strengthen community connections.
Why has the discussion paper been developed?
The Sustainability Advisory Committee has been exploring ways to further involve the community in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The discussion paper brings together a range of ideas intended to start community conversations about practical local action and community resilience.
What is the Sustainability Advisory Committee?
The City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee provide community input, advice and feedback on the City Renewable Energy & Emissions Reduction Plan and other specific sustainability projects as they occur, ensuring that financial sustainability is also considered. The committee:
The Committee developed the Growing Together discussion paper as part of its work exploring opportunities to strengthen community resilience and support local responses to climate change.
What is the City’s role?
The discussion paper proposes the City as one of a number of potential partners. It identifies possible roles including communications support, access to venues, involvement through existing sustainability and library programs, Committee oversight and potential funding support.
Is Growing Together a City of Coffs Harbour program?
No. Growing Together is currently a discussion paper developed by the Sustainability Advisory Committee. It proposes a community-led initiative that could operate in partnership with the City and other community organisations. The ideas outlined in the paper have not been adopted as City programs.
What ideas are included in the discussion paper?
Have these activities already been approved?
No. The discussion paper contains ideas and proposals for consideration. Feedback gathered through this consultation will help inform the Committee’s further consideration and development of the concept.
This distinction is particularly important because the paper's proposed next steps include developing and finalising the concept, stakeholder engagement, funding consideration and potential grant applications.
Why is the discussion paper on public exhibition?
Public exhibition provides an opportunity for the community to read the discussion paper and provide feedback on the ideas it contains and present their own ideas of what is possible. The feedback will help the Sustainability Advisory Committee understand community views as it considers the concept further.
What kind of feedback are you looking for?
The Sustainability Advisory Committee would like to know what you think about the ideas in the discussion paper and any other ideas you may have, discussion points could include:
Is funding available for Growing Together?
The City has $10,000 allocated in its 2026/27 Operational Plan for a relevant project if required.
The discussion paper itself proposes seeking seed funding and potentially pursuing external grant funding as part of future development.
When could Growing Together begin?
The discussion paper outlines a proposed phased approach, beginning with stakeholder engagement and development of the concept, followed by potential grant development, launch activities and ongoing community activities. These are proposed stages in the discussion paper rather than a confirmed delivery schedule.
Who would deliver the activities?
The discussion paper proposes a partnership model involving community groups, organisations, local producers, volunteers and the City, rather than activities being delivered solely by the City. Potential partners and roles would need to be further explored as the concept develops.
Will all five proposed areas go ahead?
The discussion paper puts the five areas forward for consideration. Community feedback and further development of the concept will help inform what happens next.
Are existing community programs being replaced?
No. The discussion paper specifically proposes building on, connecting and supporting existing community assets and programs rather than duplicating them.
What happens after the public exhibition?
Feedback received during the public exhibition will help inform the Sustainability Advisory Committee's further consideration of Growing Together. The discussion paper identifies further development of the concept, stakeholder engagement, funding consideration and potential partnerships among its proposed next steps.
How can I have my say?
Read the Growing Together discussion paper and complete the feedback form.
You can share what you support, what you think could be improved and any other ideas you would like the Sustainability Advisory Committee to consider.