Changing positions and interests of stakeholders in environmental conflict: A New Zealand transport infrastructure case

• Published in: Asia Pacific viewpoint Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 87 - 104
• Main Authors: Elias, Arun A., Jackson, Laurie Skuba, Cavana, Robert Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing, Ltd 01.04.2004; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Attitude (Psychology); Conflict; Conflict management; Environment; Environmental policy; Environmentalism; Human geography; Management; Natural resources; New Zealand; Regional planning; Regional studies; Roads; Social participation; Sociology; Stakeholder; Stakeholders; Studies; Transport infrastructure; Transportation planning; New Zealand
• ISSN: 1360-7456; 1467-8373; 1467-8373
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8376.2004.00229.x

:  Stakeholders are an integral part of environmental conflict. Analysing the positions and interests of stakeholders is vital in effective environmental conflict management. This paper reviews the literature related to stakeholders and their dynamics in environmental conflict. It also presents the results of a study relating to a New Zealand transport infrastructure project where the positions and interests of stakeholders have kept on changing during the life of the project. This study plots the changing positions of some of the key stakeholders, towards this project. These stakeholders include a policy manager, a community stakeholder, an environmental stakeholder and a political stakeholder. The paper also analyses the changing positions by identifying and classifying the key drivers for these changes.