Background to Agenda 21

International concern about the global environment and social inequality has been increasing for years and reached a major milestone with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) or "Earth Summit". This was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3 to June 14, 1992. The major outcome of this conference was a document known as Agenda 21 and means “Agenda for the 21st Century”. 

In 1993 as part of Waitakere's eco-city concept, Waitakere City Council agreed to implement the goals and programs proposed under Agenda 21 at the local level. 

Since then several other New Zealand communities have developed active Agenda 21 programmes. 

Waitakere City has prepared this Agenda 21 summary for the use of councillors and citizens of Waitakere. We have succeeded in making the document shorter, but this is not an official or definitive summary of the original Agenda 21. 

As suggested in Agenda 21, Waitakere City has also prepared a "local Agenda 21" stating how our city plans to work towards sustainability in the 21 Century. This local document is called the Greenprint.