Models of Regeneration and Community Leadership: A Conversation with Clive Somerville
The ALC team met with Clive Somerville, Chief Executive of the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT). Somerville has a background in banking, technology, and community development, and currently leads initiatives focused on economic regeneration, social resilience, and intergenerational well-being in South Waikato (New Zealand).
His visit to the Basque Country is part of the research stay he is undertaking after being awarded the 2026 New Zealand Churchill Fellowship. This fellowship, granted by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, enables professionals from New Zealand to travel abroad to develop projects that add value to their country. In this context, Somerville’s research analyzes how different regions—the Ruhr Valley in Germany, the Basque Country, and rural Ireland—have addressed processes of territorial regeneration and transformation under complex conditions, utilizing infrastructure investment, workforce retraining, and circular economy models.
Community-Based Work and Listening Approach
During the session, the team presented ALC’s history, its project portfolio, and its methodological approach to innovation and social transformation processes.
Throughout the discussion, special emphasis was placed on active listening and on the value of community narratives and perspectives in addressing complex social challenges. ALC’s methodological approach seeks to systematically incorporate the knowledge and experiences of communities, positioning them not only as a source of information but also as a key component in interpreting and guiding these processes.
The meeting provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the rural context of South Waikato through the experience of Somerville, addressing existing territorial disparities with respect to the so-called “Golden Triangle,” a key area for attracting investment and opportunities. The discussion also covered the fundamental role of Indigenous communities, the challenges of revitalizing the local economy, and the close link between identity, territory, culture, and language.
K Tool and a Comparison of Community Leadership
During the meeting, K Tool was presented as a tool designed to collect and organize qualitative information from communities, sparking a discussion focused on how to ensure that the community truly leads the processes of change. This led to a deeper exploration of:
- The difference between consulting the community and allowing it to have a real influence on decision-making.
- The need to move beyond designing initiatives “for” the community to building them “with” the community.
- The value of going beyond the one-time collection of testimonies to create ongoing spaces for interpretation, discussion, and decision-making.
Linked to this, the lack of neutrality in the evidence was analyzed, based on the understanding that qualitative information is neither collected nor interpreted in isolation from its context. Given that narratives reflect different positions, experiences, and power dynamics, it was concluded that the goal should not be to eliminate these perspectives, but rather to make them visible, contrast them, and incorporate a diversity of voices.