RETOUCH NEXUS supports stakeholder engagement for the Freshwater Availability Program.
In response to the growing threat of water scarcity in North Holland, the Dutch water authority Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK) is developing a Programma Zoetwaterbeschikbaarheid to aid regional water resilience. Recognising that “we cannot do this by ourselves,” HHNK aims at embedding a participatory dimension in this programme.
To support this participatory track, the RETOUCH NEXUS Dutch case study, led by Clara Luxardo from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA), is facilitating a series of workshops designed to equip the HHNK team with the tools, insights, and frameworks needed to design and implement meaningful stakeholder engagement.
A Three-Part Workshop Series on Participation
The series consisted of three tailored workshops, each building on the last, to create the foundations of a participatory plan that will inform the Freshwater Availability Program in both the short and long term.
Workshop 1 – Understanding Participation and its Pitfalls
The first workshop took place on April 7, 2025 and introduced participants to the complexities of participatory processes in water governance. Far from treating participation as a “silver bullet,” the session encouraged the team to reflect critically on:
- Why participation is valuable, and when it can fall short
- How power dynamics, conflicting motivations, and contextual sensitivity influence outcomes
- What makes public participation effective or ineffective
- How internal motivations within the team shape external engagement strategies
Workshop 2 – Stakeholder Analysis in Practice
Originally designed as a single session but split into two due to the depth of the task, this workshop took place on May 19 and June 16, 2025 and focused on identifying and analysing the stakeholders.
Together, the participants:
- Mapped out stakeholders connected to freshwater management in North Holland
- Created an influence–interest matrix to visualise stakeholder
- Identified potential conflicts, synergies, and knowledge gaps
- Drafted a characterisation table to describe key actors and understand their perspectives
This structured analysis will serve as the backbone of the participation plan and ensure that the programme is inclusive, transparent, and tailored to the regional context.
Workshop 3 – Designing the Participation Trajectory
In the final session that took place on June 30, 2025, the HHNK team revisited previous discussions and shifted focus to defining how participation will take place in practice:
- Which stakeholders should be engaged on a preliminary level
- Why and when participation is needed
- What level of participation (inform, consult, collaborate, co-decide) fits the themes of the programme
Though the group ran out of time before completing all activities (with some homework assigned), this final step helped shape the early contours of a participation strategy aligning with programme priorities.
🍪 Cookies and Collaboration
Beyond the outputs, the workshops fostered a culture of open dialogue, reflection, and collective learning, always accompanied by a good supply of cookies! Feedback from HHNK was very positive, with team members co-creating and taking the space to explore complex dynamics and strengthen their engagement approach.
📍 What’s next?
This co-creative journey has laid the foundation for an informed participation track within the Freshwater Availability Program, which requires further establishment. RETOUCH NEXUS will continue supporting HHNK and regional stakeholders as the programme evolves.
