NZ Local Government Magazine 1604

NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE VOL 53 • APRIL 2016 • $8.95

POOLING RESOURCES TIME FOR A FRESH APPROACH? p16

LOCAL BODY ELECTION SPECIAL

GORE BLIMEY

What kind of leaders do we need? p24

Gore brings back the shoppers p34

COUNTING THE CARBON

RISKY BUSINESS

Waikato councils join forces p33

How to work with risk & audit committees p38

TOO GOOD TO SPOIL With stunning scenery like this, it’s no wonder overseas visitors in their millions are heading our way.

Clearly, NZ’s beautiful natural environment is the jewel in the crown of our thriving tourist industry. So it just doesn’t make sense for us to sit back while budget travellers in non self-contained vehicles despoil our country.

That’s why the NZMCA has come out strongly in support of local authorities nationwide seeking greater control over rogue campers abusing our

privilege of ‘freedom camping’.

“Freedom camping isn’t a free-for-all – it’s not about being able to freedom camp anywhere, and do anything, anytime. That’s not how it works,” says NZMCA CEO Bruce Lochore.

“What we have been talking about for quite some time is separating responsible freedom campers in Certified Self-Contained (CSC) vehicles from (mainly international) travellers in non-CSC vans, which seem to be the bane of councils’ lives across the country.

“These travellers have hundreds of options throughout NZ in DOC Parks and holiday camps; however our view is that if you’re not CSC then you should not be able to freedom camp on council-controlled land.”

“There’s no room for misunderstanding by international visitors if councils provide this one simple, consistent message from Cape Reinga to the Bluff.”

New Zealand Motor Caravan Association | P 09 298 5466 | F 09 298 5646 | www.mhftowns.com | www.nzmca.org.nz

IN THIS ISSUE NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

CONTENTS P16 IN THIS ISSUE

P34

P4

REGULARS

FEATURES

2 Editor’s Letter 4 In Brief 12 Products & Services 14 Around the Councils 15 Events 45 LGNZ

16 W ATER RESOURCES Time for a fresh approach?

33 C OUNTING THE CARBON Waikato councils join forces 34 G ORE BLIMEY Gore brings back the shoppers 36 E NOUGH ALREADY Balancing risk & reality 38 R ISKY BUSINESS How to work with risk & audit committees

COLUMNISTS 41 Jeremy Elwood: On the Funny Stuff 42 Linda O’Reilly: On Legal Issues 43 Peter Silcock: From Civil Contractors New Zealand 44 Lawrence Yule: From LGNZ

ON THE COVER Pooling resources:

Time for a fresh approach? See page 16.

LOCAL BODY ELECTION SPECIAL 24 TIME FOR A SEA CHANGE? What kind of leaders does local government need?

LGNZ’s Lawrence Yule 27 MAINTAINING MOMENTUM Managing change: SOLGM’s Barbara McKerrow

30 S O YOU WANT TO BE A COUNCILLOR? How to get elected: Columnist Elizabeth Hughes

P24 APRIL 2016 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

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EDITOR’S LETTER NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

Better Local Services Collaboration is such an unfortunate word. Left alone, it smacks of wartime Vichy France. Elongated into more politically-neutral phrases such as ‘collaborative processes’ it veers into woffle-wonk. Having got that off my chest, I have to concede it is an increasingly popular construct in the local government sector.

So much so that it dominated talk at a recent conference on freshwater management as delegates picked over the pros and cons of working deeply entrenched with other groups whose aims and values may be very different to their own. How hard could that be?

(See this month’s cover story on page 16 for more on this.)

As one person shrewdly noted, collaboration brings to the fore notions of power. Who has it? Who wants it? Who may have to give it up? How can they, together, find a new way forward? And that’s just in one part of our sector.

Now, just as we go to print for this issue of the magazine, Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced reforms to, in his words, enable councils to deliver better services for ratepayers.

The Better Local Services package, as it’s called, has three overarching goals. And there’s that word again in the first one.

Enabling local collaboration: Councils will have greater flexibility to collaborate to deliver services and infrastructure in their region.

Enabling locally-led reorganisations: New processes for council-led reorganisations rather than a single Local Government Commissionled option.

Enhancing the Local Government Commission: A more proactive role for the Local Government Commission to work with local communities to improve their local government, with checks and balances.

The Minister says current local government structures limit the ability of 78 councils and 66 water authorities to work together to provide services and critical infrastructure.

“The reforms include more flexibility to collaborate and develop shared services; reorganisation processes that can be locally led and driven; and greater use of Council Controlled Organisations, with improved accountability tools to safeguard local democracy.”

There’s more information on this at www.dia.govt.nz/better-localservices.

It’s early days yet. Quoting direct from source: Legislation implementing the Better Local Services reform package will be introduced in June 2016. The public will have the opportunity to have a say during the select committee process. The legislation could be passed by the end of the year so the new councils elected in 2016 will have access to the new options early in their 2016-2019 term.

Such a move has been on the agenda for some time. We’ll follow it with interest.

PUBLISHER Contrafed Publishing Co. Ltd, Suite 2.1, 93 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024 PO Box 112 357, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: 09 636 5715, Fax: 09 636 5716 www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER Kevin Lawrence DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 512 800 kevin@contrafed.co.nz EDITOR Ruth Le Pla Mobile: 021 266 3978 ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Peter Corcoran DDI: 07 825 7557 Mobile: 021 272 7227 peter@contrafed.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Jeremy Elwood, Elizabeth Hughes, Kim Munro, Linda O’Reilly, David Robson, Peter Silcock, Lawrence Yule ADMINISTRATION/SUBSCRIPTIONS admin@contrafed.co.nz DDI: 09 636 5715 PRODUCTION Design: Jonathan Whittaker studio@contrafed.co.nz Printing: PMP MAXUM CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME Please contact the editor before sending them in. Articles in Local Government Magazine are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher.

DISCLAIMER Local Government Magazine is an independent publication owned and produced by Contrafed Publishing.

The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of any of its shareholding organisations.

Ruth Le Pla, editor, ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz www.linkedin.com/nzlocalgovernmentmag @nzlgmagazine

ISSN 0028-8403

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IN BRIEF

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PARKS WEEK

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More than 100 public events took place in New Zealand and Australia during Parks Week 2016 (March 5-13).

Organised by the New Zealand Recreation Association and Parks and Leisure Australia, the week was a celebration of the value of parks and open spaces, and their contribution to healthy people and communities.

1. Children enjoying ‘stories in the sun’ at Moera Library, Lower Hutt.

PHOTOS: CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL, HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL, HUTT CITY COUNCIL, INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL.

2 & 5. Sports in the spotlight at the Hutt City Sports Expo, Lower Hutt.

3. Searching for clues on the ‘Find Nature’s Treasures’ nature hunt at Spencer Park in Christchurch.

4. Preparing for the ‘Bat Walk’ in Hammond Park, Hamilton.

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6. Kindy kids enjoying the ‘Gully Explore’ event at Porritt Stadium, Hamilton.

7. Activities in Queens Park, Invercargill.

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All go for autonomous car testing Intelligent Transport Systems New Zealand (ITSNZ) welcomes autonomous car testing in New Zealand following the publication of Ministry of Transport guidelines for testing on New Zealand roads.

The guidelines outline rules and offer advice to any organisation considering testing these vehicles in New Zealand and encourage companies to share findings with the Ministry and NZ Transport Agency.

Internationally, BMW, Ford, General Motors and most other leading manufacturers are already testing autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. However, in many cases testing is restricted to test areas or highly regulated on limited sections of public roads.

So New Zealand has significant appeal, according to Cormac McBride of ITSNZ, who says that New Zealand legislation already allows autonomous vehicles on the country’s roads.

Until now, testing of new ITS technology in New Zealand has mainly been in the form of technology embedded within transport infrastructure and based around a variety of different sensor technologies and software that measure and model traffic speed, volumes and type.

Peter McCombs, chair of ITSNZ and CEO of engineering company TDG, says autonomous vehicle testing would bring benefits for New Zealand’s technology sector in the development of supporting ITS and transport technologies and connected infrastructure.

“New Zealand companies like HMI Technologies are already testing infrastructure-to-vehicle communications, Auckland’s Fusion Networks has some cutting-edge network fault monitoring technology used by transport agencies and others like Roam and Chariot NZ are developing so-called mobility-as-a-service platforms,” he says.

Public sector finances Auckland Council, Dunedin City Council, New Plymouth District Council and Otago Regional Council all get looked over by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) in a recent report “A review of public sector financial assets and how they are managed and governed”.

They’re the four local bodies picked by the OAG, alongside three crown financial institutions, five special-purpose entities (such as the Public Trust and Housing New Zealand Corporation) and two tertiary education institutes.

The OAG says the public sector’s ownership of financial assets has steadily increased in the past couple of decades. As at June 2014, they were worth a combined total of around $132 billion.

The OAG says many of these financial assets offer “new opportunities and challenges” at a time of “increasing innovation and technological change in financial markets around the world”. The full report is available at www.oag.govt.nz/2016/financial-assets

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APRIL 2016 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

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IN BRIEF DATES FOR YOUR DIARY APRIL 8 Rapid Results Team Leader Summit.

Mercure Hotel, Auckland rapidresults.co.nz/courses/team-leader-summit/ 11 – 12 2016 ALGIM GIS Symposium.

Holiday Inn, Auckland tinyurl.com/ALGIM-GIS 13 – 14 Maori Legal, Business and Governance Forum 2016.

Te Papa, Wellington tinyurl.com/CONFERENZ-Maori-Business 14 2016 SOLGM Local Government Excellence Awards, Gala Dinner & The Marketplace.

Mac’s Function Centre, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-AnnualDinner 14 – 15 Chief Executives Forum & Masterclass.

Mac’s Function Centre, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-CE-Forum 15 Financial Governance 201. (LGNZ) LGNZ Wellington www.lgnz.co.nz

MAY 12 – 13 EA/PA Forum.

Rydges Hotel, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-EA-PA-Forum 17 – 18 Energy Productivity and Partnerships – The Next Energy (R)Evolution.

Auckland www.emanz.org.nz/emanz-conference-2016 18 EECA Awards 2016.

Shed 10, Auckland www.eeca.govt.nz/about-eeca/eeca-awards 18 – 20 Water New Zealand 2016 Stormwater Conference.

Rutherford Hotel, Nelson tinyurl.com/WaterNZ-StormwaterConf 19 RMA – How it Really Works. (LGNZ) LGNZ Wellington www.lgnz.co.nz 19 – 20 Project Management.

Rydges Hotel, Christchurch tinyurl.com/SOLGM-Proj-Mgmt

23 Political Decision Making. (LGNZ) Te Awamutu tinyurl.com/LGNZ-Political-Decision-Making 23 – 24 2016 ALGIM Web & Digital Symposium.

Shed 6, Wellington tinyurl.com/ALGIM-WebDigitalSymposium 23 – 27 Leading Social Innovation. (LGNZ) Hillside Hotel, Waikato tinyurl.com/LGNZ-Leading-Social-Innovation 30 – 31 Managing CCOs and Alternatives Training.

Venue TBC, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-Managing-CEOs

JUNE 20 – 21 Future Workforce Forum.

Venue TBC, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-Future-Workforce 22 – 25 2016 IPWEA NZ Conference.

SkyCity, Auckland conferenceteam.co.nz/ipweanz2016

JULY 25 – 26 LGNZ Conference and EXCELLENCE Awards.

Dunedin www.lgnz.co.nz 25 – 26 Governance Professionals and Committee Advisors Forum.

Venue TBC, Wellington tinyurl.com/SOLGM-Gov-Professionals 25 – 26 2016 ALGIM Information Management / Records Symposium.

Shed 6, Wellington tinyurl.com/ALGIM-InformationManagement

AUGUST 15 – 16 Community Plan Forum.

Waipuna Hotel, Auckland tinyurl.com/SOLGM-Community-Plan

SEPTEMBER 18 – 20 Customer Service Symposium.

James Cook Wellington tinyurl.com/ALGIM-Customer-Service

OCTOBER 10 – 14 23rd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne www.itsworldcongress2016.com

Would you like us to include your event in this calendar? Please email details to ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

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Electric vehicles Juniper Research forecasts that nearly 17 million hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) will be on the world’s roads by 2020, up from an estimated 12 million last year.

In a recently-released whitepaper Electric Vehicles Going the Extra Mile, Juniper says it is important to differentiate between consumer and commercial markets as they have very different sets of needs.

It says consumers have become increasingly aware of the benefits of EVs, but the main barriers to adoption have been the initial cost of purchasing a vehicle, lack of charging infrastructure and range anxiety.

“Incentives such as tax breaks, free parking, use of bus lanes and subsidies on alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are being offered in many countries in Europe, most notably Norway, where a wide range of incentives have brought positive adoption levels in the country.”

Juniper believes that advances in technology are also contributing to rising levels of AFV adoption. “Increasing consumer education on the current capabilities of EVs is also helping to encourage individuals to switch to AFVs and lessening the impact that range anxiety has on consumer opinion.”

It notes that changing public perceptions of AFVs has been one of the major obstacles that manufacturers are facing.

“For AFVs to be viewed as a viable alternative, performance, cost and charging infrastructure must meet the same expectations that the consumer has come to expect from the combustion engine vehicle market.”

Combating corrosion

After treatment

QUEEN VICTORIA PICS COPYRIGHT LES BOULTON & ASSOCIATES.

New Zealand materials and corrosion expert Les Boulton, of Les Boulton and Associates, says public art installations today face special challenges if they are to last.

“Public artworks have always commemorated great events and heroes, and these should be preserved,” he says, “but environmental factors such as proximity to the coast, air pollution, humidity, temperature, lack of maintenance and deterioration of ‘new’ construction materials all challenge them.”

Les notes that modern outdoor works can be constructed in stone, wood and fibreglass as well as a range of metals, and no single protective process can safeguard them all.

“Conservators play an increasingly important role in protecting these artworks for future generations,” he says.

Les says information about the effects of corrosion on public art should be more widely disseminated. “Very little has been written about this topic and conservators don’t have a lot of engineering or corrosion-related training,” he notes.

Before treatment

The Australasian Corrosion Association Inc is holding its Corrosion & Prevention 2016 conference in Auckland in November this year, bringing together researchers and practitioners who combat corrosion every day.

More information on www.corrosion.com.au

APRIL 2016 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

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IN BRIEF Road forum Representatives from 31 local authorities attended the recent Road Infrastructure Management Forum in Rotorua. They joined forces with roading managers and consultants from utility companies, and representatives from the civil contracting industry at the fifth such annual event for the roading infrastructure management industry.

Many discussions centred around data quality as something that is integral to all areas of infrastructure works, asset investment and management.

Enjoying a cold drink at the end of day one. From left: Suzy Ratahi (Mackenzie District Council); Grant Chesterman (Selwyn District Council); Ashley Harper (Timaru District Council); John White (Hurunui District Council); and Andrew Petrie (Waimakariri District Council).

Management effectiveness programme SOLGM says registrations are now open for councils to take part in the next stage of a management effectiveness programme which benchmarks management performance across five key operational areas.

The programme is offered and run by SOLGM’s sister organisation LG Professionals Australia NSW in conjunction with PwC Sydney.

Last year 26 New Zealand councils took part.

The latest set of registrations is for councils to conduct surveys 4-6 which cover financial years 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18.

The surveys benchmark corporate leadership, operations management, workforce planning, finance management and risk management.

SOLGM says the programme complements LGNZ’s excellence programme “to the extent that councils wanting to be successful in the LGNZ programme should have access to the type of information provided in the management effectiveness programme”.

SOLGM and LGNZ will be recommending enrolment in both programmes. More information at: www.solgm.org.nz/Resources/LGBenchmarking

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Understanding the new Standards NZ Last month a new ‘Standards’ body came into effect and Standards New Zealand became part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) under the Standards and Accreditation Act 2015.

The role and functions of the Standards Council now come under the NZ Standards Executive (NZSE) who is Sanjai Raj – previously general manager consumer protection and standards.

The Act also set up a new Standards Approval Board, which operates as an independent statutory board, responsible for approving the country’s standards and membership of standards development committees.

These independent committees can include representatives from industry bodies, consumer groups, NGOs, and state sector agencies, experts from the relevant sector and academics.

Under the Act, the NZSE must submit proposals for committee membership and proposals for NZ Standards to the Standards Approval Board for approval, which essentially separates the Standards development process from the approval function. As previously, the development of Standards will continue to be a fully cost-recovered third-party-funded activity. The main difference is that the Act strengthens the cost-recovery framework by making it more transparent, providing principles that the NZSE must have regard to when setting fees.

Essentially, Standards NZ will be funded from revenue earned. A pricing model based on the appropriated budget (ie, the cost structure within a government department) is being developed that will set the charge-out rates for development and the structure for pricing hardcopy and PDF standards.

Standards New Zealand now provides services on a cost-recovery basis only, which means membership is no longer offered in the form of discounted products or services.

The MBIE says this is consistent with the cost-recovery principles in the Act, which the NZSE must have regard to when setting fees.

“Existing memberships will be honoured, and discounts provided until each membership expires over the coming months,” says the MBIE. “Credit terms will continue to be available to customers on application. All services, resources and products will continue to be available to all customers.”

Pass it on Wrap your mind around the ideas in Waikato’s Let’s Talk Water paper and have your say in a regional conversation on how to better manage the quality and quantity of fresh water into the future.

Waikato Regional Council CE Vaughan Payne says people want to hear “a full range of voices, views and informed opinions on what needs to happen to manage this critical resource”.

“So please share Let’s Talk Water within your organisation and pass it on to the appropriate person to provide feedback to us.”

For more information head to www.letstalkwater.nz You can provide feedback by April 30 by completing the online survey or by emailing letstalkwater@waikatoregion.govt.nz

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IN BRIEF

Waikato woman wins water award Waikato Regional Council awards this year’s water science prize to Waikato University student Claire Eyberg.

Claire, a part-time student who currently works for water company Veolia, says she became increasingly interested in environmental issues and decided to begin studying environmental science, specialising in freshwater and terrestrial systems.

She wins $1000 worth of book vouchers. The prize is awarded annually to a student enrolled at the university who has shown outstanding ability in Faculty of Science and Engineering Level III courses dealing with water in the natural environment.

Claire says she is most passionate about water and soil quality, ecological health, and the human impacts on these, especially from industry and agriculture.

She hopes to have a career involved in assessing and mitigating such impacts.

With the support of Veolia she has been studying since 2013 and will be finishing her degree in June this year.

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ON THE MOVE David Hammond moves on from his CEO role with Thames-Coromandel District Council, setting up as a consultant with new firm Hammond Robertson. The company will specialise in advisory services to the local government sector, among other things building on David’s expertise in change management, community empowerment, and tourism advice and structures.

Engineering and design consultancy Harrison Grierson appoints a senior Christchurch engineer as its infrastructure team leader.

Sina Cotter Tait is a chartered professional engineer and senior design manager.

She specialises in project Sina Cotter Tait management of civil engineering design and construction; and engineering investigation and design of infrastructure including stormwater, roading, sewer, water and services.

Her construction expertise includes investigations, assessment and design reports, cost estimates, contract documentation, and tendering and contract management. Sina has been actively involved in the Christchurch rebuild.

More jobs to go in the UK News of job losses in the UK local government sector continues unchecked. A recent report on the www.localgov.co.uk website said Glasgow City Council will be “radically” reducing its workforce over the next financial year as it tries to plug a multimillion pound spending gap.

“The Scottish council has announced it will need to cut up to 1500 jobs in 2016/17 as part of an attempt to save £58 million (NZ$124.5 million) during the same period.”

Council leader Frank McAveety is quoted saying Glasgow faces a “double whammy” of cuts imposed by both Westminster and the Scottish government.

Earlier this year, another report on the same website said more than 25,000 job cuts were being planned at 52 councils across the UK. The report said the figures came from trade union GMB which attributed the possible upcoming job losses to cuts in local government funding.

“The union said 3000 jobs were at risk at Glasgow City Council, 2000 at Edinburgh City Council and 1800 jobs were facing the axe at Cumbria Council. Birmingham City Council has proposed cutting 1200 jobs, while Coventry City Council, Kirklees Council and North Lanarkshire Council had all warned 1000 jobs were at risk.”

Speaking at the SOLGM Summit in Palmerston North last year, Coventry City Council CE Martin Reeves urged New Zealand council leaders to look to “disruptive innovation” as a way to create liveability and sustainability for their communities.

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APRIL 2016 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES Records management Information Leadership has released iWorkplace Records Manager 365, a new SharePoint 365 tool that helps make recordkeeping straightforward and cost-effective.

Features of the new tool include a pre-set reporting toolbox that provides a range of reports on the state of recordkeeping inside an organisation, a proven methodology for implementation and a sophisticated retention and disposal toolset that manages records through their lifecycle.

Information Leadership says the iWorkplace Records Manager 365 makes it easier and cheaper for people working in local government to achieve compliance with the Public Records Act by supporting them in maintaining records over time, accessing records for reporting purposes and appropriately disposing of records.

The pricing model for Records Manager 365 also enables agencies to progressively implement their recordkeeping solution as funding and priorities allow, by being priced on the volume of records, instead of on a per-user basis. This means that organisations are not paying the full cost of licence fees while their implementation is in its infancy.

According to Information Leadership its on-premise Records Manager tool is already being used by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council,

ICT Vendor of Year – Mike Foley, president ALGIM & Information Leadership director Sarah Heal.

Selwyn District Council, Waitaki District Council, Whanganui District Council, Upper Hutt City Council, South Taranaki District Council and the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Civica Contact360 Software, technology and outsourcing services company Civica has launched Contact360, a customer contact and transactional platform for councils in Australia and New Zealand.

The Contact360 platform includes online portals, enterprise workflow, integration and CRM capabilities needed by local governments to fully support digital engagement with residents.

The platform allows residents to use a wide range of automated communications channels when dealing with the council – from contacting the council via Facebook, to booking and paying for services online.

Built on Microsoft SharePoint, Contact360 can be fully integrated with Civica Authority software as well as third-party software systems, hosted in the cloud or as an on-premise installation.

Dispute resolution Water modelling Specialist water environment company DHI has introduced a new MIKE product suite to support data management, decision support and operational forecasting. MIKE INFO optimises data handling workflows and provides one window to all data. MIKE PLANNING helps in scenario analysis and decision making. MIKE OPERATIONS brings real-time forecasting and operational control capabilities.

All products are aimed at helping people who work in water management. The new products integrate with existing water modelling products and can also be tailored to work with clients’ existing technologies – whether they are other water modelling systems, SCADA systems or existing data management solutions.

DHI says ECAN is already using the new product.

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Independent, crown-owned conflict management firm FairWay Resolution has expanded its offering to now include a building and construction dispute resolution service.

FairWay is an authorised nominating authority appointed by the Minister of Building and Housing to select appropriately qualified, trained and impartial adjudicators to determine construction disputes.

It also has a panel of independent mediators who understand the dynamics of building projects and relevant legislation including the Building Act 2004 and Construction Contracts Act 2002.

FairWay says its building and construction dispute resolution service provides economic stability for councils as it preserves resources and reduces exposure to litigation risk.

Pool vehicle booking system

Asset management Resolve Group has added asset management to its list of services.

The company specialises in helping procure professional services and physical works for clients, and provides strategic independent advice, project management and delivery.

Its new line of asset management services includes: asset and activity management plan development and review; strategic asset management framework development and review; asset management current practice assessment and improvement planning; asset lifecycle planning; one network road classification (ONRC) assistance; investor confidence rating assistance; level of service development and implementation; asset criticality assessment; and business process mapping.

The New Zealand Transport Agency and Auckland Transport are already using Resolve Group’s new asset management services.

Business performance PEPworldwide has launched new content, sourced new tools and techniques, and significantly increased its level of customisation for its business performance programmes.

The company runs personal efficiency programmes in 35 countries around the world.

Employees at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council recently completed a PEPworldwide programme.

EROAD has added a number of new features to its U Book-It pool vehicle online booking system which it launched last year.

New features include cost centre allocation, available vehicle hours, vehicle attributes (equipment available on the vehicle) and enhanced reporting. Cost centres can be assigned to drivers or individual bookings, allowing the cost associated with vehicle use to be assigned to individual departments or jobs.

A number of local government organisations including Northland Regional Council and Manawatu District Council are already using the U Book-It service.

U Book-It integrates with EROAD’s Depot web application to provide real-time vehicle location data. If a vehicle has either not been picked up or been returned early, the booking will be automatically cancelled and the vehicle released back into the pool.

The system provides fleet managers with enhanced insights into fleet utilisation and productivity, reducing costs and helping right-size fleets.

For both fleet managers and drivers, the booking process is made significantly simpler through the automation of manual processes, providing instant visibility into which pool vehicles are available. Reminders and booking confirmations are emailed prior to a booking, reducing the risk of no shows.

Grit re-spreader Nelson-based Fulton Hogan maintenance supervisor Darin Peek has developed a grit re-spreader to improve the safety of road surfaces for New Zealand drivers. It spreads frost and ice grit that has windrowed on the road during winter maintenance periods. The grit re-spreader is fitted to the back of a utility vehicle and its framemounted cutting edges and broom butts collect the windrowed grit to distribute it evenly across the lane.

According to the NZTA, grit is only effective for approximately 15 vehicle passes, so Darin’s solution is an effective way of rapidly and regularly re-applying grit to ‘hot spots’ on the road to bring it back up to scratch.

The solution has the potential to be used by any business unit responsible for winter maintenance or that uses large quantities of grit. In addition to saving time and money, the tool is more sustainable in that it utilises existing grit rather than spreading new material.

The solution will be used on the Tasman District Council network this coming winter.

Tell us about your products & services If you are a supplier and would like to share news of your new product or service with the people who make the buying decisions in the local government sector, please email editor Ruth Le Pla for more information on next steps. All articles published at the discretion of the editor. ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

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AROUND THE COUNCILS

News from the councils The Local Government Commission agrees to assess an application from “Our Waiheke’’ for a unitary council for WAIHEKE. Local Government Commission chair Sir Wira Gardiner says the Commission will next determine what the area affected by the application is – Waiheke or the whole of Auckland – and then make an assessment as to whether there is community support for local government reorganisation in the affected area. “If the Commission is not satisfied about community support, it may at this point decline the application,’’ he says. “If it is satisfied there is support, it will call for alternative applications before deciding on a preferred local government option.”

INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL confirms an $11.5 million upgrade of the Branxholme Water Treatment Plant to provide Invercargill and Bluff residents with cleaner drinking water.

UGL, formerly known as United Group Ltd, is the tender winner. The project is expected to be completed in March 2017. The upgrade is needed as the current treatment performance can struggle to meet New Zealand Drinking Water Standards.

WHANGANUI DISTRICT COUNCIL confirms a new wastewater treatment plant will be built.

The plant includes a sludge drying facility, which, while initially adding a capital cost, will reduce annual operating costs. As a result,

council plans to update its annual and 10-year plans. These documents will be out for public consultation this month.

ROTORUA LAKES COUNCIL adds another parking area for campervans and motorhomes. This second set of free daytime parking spaces is by the Rotorua lakefront.

The New Zealand Motor Caravan Association already designates Rotorua as a motorhomefriendly place. Portuguese visitor Jose Pereira (pictured) says he and his wife were planning to stop over in Rotorua for just one night. “But this motorhome parking site is so close to the city, we have ended up staying three nights and I think we’ve spent over $3000.”

for disposal is recyclable. This means that at least 90 percent of the rubbish that is put in a rubbish bag and left at the kerbside for collection should be waste that cannot be recycled (eg polystyrene and non-recyclable plastic). Under the bylaw, refuse contractors may decline to collect or accept rubbish bags if they are full of recyclable waste such as glass bottles, newspapers or tin cans.

GISBORNE DISTRICT COUNCIL is using trenchless pipe renewal technology to service its wastewater pipes. The technology can be over 30 percent cheaper than traditional dig and replace methods. It can also save time and cause much less traffic disruption. Trenchless renewal only needs manhole access for main pipes, or a small footpath hole for lateral pipe access. The trenchless methods are based on a cure-in-place pipe (CIPP) system, which uses a resin-based compound in a bag that’s pushed into place in the damaged pipe, then inflated.

Once inflated, the bag is removed and steam or hot water can be used to cure the resin until it’s fully sealed.

The FAR NORTH DISTRICT COUNCIL gives the community more time to provide feedback on a bylaw that will control how waste is managed in the district. Among other things, the bylaw proposes a new requirement for households to ensure that no more than 10 percent of the rubbish they send to landfill

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EVENTS SOLGM’S RISK MANAGEMENT FORUM IN WELLINGTON

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1. David Robson (University of Waikato).

2. Chris Hawker (Otago Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group).

3. Dave Foster (Rotorua Lakes Council).

4. Sam Ketley (AON) & Mark de Haast (Kapiti Coast District Council).

5. Jazz Singh (Auckland Council).

6. Nigel Mooney (Porirua City Council) & Nathanael Sterling (Beca).

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FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT

POOLING RESOURCES TIME FOR A FRESH APPROACH?

Will collaborative processes help find the best ways to manage our country’s freshwater? Ruth Le Pla tests the waters.

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new government report on freshwater management highlights yet again the delicate path that regional authorities must tread in balancing environmental, economic and iwi aspirations for some of the most beautiful, productive and culturally significant parts of our country.

When the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) released the new consultation document just days before the annual Conferenz Freshwater Management and Infrastructure Forum in Wellington recently, it ensured lively and sometimes pointed debate on implications for local authorities.

Next Steps for Fresh Water sketches a raft of proposals, suggests specific questions for debate and calls for submissions

by Friday April 22.

Many of the proposed changes could be captured as amendments to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) 2014 which sets out the objectives and policies for freshwater management under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Specific proposals include: • Excluding stock from water bodies; • A focus on freshwater management units rather than regions; • Making the macroinvertebrate community index (MCI) a mandatory method of monitoring ecosystem health; • Strengthening te mana o te wai as the underpinning platform for community discussions on freshwater; and • A government proposal to invest $100 million in improving water quality in lakes, rivers and aquifers.

(For a more detailed list see the box story “Next Steps: Summary of key proposals”. To read the full report search under ‘Next steps’ at www.mfe.govt.nz/publication-search.

The timing of the release of the report prompted several forum speakers to confess they had not been able to fully digest its implications or impact.

But it would fair to say that it does not address some of the largest and most difficult conversations. These include how to make fair decisions on the allocation of water, which model to employ to do this, how to transition to such a model, and the trade-off between the needs of communities in the metros and provincial authorities.

As one person commented after the forum, “who’s talking about the big stuff?”

Speaking in Wellington, Land and Water Forum (LAWF) chair Alastair Bisley made it clear his comments were “preliminary”.

While much progress had been made in certain respects, he said, “we don’t yet have a clear sense of the detailed direction that the government is taking”.

On the plus side, Alastair said the “critical, important and foundational points” that the LAWF has recommended to the government, will “by and large” be put in place once the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 gets the big tick from parliament.

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FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT

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“They’ve provided a system whereby you can take national and local decisions and see how that works,” he said.

“The NPS-FM allows objectives and limits to be set and the Bill gives a template for collaborative processes for regional councils and others in order to take decisions about what the objectives and limits will be in different freshwater management units, or catchments, around the country.

“Even if you don’t like little bits of the package, all of that in my book is a massive step forward,” he said. “It’s huge.”

Yet there’s a “lot less” in the Next Steps report on details on “engine room” stuff such as the integrated catchment management system which the LAWF has said is needed if people want to be able to manage within set limits in order to achieve set objectives.

“It’s rather unclear exactly how the government sees the way forward. They have yet to say how they see a system of good management practice being set up.”

Nevertheless, Alastair says there have been some important hints.

“They’ve said they’ll help industries put this together. But how they envisage that system will be made to happen around the country and exactly how the responsibilities on the different players should work, how it is transmitted through the mechanisms of the RMA, they’ve yet to make a full statement.”

Likewise, he says iwi rights and interests, and allocation are both works in progress. So too is the issue of transfer – “the dynamic management systems which we think are necessary”.

“All of this stuff is super-hard. We found it very difficult and so I’m not surprised that they [the government] do. What they have just proposed reflects an intention to do further work on elements of it.”

COMPROMISE In a press release welcoming the Next Steps report, LGNZ noted that decisions about water management must be made at the local level.

LGNZ president Lawrence Yule underscored the importance of collaborative processes pointing out that many councils are already working with iwi in this way to develop water plans.

Yet, as several speakers pointed out at the Wellington forum,

collaborative approaches bring their own set of solutions and challenges.

Natasha Garvan, a senior associate at Bell Gully, has been immersed in this space for some time. She told forum delegates that, unlike consultative processes, good collaborative work can often help people from very different groups to “own” each other’s problems.

As she sees it, the plus-points for collaboration include an opportunity to build understanding and trust; the chance to create enduring solutions; and for participants to have greater control over any compromises.

For some, it’s that last word that sticks in the craw. When it comes to our lakes, rivers, aquifers and wetlands, many individuals, iwi, businesses and entire communities are playing for very high stakes.

If compromise lies submerged in the collaborative process, we’d better all respect the possible repercussions for others.

(That’s notwithstanding the academic argument that in a freshwater context any discussions may perhaps not be deemed truly collaborative because they must take place in the context set by the NPS-FM and the National Objectives Framework [NOF].)

Natasha says one farmer told her the collaborative approach felt like a “grieving process”.

“And that needs to be borne in mind when you’re thinking about collaborative processes in a freshwater context, particularly, as you may be affecting livelihoods, retirement plans and whole communities.”

She tells of one case where farms had to be shut down and a whole street of people had to leave their houses empty for 10 years.

In Natasha’s view, collaborative processes in a freshwater context boil down to three essential elements: • Who bears the cost?

• Over what timeframe will we achieve objectives?

• And what rights to discharge or take water will be allocated – or, in some cases, existing rights taken away?

Natasha says there’s considerable diversity in the way collaborative processes are managed throughout the country and that even prior to the LAWF – which many uphold as a

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PHOTO: VICKI JAYNE.

FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT

Next Steps: Summary of key proposals Fresh water and our environment Amend the NPS-FM to improve direction on: • exceptions to national bottom lines for catchments with significant infrastructure • using the macroinvertebrate community index as a mandatory monitoring method • applying water quality attributes to intermittently closing and opening lakes and lagoons • what it means to ‘maintain or improve overall water quality’.

Exclude stock from water bodies through regulation.

Economic use of fresh water Require more efficient use of fresh water and good management practice.

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Iwi rights and interests in fresh water Strengthen te mana o te wai as the underpinning platform for community discussions on fresh water.

Improve iwi / hapu participation in freshwater governance and management.

Better integrate water conservation orders (WCOs) with regional water planning and allow for increased iwi participation and decision-making on WCOs. Freshwater funding Set up the ‘Next Steps for Freshwater Improvement Fund’.

Source: The Ministry for the Environment’s Next Steps for Fresh Water consultation document.

landmark example in its own right – a lot of collaborative processes were being undertaken around the country.

That number has increased in recent times with local government examples including Canterbury, Wellington and the Waikato among many others.

SOCIAL BEFORE SCIENCE Graham Sevicke-Jones took up a role as director science and information at Environment Southland at the start of this year.

Previously manager, environmental science at Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), he says local bodies often jump in with quick responses to specific water-related issues without always understanding the wider set of underlying priorities from a community point of view.

“You might see, for example, nitrogen levels going up rapidly in the waterways,” he says, “so we look at how we can fix that.

But it may actually be something else that needs to be dealt with.”

He says collaborating with individuals and groups outside of council opens up much wider opportunities to explore wholesystem issues and ideas.

“Unless you get into quite involved community conversations you often... end up looking at specifics around sediment or an E. coli problem, for example, without looking at how the whole system might fit together.”

Graham says GWRC thought it had a pretty good handle on

Local Government Magazine will be looking at the lessons learnt on collaborative processes from ECAN’s Canterbury Water Management Strategy in an upcoming issue.

its community’s values until it started working with whaitua committees a few years ago.

Members of the whaitua (Maori for ‘designated space’) include representatives from Te Upoko Taiao – the Natural Resource Committee, iwi, local authorities and people from the community who have an interest in land and water management issues.

Committee members use their understanding of agriculture, biodiversity, tangata whenua, recreation, and urban and economic interests to prioritise objectives for land and water management in the catchment area.

“We started understanding quite quickly that what they were actually asking for wasn’t around the science side of it,” says Graham. “They were looking for things around the social dynamics of their community, how they might provide for more jobs, a better society in general and, inevitably, issues around degradation of the environment.”

As a result, Graham says he’s become very interested in looking at issues such as integrated catchment and area management, and how the terrestrial environment impacts on freshwater management.

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FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT

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HAVE YOUR SAY DHI New Zealand principal engineer Phil Wallace calls on interested parties to accept the invitation to respond to the Next Steps for Fresh Water document.

Submissions are due by April 22.

“The extended summer has resulted in great numbers of New Zealanders enjoying our natural water environments, but at the same time highlighted the change in attitudes towards freshwater management, with two high-profile cases of stock in freshwater bodies,” he says.

“Hence, by accident or design, the current consultation on Next Steps is timely.”

Phil says the document addresses, in part, some of the concerns regarding the NPS 2014, such as the risk that maintaining (or enhancing) water quality at a regional scale could result in the quality of some water bodies declining.

“It is now proposed that water quality be maintained at a freshwater management unit scale (typically a catchment), reducing that risk. Calls for the use of the macroinvertebrate community index as a

mandatory indicator of health have also been heeded.”

He notes the document recognises the importance of science – data, monitoring, modelling – in managing water resources and proposes increased ability to fund that through recovering costs from water users.

And he points out that productivity is a key theme in the document.

“Does this include the productivity of our ecosystems? How might the value of ecosystem services be factored into decisions surrounding freshwater management? Exceptions to bottom lines in water quality standards are proposed where significant infrastructure is present in the catchment: eg, hydro schemes. Again, what are implications for productivity, in that wider sense, of allowing such exceptions?

“These and the other proposals in the Next Steps report all demand our consideration and response,” he says. “As we all now know, decisions on land and

Otago Regional Council’s Fraser McRae underscores the need to drop the council-speak. He’s the council’s director policy planning and resource management. People like to make decisions based on everyday values and norms, he says. So his council firstly describes issues as social problems and then underpins its thinking with science.

“So we talk about swimming holes for grandkids. There aren’t British Imperial Units for measuring those things so then we’ve got to work out with the science team how deep a swimming hole needs to be.”

I THINK YOU THINK...

Over at Greater Wellington Regional Council, manager environmental policy Jonathan Streat recalls a sticky-note exercise in which three groups of people were asked to write down what they thought of each other, what they thought the others thought of themselves and what they thought of themselves.

“It was the first time they’d sat in a room and started to understand the way they perceive each other,” he says. “By putting it on bits of paper they started to convert an instinctive position into something that was tangible and that could be converted into points of change.

“This was the beginning of what we hope will be a collaborative journey going through a process of co-design, codevelopment and co-problem-solving. You’ve got to get to know each other before you get to the problem definition space, let alone a solution.”

Phil Wallace: Productivity is a key theme.

water management made now can have implications for decades.”

To make a submission on the Next Steps document go to: www.mfe.govt.nz/ consultation/next-steps-fresh-water

Jonathan describes collaboration as “a current discussion” in a “very fashionable space”. Yet, as he sees it, the concept brings with it all sorts of changes around power.

“There’s no doubt about it: we’re talking about power and the delivery, the decision-making and the distribution of power in our society,” he says. “It’s about who’s involved in collaborative processes and decisions around who is in and out.”

Regional councils, he says, must simply step up and deal with these changing power dynamics.

And they’d better ditch any notions of an easy ride. Tensions between different parties’ ideas and values are likely to manifest themselves as critiques of process. “So a nirvana is not achievable,” he warns.

In a similar vein, Graham Sevicke-Jones warns that one of the constants with collaborative processes is that they fall over.

“You just have to have a system in place to pick them up and move on because this all involves people, and people tend to have bad and good days,” he says. “There are some times when, for some unknown reason, a committee just doesn’t work.

“It’s much easier working in a room with a few computers and no other people but the reality is you’re trying to get informed decision-making.” LG • Ruth Le Pla attended the Freshwater Management and Infrastructure Forum in Wellington courtesy of Conferenz.

• To download a copy of the Next Steps for Fresh Water consultation document search under ‘Next steps’ at www.mfe.govt.nz/publication-search.

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Q&A

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

TIME FOR A SEA CHANGE? ELECTIONS 2016 What kind of leaders does local government need?

As the sector gears up for its triennial elections in October, Ruth Le Pla asks LGNZ president Lawrence Yule whether it’s time for a whole new type of thinking.

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cross the country 1646 elected members are currently serving their communities.

They’re mayors, councillors and community board members. Yet, typically, between 33 and 40 percent of elected members change each election – whether voluntarily or involuntarily. What types of thinking would bring the most benefit to the sector as a whole?

LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE: What are the big issues coming up in the next three years and what does this mean for both new and existing members?

LAWRENCE YULE: Some of the issues we have to deal with are changing and so too is some of the leadership that’s required to deal with them.

From 2002 to 2012, councils have largely got on top of asset and financial

So what kinds of skills, attributes and attitudes do elected members need to best handle these issues?

We need a more diverse set of skills than may have been in the past. People who would have perhaps considered standing in the past may have had an interest in an issue with their local road which they considered important or a really important issue with what the community does with its water supply. Or they may have said the rates burden was too high.

But, as well as that, I think we now need a forward-thinking group of people who understand there are some big, really complex and difficult issues to deal with outside of those basics.

For many people that would be an exciting place for them to be: to say, “well, what are we going to do about climate change or demographic change? How are we going to help our people here?”

To be clear, you’re saying people need to care about these issues as well as about all the things they’ve cared about in the past: the state of a local road or the need for a new swimming pool, for instance?

Absolutely.

Lawrence Yule: There are some really complex issues to deal with.

management. Generally that’s been the focus of effort and that was specifically spelt out in the Local Government Act 2002.

But now new issues are emerging which effectively mean it should be a given that those things are done.

The levels of leadership that will be required will be around climate change, demographic change and increasingly – this involves demographic change – around the economic development and sustainability of our communities.

Our thinking time should be on those complex but really important other issues.

Would you also tie in to that some of the 3Waters and infrastructure issues?

Absolutely.

These are things that LGNZ has been signalling for a while.

Correct. They are the big issues for the future. So the 3Waters work completely ties in with infrastructure. What we’re doing with risk management ties in with natural hazards, it ties in with financial capacity and long-term sustainability. So they’re all in the mix.

Leadership is changing into a much bigger space.

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LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS So in a sense it’s about biggerpicture, and perhaps more connected, thinking than in the past?

Yes. My point is that in fundamental terms councils do three things: they operate a regulatory environment that deals with the RMA and the Building Act, for example; they provide services – which are roads, waters, libraries, all that sort of thing; and they provide leadership.

I’m saying that in the future, there’s going to have to be a much bigger focus on leadership because these big issues have to be considered.

They’re hard, but equally, they’re exciting. They allow you to put your thinking time and energy into these big issues that we all have to grapple with.

So are there any particular skills, attributes and attitudes that individual elected members may need in this emerging environment?

Elected members bring their own skill set: whether that’s their learnings from life, or business- or community-based skills. But, more and more importantly, people have to have a very open mind

Greater turnout LGNZ has launched a 10-month Vote 2016 campaign to help lift voter numbers above 50 percent nationally for the first time since 1998.

More information at www.lgnz.co.nz

about how we can resolve these issues and be prepared to look at the big picture more than we might have in the past.

We’ve got to think about the challenges which are really concerning to many people. If you’re in a small town and it’s got a static or declining population, what does that mean for you? How do you manage that?

If you’re in a coastal community and the sea level is going to rise by a metre, how are you going to deal with that?

So a slightly more holistic view of macro issues is required than may have been in the past.

That sounds like a much harder stance to campaign on than “I’ll get you a local swimming pool: vote for me”.

I still think there will be the element of “I’ll get you a local swimming pool: vote for me”. But it may also include, “by the way, I’m really interested in how we adapt this community for climate change or how we could keep our young people here”, for example.

So there’s a bit of both.

Is there a need to encourage greater demographic diversity?

We’ve always felt that. If you go to any local government gathering, it’s mostly male, mostly grey hair and, generally, mostly white. So diversity is something that we actively encourage. On my own council, for instance, we have a really good gender and ethnic balance.

How will the LGNZ 2050 initiative fit into thinking about the bigger picture?

It absolutely fits into this because it’s around getting people to think about what the issues are between now and 2050 rather than only about the pothole at the end of the street and asking why it hasn’t been fixed for a long time.

There are whole new dimensions – such as the Maori economy post-settlement – where there are opportunities for things to be done.

LGNZ – and this is something I really support – is trying to look at a much longer game.

Are you going to stand again?

I won’t be making that decision until April. I’ve done this for 15 years and there’s an element in my community that say I’ve done a good job but ‘maybe we need someone new’ so I’m assessing all that.

One more thing: I’ve found my career in local government incredibly rewarding and stimulating. Sometimes it’s tough but it’s a worthwhile thing to do.

If you had your time again would you do it again?

Yes. I would. LG •R edacted from an interview with Lawrence Yule.

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Q&A

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

How can chief executives prepare for the changes that often result from local body elections? Ruth Le Pla asked SOLGM president Barbara McKerrow.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE: Some mayoral seats are likely to be strongly contested, requiring additional focus and time from an incumbent mayor wanting to stand for re-election. How can a chief executive (CE) ensure momentum is maintained on business as usual during a time of high distraction?

BARBARA MCKERROW: Generally speaking, in New Zealand we’re good at understanding the difference between the roles of the mayor and the CE. So the organisation continues to run business as usual and bring material through to council in its normal meeting cycle.

We put in place protocols within the organisation for the way in which we all behave as staff at election time.

We separate out activities that an existing mayor or councillor might be undertaking in a campaign.

We have to be very careful that we’re not seen to be inadvertently supporting any existing elected representative in a campaign for re-election.

I’ve worked for three different mayors now and I’ve never found this difficult. That’s not to say that a much bigger council with a different kind of political environment might not find it more challenging. But the principles are exactly the same.

with a mayor stepping into a hybrid CE role. It’s really important to respect the difference between the governance and the CE role.

A good CE is always going to be supporting a mayor and council in what they’re there to do. You just have to differentiate between that and something that moves more into supporting someone in their campaign or stepping into a political space that you shouldn’t be in.

As CE, it’s important that you’re seen to be apolitical. In fact when you’re heading into an election year it’s more important than normal to be seen to be apolitical.

Do you ever see instances of the CE stepping into a hybrid ‘mayoral CE’ role in those situations? And would that be desirable?

I’ve never seen that happen. It would be inappropriate just as it would be if the players were the other way around

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LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

From the outside looking in, local government looks a lot simpler than it is.

You need to be sensible about how you and the mayor [or any other elected representative] are seen to be working together.

As CE you also have to model the behaviour you expect of your staff during the elections so we’re very clear with staff that it’s not appropriate to be seen to support any particular candidate.

If people are on Facebook and have any of our elected representatives listed as a friend there, a safe thing to do during the election period would be to remove themselves from that relationship.

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Social media opens up a whole new avenue for confusion at election time if it’s not thought through carefully?

Yes. What you don’t want to do is create distractions at election time. I talk about the political acumen – the political antenna – that management leaders in local government need. While on the one hand you need to be seen to be apolitical, on the other hand you have to have an acute understanding of the political environment you’re working in so you know where – and where not – to tread and how to be helpful in the background without creating distractions that are unwelcome.

What are some of the practical ways a CE can ensure complex long-term projects don’t lose momentum, or even get lost, in the transition from one set of elected members to another set post-election?

It’s about making sure that in your induction processes with your new mayor and councillors there’s an understanding of the decision-making environment they’ve entered and how the strategic planning processes of councils work.

Obviously, new mayors and councillors are keen to influence the long-term plans but you also have to

decisions, our regulatory environment ... it can be quite overwhelming for people. From the outside looking in it looks a lot simpler than it is.

We generally start with high-level things like your legal responsibilities as a councillor, what the local government environment is like and financial governance. Health and safety legislation would also be important.

It takes an intensive period of time to go through everything.

Any other comments?

Barbara McKerrow: You need to be seen to be apolitical.

have a measure of continuity. You can’t have a complete change of direction every three years.

So the CE needs to provide good opportunities for any new councillors in those early months to understand how it all works, what’s in place, how they can have influence and how they can make decisions within the legal framework of the Local Government Act. What are some of the best ways CEs can help induct new elected members into their local authority?

As a CE it’s your role to be a key adviser

to council. That’s part of our statutory role. So it’s absolutely our role to ensure there’s a good induction process for new elected members. I’d say you should really be doing it for everyone in the new term because it’s a refresh for people who have been on councils for years, and important education and support for new elected members.

New elected members are often very surprised by the complexity of the environment they find themselves in.

It’s nowhere near as straightforward as they thought it would be.

The statutory role of a local authority, the way in which they have to make

The very beginning of the term is an important time for building relationships. This is an important process for a CEO and a mayor because you’re also defining the boundaries of your roles. Sometimes you might find misunderstandings about what those boundaries are and what the powers of a mayor are versus the authority of a CE. As a CE there’s a real skill in navigating those early days with your mayor and particularly with your new councillors so you establish a foundation of trust early on in the term. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to establish a foundation of both trust and respect for each other’s role because once behaviours are entrenched they’re very hard to change.

Having worked with different councils and mayors I’ve found it’s you [as CE] who has to adapt your style.

You have to figure out quite quickly what the expectations of these people are, what their style is, how you’re going to establish trust with them.

There’s a level of resilience necessary to adapt yourself to changes so you don’t end up with a dysfunctional situation.

Where things go badly wrong in a council – and luckily it doesn’t happen very often – it’s usually because you haven’t been able to navigate the change effectively and people start to make assumptions about one another.

So it’s a really important time – not just for the democratic process but also for ensuring you’re going to be an effective team for the next three years. LG •R edacted from an interview with Barbara McKerrow.

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ADVICE

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

SO YOU WANT TO BE

A COUNCILLOR? Our Local Government 101 columnist Elizabeth Hughes says that every three years from December to April she gets asked by potential local government candidates for advice on how to get elected to council. Here’s her take.

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n my experience, potential candidates come at the idea from one of two perspectives: externally driven and internally motivated. These are not mutually exclusive.

1) It’s late summer 2016 and the potential candidate has found themselves at a BBQ, golf club, church or work, and “a number of people” are saying to them:

“You should stand for the council.

You’d be so good at it – not like the selfserving / idiotic / stupid / useless / wasteful / ill-disciplined [insert the appropriate offending human characteristic here] people currently running the place.”

Or “You know all about trees / roads / running a business / events / marketing / planning / the RMA / building / community groups / parking /

This is usually how the advice-giving goes…

Here are some questions to honestly answer, some things to think about and then some homework. Once you’ve answered, thought about and completed these, come back and we’ll have another chat.

• What would you be standing for? (As opposed to standing against.)

• Who are you standing for? (While you probably already know a group of people who would love for you to represent them, will you also be able to represent people whose views are different?)

• What specifically do you want to achieve for the city / district / region?

(Your vision.)

• What are your bottom lines / nonnegotiables? (Not just the things that make your blood boil but also the things that might limit your ability to maintain an open mind.)

Elizabeth Hughes: Watch six back-to-back episodes of Neighbours at War in one sitting.

development [insert your own specialty topic here]. You should stand for the council. Lots of us support your thinking.

We’d vote for you.”

Or “The council never listens to us but, if you got elected, you’d represent the retired / youth / migrant / artists / developers / greenies / accountants / ratepayers / new mums / anti-fluoride / dog lovers [insert own specialty interest

group here] and make things happen for us.”

2) The potential candidate has been involved for a number of years in a progressive community or business activity (usually one that intersects with the council in some way) and they are wondering how much more could be achieved by being inside the tent rather than being on the outside.

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LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS THINGS TO THINK ABOUT Your personality type There is no one perfect personality for an elected representative but having awareness of your own type is helpful. Some questions that will give you some insight into your personality fit for the job are: • Do you think it more important to be ‘likeable’ or ‘effective’ as a community leader?

• Are you someone who values ‘evidencebased’ decision-making or ‘weight of public opinion’ decision-making?

• Where do you think you sit on a ‘tedium to excitement’ continuum?

• Are you a lone wolf or a collaborator?

• What is your usual response when faced with stupidity, bullying, arrogance and / or extreme earnestness?

• How will you react on learning that something you expected to do is “just not possible” and, on the face of it, looks like “bureaucracy gone mad”? (Honest answers please.)

• What will you do with being constantly reminded that you promised to deliver ‘X’ when you decided to stand and, as yet, you have been unable to deliver it?

And this is the homework I give them Read (not skim) council / committee agendas from the previous 12 months in the library. This serves two purposes: it gives you an actual visual of the amount of reading required, and it gets you to hang out in a council facility (many potential candidates have never even set foot in a library or a public toilet for

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A day in the life of …

You’re in a meeting around the table with 14 people who are nothing like you.

A half-hour Powerpoint presentation has been delivered about installing new public toilets at the park. You’ll have already received and read a report about 20 pages long. The report and presentation cover the following context: global tourism trends, regional economic development, the Public Facilities Strategy, sustainability, investment comparisons, land ownership, debt management, future water supply, size of sewage pipes, waste management, depreciation, parking, health and safety installations, colour schemes, signage and (conflicting) views from the community.

You have formed your view. A debate ensues giving everyone five minutes (that’s five times 14) to speak.

An alternative perspective on ‘availability of parking’ is introduced (one of your colleagues was elected because of parking issues). You have your own view on this, and so will everyone else (none are informed views – just views) and another five minutes each is allocated.

A vote is eventually taken on the parking availability issue (probably asking for more information) and you get back to debating the public toilet project.

that matter). Meet with at least two of the sitting elected councillors – ones you wouldn’t normally talk to – and ask them: “What have you achieved since you were elected?”

Read the purpose of local government and parts 1-4 of the Local Government Act 2002 (as well as the relevant clauses and sub-clauses).

A decision (vote) may now need to be delayed awaiting the additional information.

Then, a few weeks later, you’ll have another report and Powerpoint presentation with some new information added and then debate the public toilets again. You’ll need to remember what you said in all previous debates so you don’t contradict yourself. (There’ll be video or audio footage in case you forget.)

This can go on for several months until the majority are happy one way or the other.

This is democracy and is now your job.

Top ten personal qualities that make an outstanding elected representative 1. A superhuman ability to listen and absorb.

2. The ability to stand back and see all sides of an issue.

3. The ability to compromise and negotiate.

4. The ability to take a long-term view.

5. A vision that is clear and the ability to articulate it in many ways.

6. The willingness to be public property.

7. Good health and resources.

8. Stamina.

9. Integrity.

10. Strong and honest friendships that are separate to your political ambition.

Note: a sense of humour seems to be optional.

Google all the Acts of Parliament that control local government delivery, services and activities (there are 21 of them).

Watch six back-to-back episodes of Neighbours at War in one sitting.

And sometimes, they come back for that chat… LG

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

COUNTING THE CARBON WAIKATO COUNCILS JOIN FORCES Local government is latching on to energy savings.

T

he recent signing of a partnership agreement between Waikato councils and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) marks a growing awareness by local government of its need to be both energy efficient and carbon responsible.

Local Authority Share Services (LASS), the organisation representing 12 councils in the Waikato region, recently signed a three-year partnership with EECA to enable a cost-effective and structured energy management approach amongst participating LASS members.

The agreement will involve monitoring energy use and audits to identify actions to save energy, and the development of an energy management plan across the Waikato councils. It will deliver 2.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy savings each year, $405,000 of energy cost savings each year, and annual carbon dioxide reductions of 426 tonnes.

LASS chief executive Sally Davis says this is a good example of local government collaborating with central government for the benefit of ratepayers.

“Our partnership with EECA has been an important one for us. It will lead to increased engagement and interest amongst member councils, encouraging them to prioritise energy efficiency in the operation and development of their infrastructure, buildings and community assets,” she says. “It will also provide direct savings to ratepayers.”

Sally says the partnership is the first EECA has entered into with a consortium of local authorities working together, and follows on from other shared services initiatives being undertaken collectively across the Waikato councils through LASS. The Waikato councils join a growing list of local bodies working with EECA to improve the way they use energy.

The EECA partnership with Waikato councils will investigate opportunities for efficiencies in street lighting energy use.

Local government is one of the country’s top energy users and EECA estimates potential savings of 20 percent remain untapped within the sector.

EECA has partnerships in place with seven councils covering the main urban areas, as well as with council-controlled organisations such as Watercare and Panuku Development Auckland.

Combined, these partnerships will result in energy savings of 24GWh and a 3800 tonne reduction in carbon emissions each year.

EECA account manager Graham Dray works with councils in the lower and central North Island. He says EECA is a good first stop for any local government organisation wanting to make meaningful gains in energy efficiency. “After years of working with large energy users we have an extensive understanding of energy efficiency opportunities and knowledge about implementing energy management programmes.”

Another attraction for local government is the EECA BUSINESS Crown loans scheme which offers

public agencies, including local government, low-cost funding for equipment installation or replacement.

Recent loans funded include lighting upgrades, solar for pool heating, building management systems, heating and ventilation upgrades, and wood boiler installations.

EECA also runs the NABERSNZ programme which makes visible the energy performance of office and other commercial buildings, and is a driving force for better-performing buildings.

Graham says in addition to being large energy users, with the potential for significant energy and carbon reductions, councils can also play an important leadership role in encouraging businesses, vehicle fleets and households to prioritise energy efficiency.

“Local government can act as a powerful lever for greater energy awareness across all sectors and that’s good for all New Zealanders. Focusing on energy efficiency not only saves money but it can reduce the need to build new electricity generation capacity,” he says. LG

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REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

GORE BLIMEY Resilient town centres anchor economic growth. Kim Munro explains how Gore has brought shoppers back to its stores.

T

own centre guardianship is a hot topic for local government around the world as the digital revolution continues to impact traditional retail formats and the relevance of inner city experiences.

Spending attrition, changing consumer lifestyles and commercial confidence have all contributed to the challenges high streets and CBDs are increasingly facing.

These have been characterised by struggling retailers, increased shop vacancy and a resistance to invest by property owners.

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In Southland, the Gore District Council was determined this would not be the fate of its CBD and set a goal for Gore to become New Zealand’s most commercially-resilient provincial town.

A core part of the strategy has been focusing on strengthening the CBD economy through a range of collaborative initiatives in partnership with retailers and landlords – key stakeholders in their CBD economy.

Gore’s journey began through a set of circumstances similar to those of many small New Zealand towns.

A value-focused retail chain closed its local store following the wider group’s receivership, forcing customers to shop in neighbouring towns or online.

Conversations in the community quickly reached the front page of local newspapers, where it was revealed the growth in online shopping could compromise some of Gore’s most established retailers.

Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks and the council’s senior management team were quick to recognise the growing risk of revenue escaping the district – along

with its wider economic and social impact. The search was on for bestpractice solutions that could best lend themselves to Gore’s marketplace.

The council engaged with strategists First Retail Group, a company that works with forward-looking councils across Australasia and the UK. Already familiar with the Otago / Southland economy through work in Dunedin, Invercargill and the Southern Lakes, First Retail recognised unique drivers influencing the marketplace.

Led by managing director Chris Wilkinson and project manager Lorraine Nicholson, the company undertook extensive consultation with stakeholders, consumers and council managers.

Findings indicated what many had suspected – the town centre was beginning to fall out of favour with shoppers while business owners were unsure how best to respond.

Those first visits and conversations were followed by a high-level report identifying the issues, proposed solutions

and a projected delivery schedule. Gore’s recovery and growth initiative would be based on what the company terms ‘agile’ strategy that would be implemented quickly.

According to Chris Wilkinson, councils often spend so long talking and planning that opportunities are lost without the chance to effectively leverage them.

Using agile methodology, high-level strategy and mapped goals formed a framework that allowed for changes or inclusions where these could benefit stakeholders. This enabled the council to navigate risk, harness potential and adapt rapidly as the market continued to evolve.

An intensive period of performance development, range realignment and culture change followed, overhauling many of the legacy practices that had challenged consumers. The process was intensive and, for many, cathartic as business owners reassessed their focus and goals.

Love Gore, Shop Local was a strategy actively encouraging consumers to

prioritise spending to support local businesses. The initiative, and its backstory, achieved national press and quickly won the hearts of local residents.

The programme’s ultimate test came during December last year, when retailers re-welcomed consumers with their new offer. Across town many retailers enjoyed bumper trading up to and after Christmas, reinforcing value in the project and inspiring continuing evolution of the initiative.

Mayor Tracy Hicks say the success of the Love Gore, Shop Local campaign has surprised him, mainly because of the willingness of retailers to work so closely together.

“Traditionally retailers are individualistic in the way they approach marketing. However, through GoRetail they have recognised marketing is as much about the whole place as it is about individual businesses.” LG • Kim Munro is a Wellington-based freelance writer.

Key learnings Independent delivery is vital. Engaging independent sector expertise to develop and deliver the project was key in giving pace to the project. This enabled stakeholders to focus on the big picture without becoming distracted by personalities or legacy issues that typically impact collaborative ventures.

An agile strategy drives pace. The retail sector is highly dynamic as changing consumer purchasing behaviour continually drives new challenges. Using an agile approach ensures a programme can be deployed rapidly and adapted as opportunities or risks are identified.

Validators stimulate participation.

Gore’s business leaders endorsed the programme, which helped achieve awareness and support across the commercial community.

Media messaging engages. Open and frank news media conversations can contribute to positive editorial coverage, driving both commercial and consumer awareness. Ongoing development of a project ensures continual story content and enduring media interest.

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RISK MANAGEMENT

ENOUGH ALREADY BALANCING RISK & REALITY When it comes to the current state of risk management in local government, good enough really may be good enough, says David Robson.

He shared an academic perspective with delegates at SOLGM’s Risk Management Forum in Wellington recently.

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F

or the past few years I’ve assisted in the design, build and integration of risk management frameworks in local government. So for my MBA dissertation I decided to investigate how risk management is faring throughout the nation’s local authorities.

FINDINGS: •O f the 67 councils I invited to take part in the survey, 31 percent responded; • H alf of them had a risk management framework of some sort; and • O f the councils that had no risk management arrangements, this was found to be due to a lack of resources (people, money, time) or that risk was not high enough on the senior management agenda.

As is well documented, a good audit cycle is informed by risk and, in turn, risk is informed by the audit cycle.

However, on enquiring if the internal audit programme was aligned to risk and high level business strategies, only 50 percent of the respondents confirmed that this arrangement was in place – and, even then, only on a seldom basis. The other half said not at all.

When asked further what areas were targeted as part of the audit programme, respondents said these were largely tangible and operational in nature, such as the testing of processes and documents – as opposed to the testing of systems designed to support high-level strategic goals and objectives.

This pattern was reaffirmed when the participants were asked to provide information as to what they considered to be the inherent risks to their respective organisational long-term strategic plans. These were found to be largely confined to operational delivery through constraints to budget, time and people (resource / capacity).

In order to validate the research, the responses were measured against a modified version of PwC’s Risk Maturity Assessment framework. (See table “Survey findings mapped to a PwC Maturity Assessment Model”.)

SO WHAT…?

The aim of my research was to identify the current state of risk management in New Zealand local government and, in summary, I thought I had pretty much done that. But it wasn’t enough.

I wanted to know why it was like this.

So I conducted another survey.

The initial survey enquired as to organisational arrangements, structure and reporting. However, the second survey asked only four questions and required a smaller sample of risk managers from councils known to practise risk management in order to both validate the results and provide more in-depth reasoning of the current state of risk management.

Risk management has been recognised as a practice in some other sectors for over 50 years. The first of my four questions asked the risk manager what they believed to be the reasons for local government just picking it up in the last few years. The resounding response

was that there is an absence of any competition and a constant revenue stream from rates collections and development contributions. “So why should we worry about risk?”

The second question asked how the risk managers rated their organisation’s risk maturity and what they thought may be hindering progress. Almost all responses agreed that maturity was low to medium and that progression was most likely restrained by the lack of buy-in from senior management and governance. Reasons for this were given as a lack of understanding, acceptance and the discomfort of discussing unknown risks as opposed to tangible issues.

The third question asked how embedded the risk managers believed a risk management culture to be in their organisation.

The general theme of the responses was positive and to the extent that people are talking about risk, however there was a distinct lack of the consideration of opportunities from risk and in one instance how it was felt that a certain project manager

manipulated risk “in order to promote their business cases”.

The final question asked what the respondents believed to be the assumptions of senior management / governance in regards to risk management and what value they placed on it. The responses deviated slightly, but as such, little value appears to be placed on the practice due to the lack of tangible outcomes and this is further articulated in the comment that senior management are “becoming held more and more accountable by governance for the delivery of results”.

CYCLES The research findings show that, effectively, there are operational and strategic cycles constantly in motion which run independently, but also in congruence.

On the operational side, pressure from governance to senior leadership for accountability of tangible outcomes / output and value for money more or less forces management out of the strategic cycle and into the operational.

The risk and subsequent audit

programmes are therefore geared towards the business function processes that make these outcomes or outputs happen.

So what about the strategy? The cycle gets cut short and the controls and mitigations which may be in place to support the strategic goals and objectives remain unexplored.

It is almost as though local government in New Zealand is becoming addicted to performance. So how do we break out of this space? Can we? And should we?

CURRENT STATE In short, the research shows that while risk management in New Zealand local government is making progress it is still largely in its infancy. However, given that most people think there is no direct competition, and rates and development contributions provide a constant revenue stream, maybe this is good enough? LG •D avid Robson is manager – internal audit and risk, in the financial services division of the University of Waikato. drobson@waikato.ac.nz

SURVEY FINDINGS MAPPED TO A PWC MATURITY ASSESSMENT MODEL

Level of Maturity

Framework

Commitment

Ownership

Processes

Oversight

Ad hoc

No structured approach

Risk management seen as an unnecessary expense

No interest in using risk management

No tracking of risk management

No standard reporting

Initial

Policy / process defined

Rules-based approach

Partially-defined roles

Risk management champion drives implementation

Monitored by exception

Repeatable

Practical guidance provided

Proactive approach

Clearly-defined roles

Managers drive implementation

Business units monitor own risks

Managed

Managers confirm compliance

Risk management embedded

Centre of excellence model

Business units drive implementation

Single view of risk across organisation

Excellence

Risk management central to decisionmaking

Risk management used for strategic advantage

Managers pursue risk management unconsciously

Board and CEO drive risk agenda

Business driven with key risk indicators

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RISK MANAGEMENT

RISKY BUSINESS HOW TO WORK WITH RISK AND AUDIT COMMITTEES Rotorua Lakes Council COO Dave Foster has built a list of tools for officers wanting to improve their working relationship with their council’s risk and audit committee.

D

ave Foster is no newcomer to the working ways of local government.

Already embedded in the sector prior to the 1989 reforms, his career has since spanned councils in Whanganui, Palmerston North and Manukau, and stints with the Office of the AuditorGeneral and Auckland Transport. He moved to Rotorua Lakes Council in 2013 first as CFO before shifting to his current role as its COO. All of which is a long way around saying Dave Foster knows his onions and has over the years built up a solid bank of evidence-based insights into how officers and elected members can

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best work together to manage risk.

He was a guest speaker at the SOLGM Risk Management Forum in Wellington recently. In a one-on-one interview, he also shares some of his ideas here with Local Government Magazine.

Cutting straight to the point, Dave says his “toolkit” of advice can be boiled down into five simple ideas.

1 Develop really strong relationships with both the external member and the chair of the risk and audit committee.

An external member typically brings “cold eyes” and has significant sway at the table. Their independent stance

enables them to think non-politically and take a wider view.

Good relationships can help steer elements through the agenda and provide a sense of what people see as the hot points so you’re not constantly reacting.

2 KIS. Produce a simple one-page document – maybe on an A3 page – and keep pulling discussions and actions back to that. On that document, list risks in categories and the ideas of how you’re going to deal with them.

“Organisations often identify too many risks,” says Dave, who has worked

Dave Foster: Understand your organisation's high-pressure points.

for a local body that had 1500 risks on its registers when he arrived.

“I had somebody break them down and found they typically fit into seven to 10 categories,” he says. “And within that they typically have seven to 10 causes.

“You might, for example, have the category ‘we don’t have enough staff to do the job’. That can be caused by a virus or an earthquake, for instance. You don’t want to get to the stage where you’ve listed 100 times that you’ve got a high level of risk within each department – all with multiple causes.”

In an ideal world Counter-intuitively, perhaps, Dave Foster says risk and audit committee members do not necessarily need to have huge expertise in risk management – although officers certainly do.

According to Dave, who is COO at Rotorua Lakes Council, it is vital that committee members have “a level of nous” that enables them to perform their role on the committee well.

Legal, financial, business and political skills, plus an understanding of occupational health and safety would be useful, he says. So, too, would knowledge of contracting and construction.

“They may not be a contractor or a constructor but someone who knows that contracts and big construction works come with a set of risks,” he says.

People with legal skills can always be engaged separately as necessary.

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RISK MANAGEMENT

Pitfalls Many officers make the mistake of seeing their council’s risk and audit committee primarily as a group reviewing their work – while in reality a good committee is there to enable and support them. So says Rotorua Lakes Council COO Dave Foster who adds that officers often undervalue the benefit to themselves of a risk and audit committee.

“So many CFOs fight an internal audit committee. They see it as them being accountable to the committee.”

This mindset, he says, can be changed as trust is built.

“The interesting thing is the risks have been identified by the executive, anyway, not by the council.”

The flipside of risk What do you get when officers and risk and audit committee members form a great relationship and back it up with great programmes? The answer is trust, says Rotorua Lakes Council COO Dave Foster.

“Small successes build momentum. Momentum builds trust and trust builds speed.”

He adds that it’s necessary for any incoming new councillors to understand the implications of risk management.

“That’s huge. But my personal view is that risk is twosided and it’s important for everybody to understand there’s a risk of action but inaction holds the reverse risk of action.

“People need to build up a balanced picture and understand risk isn’t just one sided. A risk not taken is an opportunity forgone.”

3 Put like with like. Manage your programmes and works into categories. “You’re going to do internal audit work, so categorise your risks so you get similar things together,” says Dave. “You want your risk and audit programme to be categorised into logical programmes such as revenue, H&S or assets. Then match them back to your risks.”

Then within that ensure your programme reflects where your local authority’s risk lies.

“So you may not do a high level of audit work on parking infringements because parking revenue may represent, say, just 0.5 percent of your revenue,” says Dave. “But you should, every year, do a risk analysis and an internal audit of your rate setting processes because that could represent, say, 55 percent of your total revenue.

And if you get it wrong you’re going to get it horribly wrong.”

That’s not to say you wouldn’t do parking, says Dave. “But you maybe wouldn’t do work across the board on parking every year.

“You need to understand your organisation’s high-pressure points.”

4 Keep an ongoing list of the issues and the to-dos. The worst thing is to say you’re going to do something and then not do it.

5 Reuse items and ideas that are commonly on the agenda.

Rather than producing a fresh report from scratch every month, aim to provide an ongoing update on your risk and audit programme.

Develop a template outlining the programme and progress against it. Then simply update it for changes. That way, your executive team and your risk and audit committee members don’t come in cold every time they have a meeting.

Dave notes that, unlike many other committees, risk and management groups do not usually meet every month. Typically they meet about four times a year.

For such committees, it’s not about frequency. It’s about the depth of the thinking, he says. So make sure when you’re looking at issues you’re doing it well and in depth. LG

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WaterOutlook brings effortless simplicity to Council reporting that has not been seen before. It allows for audit online without the time consuming interactions of the past and provides accurate, robust, rigorous and transparent audit trails that paper-based spreadsheet systems can’t.

www.wateroutlook.com

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You’ll find us at: Level 4, Dell Building, 60 Parnell Road, Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 281 4315 info@wateroutlook.com

JEREMY ELWOOD / ON THE FUNNY STUFF COM E DIAN, ACTOR AN D WR ITE R. jeremy@jeremyelwood.com

Epic road trip Councils help make possible the Kiwi-style grand tour.

A PERHAPS WITH A BIT OF PUSHING AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION WE CAN SEE SMALL TOWN TOURS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP BOTH ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES FOR DECADES TO COME.

s you’re reading this I will be at home with a lot of spare time on my hands as my wife Michele A’Court is on tour. She’s travelling the country with her one-woman show Stuff I Forgot to Tell My Daughter. And when I say the country, I mean it. She’ll be doing 33 shows, predominantly in small town New Zealand, on an epic road trip. Don’t worry, this isn’t an advertisement (but do go and see her, she’s very good).

This is possible because of an organisation called Arts on Tour, which does a fantastic job of touring shows to the regions of New Zealand: places it may be financially or logistically unlikely for artists to get to without its help.

If you live in, say, Putaruru, Barrytown or Stewart Island and a top-class music, comedy, dance or theatre performance has suddenly appeared on your doorstep, the chances are Arts on Tour is the one to thank.

Of course, Arts on Tour isn’t the only organisation we should thank for this. These tours wouldn’t be as sought after by artists if they were just coming to town to perform on a street corner. It’s essential that they have spaces in which to perform, which thankfully many towns in New Zealand still do, thanks to the efforts of volunteer groups, local theatrical outfits and of course councils.

These venues vary from state-of-the-art theatres to small music clubs, historic opera houses and town halls. But what they all have in common is that they continue to support the arts and the vibrancy of communities long after they were built, and that they aren’t cheap to run.

The issue of keeping them open is ongoing.

Recently I’ve watched with sadness the demise of two of them at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Founder’s Theatre in Hamilton has closed its doors, at least temporarily, due to the cost of structural upkeep. And King Street Live, Masterton’s only dedicated live contemporary music venue, closed earlier this year due to financial strains.

In both cases, council funding, or the lack thereof, has been cited as one contributing factor.

In better news, I’ve recently performed in two venues which have been totally overhauled and are back better than ever – the ASB Theatre in Blenheim and the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch. Again, council funding was an essential ingredient in their continued existence.

It’s not just established artists that these places support, either. It’s easy to think of the arts hubs in New Zealand being the main centres.

But remember, the Finn brothers are from Te Awamutu, the Topp Twins hail from Huntly and even Lorde is from Devonport, which might explain why she only really started performing live after she’d made it big.

I know funding venues can be a tough ask when weighed up against every other project coming to councils for a hand out. Thankfully – and surprisingly, to me – our current government has been quite supportive of efforts to restore, rebuild and respect performance spaces, as seen with the eventual decision to reinstate funds to Auckland’s St James Theatre.

So perhaps with a bit of pushing and a lot of determination we can see these small town tours continue to develop both artists and audiences for decades to come. LG

Represents New Zealand’s Civil and General Contracting Industry

Civil Contractors New Zealand offers opportunities to work with Local Government on:

• Procurement strategies and practices that support a healthy contracting industry; • How to monitor contractors’ health, safety and wellbeing processes; • Forward work programmes that provide continuity of work to retain and develop contractor capability; • Environmental and quality issues.

www.civilcontractors.co.nz

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LINDA O’REILLY / ON LEGAL ISSUES PARTN E R, B ROOKFI E LDS LAWYE R S. oreilly@brookfields.co.nz

Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill New provisions for rating of Maori land.

T IT IS PROPOSED TO GIVE LOCAL AUTHORITIES THE ABILITY TO MAKE UNUSED AND UNOCCUPIED MAORI FREEHOLD LAND NON-RATEABLE.

here are 1.4 million hectares of Maori freehold land in New Zealand and it is estimated that 545,000 hectares, or 36 percent, of it is unused. Rates on that unused land are largely uncollected and uncollectable, but may still pose a considerable liability for the owners and considerable frustration for local authorities.

Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell last month announced that Cabinet had agreed to provide local authorities with “more workable and equitable tools to deal with issues around the rating of unused and unoccupied Maori land”.

This should be good news for local authorities, who have long been frustrated by the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 that relate to the rating of Maori freehold land.

The problem is that it is often difficult to collect rates on land with multiple owners, and that is largely undeveloped, because there is no income stream for the owners to cover this cost. In fact, there is a specific limitation on the liability of trustees in section 93 of the Act that provides that trustees are liable for rates only to the extent of the money derived from the land.

No income means no liability. Rates arrears can accrue quickly, and the enforcement of collection is limited to a slightly complex system involving charging orders, and requiring an application to the Maori Land Court.

Section 102 of the Local Government Act 2002 requires local authorities to have policies on the remission and postponement of rates on Maori freehold land, and there is provision in section 116 of the Local Government (Rating) Act for Maori freehold land to be made exempt from rates by Order in Council with the consent of the local authority.

The latter provision is not widely used. It is proposed to replace this provision by giving

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local authorities the ability to make unused and unoccupied Maori freehold land nonrateable. Rates arrears will be written off once there is evidence of a commitment to use the land.

Further proposals include the removal of the two-hectare limit on non-rateability for marae and urupa. Land held under Nga Whenua Rahui covenants (protected indigenous ecosystems on Maori-owned land) will also become non-rateable. In both cases any rates arrears will be removed.

The intention is to remove some of the barriers in the way of Maori engaging with, and actively using, their land. The Minister says “this ratings proposal will create a clean slate for owners who want to use or occupy undeveloped land but are laden with ratings debt”.

It will also assist local authorities with large areas of Maori freehold land in their districts to resolve longstanding issues related to rating and rates collection. Although the proposals may result in a lesser area of rateable land, in reality they will not significantly reduce the value of rates actually collected.

Further they will remove the need for a frustrating and largely futile collection process in relation to unused Maori freehold land, and a source of irritation between local authorities and Maori landowners.

As an added benefit to local authorities the Minister, wearing his hat as Associate Minister for Economic Development, suggests, “this ratings change will incentivise Maori land owners to use their land which will in turn provide a boost to the local economy”.

The changes are proposed to be made through the Te Ture Whenua Maori Bill, which is still in draft form, but available on the website of Te Puni Koriri, tpk.govt.nz.

Amendments will also be made to the Local Government (Rating) Act and the Local Government Act. LG

PETER SILCOCK / FROM CIVIL CONTRACTORS NZ CH I E F EXECUTIVE, CIVI L CONTRACTOR S N EW Z EALAN D. peter@civilcontractors.co.nz

Telling our story better Investing in invisible infrastructure.

L WE NEED TO TELL PEOPLE NOT ONLY WHAT IS HAPPENING BUT ALSO WHY, AND HOW THAT WILL BE OF BENEFIT TO THEM.

ocal authorities have an unenviable task.

We ratepayers are a demanding bunch.

We expect great services run efficiently and effectively, strong leadership and vision, lively communities, business-friendly policies that create jobs and investment, towns and cities that are interesting and vibrant places to live and, of course, no rates increases.

With local body elections just around the corner many voters are starting to wonder how much their rates may rise over the next three years. Whether we like it or not, the focus is often on costs rather than benefits.

For me, the realisation that local government in my area had a significant job to do, that I should be pleased to fund, came when I witnessed the 1998 and 2004 flood events in Lower Hutt. The flood waters came close to the top of the stop banks around the Hutt River.

Seeing that thick brown mass rushing past well above the level of the surrounding flood plain, where around 70,000 people live and assets of $6 billion sit, was a graphic demonstration of the importance of flood protection. That experience gave a number of people a wake-up call and as a result significant work has been done and more is planned.

Fortunately these ‘near absolute disaster’ experiences aren’t that frequent and that is what creates the challenge for local government. The reality is that much of the civil infrastructure that councils are charged with providing, and efficiently and effectively operating, is invisible either because it is below ground or out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

The current proposed changes to the RMA deal with the inclusion of natural hazards in planning processes. This is a result of the liquefaction issues experienced in Christchurch but also has significant implications across the country.

Many of our cities and towns are built on those nice flat areas around rivers (flood plains or liquefaction areas) or close to natural harbours (tsunami zones and areas that will be inundated when sea levels rise). In Wellington

we have found very usable seaside platforms and valley floors on which to build our transport corridors (fault lines) and our largest city sits on an isthmus dotted with volcanoes.

We live and work in a natural environment that is full of natural hazards. But like much of our civil infrastructure these are things that the public does not (and perhaps doesn’t want to) see.

It was the investment of past generations in our three waters infrastructure assets (with an estimated value of $45 billion) that councils are managing today.

We all need to address the challenge of better communicating not just about the need, but also the public benefits of ongoing investment in the maintenance and improvement of that ‘invisible’ civil infrastructure.

The size of that challenge was graphically illustrated recently in Wellington with some generally negative publicity around traffic delays caused by the improvement works on our major commuter routes. Many commuters don’t seem to have made the link between that work and a consistent, safer, faster commuter experience in the future and that the work can take some time when ongoing public use and safety are critical aspects of the job.

This coverage happened despite NZTA’s huge communications effort with regular radio bulletins, useful apps, electronic information and newspaper adverts. I know that councils are investing in better communications too. In fact, that communication / engagement with the public is now a key component of many contracts that members of Civil Contractors New Zealand enter into with councils.

This communication and public engagement is now part of what we do. We need to tell people not only what is happening, but also why, and how that will be of benefit to them.

Communicating the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ is critical to strong public engagement and cooperation on the job, and also to convincing ratepayers to invest in the invisible civil infrastructure they rely on every day. LG

APRIL 2016 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

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LAWRENCE YULE / FROM LGNZ PR ESI DE NT, LOCAL G OVE R N M E NT N EW Z EALAN D (LG NZ). lawrence.yule@hdc.govt.nz

Value for communities Building top local government across New Zealand.

A OUR STAKEHOLDERS ALL EXPECT THE BEST SERVICES AND VALUE FROM COUNCILS BUT NOT ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT THEY CURRENTLY RECEIVE.

s I write this we’ve just kicked off a series of roadshows to introduce the Local Government Excellence Programme to councils across the country.

The new programme was signalled last December off the back of significant research commissioned by LGNZ, including the New Zealand Local Government Survey of 3000 citizens and businesses released in May 2015.

This provided vital country-wide insights into New Zealanders’ perceptions of local government and these findings helped us identify key areas where we can demonstrate value and service.

Our stakeholders – ratepayers, businesses and central government – all expect the best services and value from councils but not all of our customers believe this is what they currently receive.

Delivering top-value councils means fostering a culture of assessment, action and accountability to deliver results which customers want.

To that end, LGNZ is developing a system to help councils assess and improve performance in four priority areas. Best practice will be shared in a cycle of ongoing improvement.

The programme will see the sector working better together to build even stronger local and national leadership – and will ensure that the sector continues to provide effective, efficient responses to the issues that matter most to communities.

Each participating council will determine the priority areas for their community and how best to communicate their performance and progress to that community. The role of LGNZ is to assist the sector in this endeavour and, in particular, help inform at a national level the value councils are delivering.

Following the completion of the roadshows

44 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

in early April, we will seek registrations of interest for Foundation Councils. These councils will assist with the micro design of the metrics and will lead out the programme in the first year.

The programme is set to get underway in July of this year and will be fine tuned as the process unfolds.

We know better collaboration and communication across the sector will mean greater understanding of the breadth, value and quality of local government services.

This will lead to stronger sector and council performance and, over time, an improved awareness of the work local government does for communities.

This council-focused work with its strong emphasis on delivering value and outcomes for customers is complemented by the community-focused work local government is undertaking in the lead up to the Local Authority Elections this October.

Over the next seven months, as part of the Vote2016 campaign, local government is opening up a conversation with New Zealand residents about the issues that matter most to them in their communities.

The aim is to further improve engagement between community members and their councils, and enable residents to get more involved in what’s happening in their communities so they’ll be more likely to vote in October’s local elections. This engagement will continue throughout the campaign.

Ultimately, how well local government performs impacts on how well communities and residents prosper and succeed both now and into the future.

Both local government and its communities have a part to play in shaping our future. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this conversation. LG

Recognising local government excellence LGNZ’s 2016 EXCELLENCE Awards In line with this year’s placemaking theme, the 2016 LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards celebrate excellence in the key areas of local government and community activity. We have strong ambitions for local government and we are working with our members to recognise and showcase the value of what our sector can deliver for New Zealand’s communities.

LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards entries are open until 29 April.

For a full list of Awards and criteria, please visit http://www.conference.co.nz/lgnz16

The Fulton Hogan EXCELLENCE Award for Community Engagement award was created to acknowledge a project or programme that makes a positive impact on a community in a town, city, district or region by encouraging effective engagement and participation.

Last year’s winner: Waipa District Council – Let’s Get Engaged.

The MartinJenkins EXCELLENCE Award for Best Practice Contribution to Local Economic Development award celebrates a council who has led, or is leading, a strategy, project or programme that increases investment in the area, attracts business and talent, creates strong partnerships and/or increases employment opportunities in their town, city, district or region.

Last year’s highly commended entries: Rotorua Lakes Council’s Inner City Revitalisation Project, and Waikato Regional Council‘s Waikato Means Business Strategy (no winner was awarded in this category).

The Chorus EXCELLENCE Award for Best Practice in Infrastructure Management prize will be awarded to the council that has managed its core infrastructure in a manner that increased efficiency and effectiveness of local and/or regional infrastructure, improved the stewardship of local and/or regional infrastructure through collaborative approaches and contributed to strengthening infrastructure resilience to address challenges such as changing demographics, climate change and adverse events.

Last year’s winner: Horowhenua District Council – Tokomaru Water Treatment Plant Upgrade.

The council that receives The Air New Zealand EXCELLENCE Award for Environmental Impact will be recognised for the development of a significant strategy, project or programme that has made measureable environmental improvement, involved iwi/hapu as partners or contributors and has taken a collaborative approach with stakeholders and gained significant buy-in from relevant communities.

Last year’s winner: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council – Hawke’s Bay Urban Biodiversity (HUB) programme.

The Creative New Zealand EXCELLENCE Award for Best Creative Place is a new Award.

It showcases a council’s contribution to a more prosperous and vibrant town, city, district or region by incorporating arts and culture in infrastructure, amenities and local services, with a strong focus on engagement with the community.

Drawn from all finalists, the NEW MartinJenkins Judges’ Choice Award for Outstanding Value and Service Delivery will be presented in recognition of a council’s increased value, benefit or improvements to the overall well-being of the people within their town, city, district or region, delivered through outstanding community engagement, environment, infrastructure, creative or economic development strategies, projects and initiatives.

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EDITOR

Introduction to EquiP Team & Strategy The New EquiP Professional Development Team

Jill Calogaras Professional Development Manager

Natasha Meynell Professional Development Operations

Joseph Stannard Promotion & Engagement Coordinator

Jill Calogaras, our Professional Development Manager, is accountable for the management of EquiP’s professional development services.

Natasha Meynell oversees the implementation of EquiP’s Professional Development Operations, which includes registrations and workshop logistics.

Joseph Stannard, as EquiP’s Promotion and Engagement Coordinator, is responsible for all aspects of the customer service experience and engagement.

Contact Natasha Meynell on natasha.meynell@lgnz.co.nz

Contact Joseph Stannard on joseph.stannard@lgnz.co.nz

Contact Jill Calogaras on jill.calogaras@lgnz.co.nz

The New EquiP Professional Development Strategy Future State: How do we get there?

Return on Investment (ROI)

Audit and Risk Forum

Review We have embarked on a review of sector needs and matched the right development solutions to support Local Government.

Increasingly, stakeholders who fund training are interested in demonstrated results – measures of how training expenditures contribute to the organisation. A key component is how what is learned is transferred into action.

As an example of prioritising more responsive and timely interventions, we have successfully run our first Audit and Risk Forum in Southland and are now scheduling these for other locations.

Instructional design All development activities will utilise key instructional design principles of building capability, suited to identified learning need.

More responsive and timely interventions We are improving our practices to ensure we can create learning activities to support local government areas of topical interest.

Different mediums We are looking at different mediums to enable our members to succeed in the method most suited to their learning style.

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All EquiP Professional Development will offer clearly defined purpose, learning objectives and target audience. All learning outcomes will be measured and reported, and a new evaluation process will be implemented to ensure all learning activities lead to sector performance improvement.

Forums will be provided regionally to support committee members to review their Audit and Risk Committee process and enable a plan of action and improvement. We believe these forums will prove particularly beneficial to elected members interested in third-year training.

To register for workshops please visit www.lgnz.co.nz/equip-and-knowhow/

EMI Workshops

Webinars

The Elected Members Induction (EMI) workshops introduce elected members to the environment and conditions they will participate in for the length of their elected term. The 2016 EMI programme will provide one Wellington workshop for New and Re-elected Mayors, and twelve regional workshops for Elected Members.

We have committed to the implementation of the EquiP TV digital platform and are excited about the opportunities it will bring to widen our audience and services. Delivery methods and mediums will be chosen to best suit the intended audience’s needs.

Participants of these workshops will have the chance to network, talk to each other, share stories and interact with knowledgeable speakers in order to procure the skills they need to successfully represent their constituents for the next triennium and beyond.

Why train in your third year?

Top performing companies not only recognise the importance of their people, but also the need to provide the right skills to enable their people. In a global IBM survey, 71% of CEOs cited human capital ahead of products, customer relationships and brands as the leading source of sustained economic value. In addition, 84% of employees in Best Performing Organizations are receiving the training they need compared with 16% in the worst performing companies.

To make the third year of term most effective for your council, we suggest you use this time to build the capability required for future success. At this stage the current elected members should be at a level of maturity which allows them to further improve their council process for incoming new members, or build on the skills of those who will stay.

One example of valuable third year training is the new Audit and Risk Forums EquiP has recently introduced. These are targeted at Audit and Risk committee members who have learned how to successfully participate in their committee and are now competent to review their practice to enhance outcomes. The resultant new and improved Audit and Risk committee is ready for new or existing members to take their process into the future.

While a workshop must ensure a full experiential learning result, a webinar will provide slides and videos to look at, speakers to listen to and the opportunity to ask questions. From the comfort of your home, office, or anywhere with a working computer and wi-fi, you can be a part of our live, interactive webinars, featuring fascinating presenters and state-of-the-art technology.

These webinars will be among the range of options on our easy-to-use EquiP TV platform, designed to suit the needs of all learners.

Learning Mediums: Benefits Workshop Gain knowledge, interact with others, review case studies, role play actions facilitated by a Subject Matter Expert.

Digital Webinar Be informed and ask questions about a topical issue in a one-hour session at your own location.

Facilitated Discussion Workshop Bring your own projects or issues to a group session facilitated by a Subject Matter Expert. Develop an action plan.

Online Learning Module Our new digital platform will enable you to gain prerequisite knowledge prior to attending a workshop.

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EDITOR

The Final Word Starting a conversation about the issues that matter

Advocating for stronger local democracy is one of LGNZ’s seven key policy priorities.

LGNZ’s ten month elections campaign, Vote2016, aims to lift local authority election turnout to 50 per cent for the first time since the 1980s.

In order to do this, LGNZ is working with its member councils, central government, partners and other key stakeholders to encourage greater citizen participation in the local government process through listening, engaging and acting on what’s important to communities.

Research shows us there is a significant number of citizens who are interested in the local government process but don’t vote, or, who want to vote but say it’s too hard to find the information they need to make an informed decision.

Research also tells us it is the visible, tangible community services that matter most to New Zealanders.

Many councils across the country are engaging well with communities on what’s important to them but, when it comes to having their say at election time, it needs to be easier for voters to discuss and engage with their council about the issues that are important to them, and come election time, easier for voters to have their say.

LGNZ commissioned Colmar Brunton to undertake research to identify key issues of importance for voters. Within the sample group there was a spread of age, life-stage, gender, ethnicity, region, ratepayer/non-ratepayer, income, voting behaviour and intention.

Most common themes identified by participants were the issues that matter to them – it’s the quality of their own day-to-day life, and impact on their business, that matters most to residents.

The key issues are: 1.

The accessibility of the place that people live and work in is important to them. Issues such as roading, parking, public transport and other traffic related front of mind.

2.

The physical environment that people live, work, and play in with their friends and families. This includes the quality and maintenance of parks, sports fields, libraries, rivers, beaches, the CBD and their own neighbourhood. Is it attractive, clean, tidy, cared for and is rubbish and recycling removed in an efficient and environmentally friendly way?

3.

Concerns about the environment and conservation. While this is a bigger issue that the previous two, it’s common to all residents in the study.

4.

Attracting business and improving employment. This is a key issue for businesses as well as residents.

LGNZ, councils, and partners will be starting a conversation with citizens around these and other issues throughout the campaign via digital and social media as well as undertaking further surveys/research as the campaign progresses, focusing on issues, candidate preference and voting behaviours.

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MARCH / APRIL 2016 l ISSUE 193

A new Hitachi ZX350LCH-5 excavator from CablePrice cuts its teeth on Great Barrier Island

COMFORT, FEEL, AND SMOOTHNESS WIN THE DAY

Freshwater fair play

Tony Forster speaks frankly

Schick Construction has purchased another four Hitachi excavators from CablePrice

Departing chief inspector of extractives on industry matters

It’s all about apportionment

When diversity counts

Engineering business innovation Waitaki’s green growth Measuring success in Kapiti

A profile of one of the country’s many small quarries

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Should I seal?

Geoff Dangerfield looks back on eight years with the NZTA An iconic viaduct gets a new life with an innovative revamp Bauma 2016 – why you should head to Munich next month Looking back – roading over the great Takaka Hill

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