MANA WHAKAHONO A ROHE What Iwi Participation Agreements mean for councils p18 SOLGM AWARDS McGredy Winder 2017 SOLGM Local Government Excellence Awards p22 DOLLARS IN DIRTY WATER Wastewater energy mapping in Dunedin p28
NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE VOL 54 • MAY 2017 • $8.95
BRIBERY & CORRUPTION How vulnerable is your council? p32
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COUNCIL MAORI ENGAGEMENT New models on the horizon? p14
Croftfield Lane Stormwater Wetland.
IN THIS ISSUE NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
CONTENTS
P18 IN THIS ISSUE
P6
REGULARS
REPORTS
4 Editor’s Letter 6 In Brief 47 LGNZ
14 C OUNCIL-MA-ORI ENGAGEMENT New models on the horizon? 18 M ANA WHAKAHONO A ROHE What Iwi Participation Agreements mean for councils 22 S OLGM AWARDS McGredy Winder 2017 SOLGM Local Government Excellence Awards 28 D OLLARS IN DIRTY WATER Wastewater energy mapping in Dunedin 32 B RIBERY & CORRUPTION How vulnerable is your council? 34 S HORT-TERM RENTAL ACCOMMODATION To rate or not to rate? 37 FAR HORIZONS Audit NZ reviews councils’ asset management and long-term planning
COLUMNISTS 45 Peter Silcock: From Civil Contractors New Zealand 46 Lawrence Yule: From LGNZ
P32
SPECIAL FEATURES 40 Innovations in stormwater management 42 Innovations in parks and recreation
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ON THE COVER.
Council-Ma-ori engagement: New models on the horizon? See page 14. MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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EDITOR’S LETTER NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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 EDITOR Ruth Le Pla Mobile: 021 266 3978 ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz
Hard conversations This editorial will read like a game of two halves. First up, there are the intersecting issues of Māori participation and representation in local government. Why is the sector saying, and doing, so little on this? In the almost three years I’ve been editing this journal I have come across very few opportunities to engage with individual councils or the sector as a whole on how Māori and local government work together: although one notably good workshop was last year led by officers from Gisborne District Council. Rotorua Lakes Council, largely under the guidance of mayor Stevie Chadwick, has made some significant progress in this area. Some of this work is highlighted in an article by Victoria University of Wellington Māori studies academic Maria Bargh. (See page 14.) In her article, Maria suggests new ways in which Māori could represent themselves and be involved in local government. Some may find her ideas challenging. Some people are already feeling challenged by the ideas sitting behind the Mana Whakahono a Rohe Iwi Participation Agreements. (See an article by Brookfields Lawyers’ partner Linda O’Reilly on page 18.) The local government sector is gathering strength. It doesn’t pull its punches. It’s not afraid to tackle the hard stuff. It has drawn up a list of key topics. These include big issues such as responding to climate change, new funding models to ensure the country’s infrastructure can be maintained and replaced, and economic development.
So why isn’t Māori participation and representation on that list? Is that conversation just a little too hard? Secondly, on an altogether different tack, I’d like to acknowledge Kevin Lawrence, our general manager, who is leaving Contrafed to take up new opportunities in Hamilton. I’ve worked as a journalist in New Zealand, the UK and Asia in a career spanning over 25 years. Truth to tell it’s probably closer to 30 but I’ve given up counting. For much of my professional life in this country Kevin and I have circled around and ended up working with each other again in various guises. The New Zealand professional publishing world is quite small. For years, I’ve treasured Kevin’s sane reasoning coupled with his insanely complicated ideas that somehow end up working. For the past three years in particular here at Contrafed I’ve seen him turn his hand – in true Kiwi small business style – to strategic deals, board reports, budgets, bug extermination, photocopier unjamming, CPR training and Christmas party arranging (ask him to sing Dolly Parton’s Jolene). He’s balanced the often very different personalities of the small Contrafed team with insight and respect. Most of all, I’ve treasured his ability to provide a friendly but challenging sounding board for editorial ideas of all ilks. Kevin, I’ll miss you. There, I’ve said it. And that was a hard conversation too.
SALES CONSULTANT Charles Fairbairn DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 411 890 charles@contrafed.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Maria Bargh, David Hammond, Nick Meeten, Patricia Moore, Linda O’Reilly, Peter Silcock, Peter Winefield, 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.
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Ruth Le Pla, editor, ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz @nzlgmagazine ISSN 0028-8403
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IN BRIEF
Sports ITO widens scope to include performing arts Skills Active Aotearoa is expanding its coverage to become the industry training organisation for the performing arts. It already carries responsibility for sport and recreation training. Chief executive Grant Davidson says this means the many staff, contractors and freelancers who work in production, operations and events at council-owned venues will have access to on-job qualifications that recognise their skill and experience. They will also have defined pathways to progress their careers. Local authorities are the major owners and managers of large venues, event spaces and studios in New Zealand. A Skills Active Workforce Scan shows the performing arts industry employed 25,523 people in 2015 and contributed $2.088 billion to the New Zealand economy. Facilities manager and conference / event organiser were among the industry’s most common job roles. Skills Active will introduce two new qualifications later this year: • NZ Certificate in Entertainment and Event Operations Level 3; and • NZ Certificate in Entertainment and Event Technology Level 4 (this will include entertainment rigging, lighting, live sound, video, stage mechanics and scenic construction). Grant says Skills Active will also launch further, pan-industry qualifications that will be of direct benefit to council operations and venues: • NZ Certificate in First Line Management at Levels 3 and 4; • NZ Certificate in Health and Safety Level 4; • NZ Certificate in Facility Operations Level 4; and • NZ Diploma in Facility Management Level 6.
OAG report flags spending on assets Local authorities should think more about whether they are sufficiently reinvesting in their assets. The message is in the Auditor-General’s latest report Local government: Results of the 2015/16 audits. So too are cautions about councils under-spending their capital budgets, and local authorities’ timeliness of publicly releasing their audited information and summary annual reports. Auditor-General Martin Matthews notes that local authorities continue to report a low level of capital expenditure on renewals compared to depreciation expenditure. He says that any significant shortfall in reinvestment, particularly for multiple years, can indicate that a local authority’s assets are being run down. It can also signal whether local authorities are investing enough to maintain their existing infrastructure. He acknowledges that each local authority’s circumstances are unique. “We encourage each local authority to consider whether it is
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under-investing in its assets and, if so, the likely effect of that under-investment on service levels.” He says each local authority is expected to have a comprehensive understanding of its critical assets and the cost of adequately maintaining them, and to periodically renew components reaching the end of their useful lives. “Elected members need this information to decide how to manage the assets they govern. Only then can they have meaningful conversations with their communities about how to fund the reinvestment in assets or the consequences of not doing so.” Download the full report from www.oag.govt.nz.
ON THE MOVE
The Far North District Council farewells chief executive Colin Dale after a record 61 years in local government. The council’s new CE is former Air Force wing commander Shaun Clarke. Monique Davidson will become chief executive of Central Hawkes Bay District Council, and one of the country’s youngest CEs, at the start of June. She is currently customer and community services group manager at Horowhenua District Council. She will take over from long-standing incumbent John Freeman who announced late last year his decision to step down as CE. Craig Price is the new president of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ). He takes over from Elena Trout. Craig is South Island regional manager and chair of Beca’s New Zealand business. Peter Steel and Hugh McKenzie join the boards of Hutt City council controlled organisations Seaview Marina and Urban Plus respectively. Both become independent directors. David Carter becomes Beca’s executive chairman. He takes over from Richard Aitken who has been in the role for the past eight years. David has held a number
Craig Price
David Carter
of executive roles including: regional director, Asia; managing director of Beca Australia; and MD, corporate operations. He will continue in his current roles as chief technical officer (CTO) and regional director for Beca Asia. Professional services firm Beca appoints Rupert Hodson as regional manager for its northern region, based in its Auckland office. He will also continue in his role as business director of Beca’s environments business line. Lucy de Latour becomes a partner in the Wynn Williams Christchurch office, in the resource management & environmental law team. She has detailed knowledge of district and regional plan formation and plan change processes, resource consent applications, resource management-related law reform, and local government and public works legislation. Harrison Grierson recognises 14 staff members for their technical excellence and leadership. Lead process engineer, Auckland, Ash Deshpande is now a technical director.
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MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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IN BRIEF Councils dig in for Smart Seeds Several local government organisations have signed up for this year’s Smart Seeds programme. The annual innovation programme encourages young professionals to tackle complex city challenges. Local government participants include Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington Water, Auckland Council, Watercare, Auckland Transport and Regional Facilities Auckland. A number of private organisations, including contractors, law firms and consultants, are also involved. Started by GHD in Melbourne nearly five years ago, the programme launched in New Zealand in Auckland last year, and this year is being run in Wellington, Auckland and hopefully Christchurch. Smart Seeds events are also planned for Australia, the UK, Canada and North America. The programme challenges people in the first 10 years of their professional career to solve some of our cities’ most complex
challenges. Run over a 10-week period, participants are split into five teams to solve five different challenges. The challenges are developed by senior managers from participating organisations. This year’s challenges for Wellington are underway with Auckland holding a workshop on April 11 to develop its own. At the end of the 10-week programme, which incorporates two participant workshops, a final showcase event is held where the teams present their innovative solutions to a panel of CEOs from some of the participating organisations, who choose the Smarts Seeds winner for 2017.
The programme kicked off in Wellington on March 22, and launches in Auckland on May 17. Christchurch will hopefully follow later in the year.
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App creates digital playgrounds Over 24,000 children and families explored a magical fantasy world in their local park, thanks to an innovative smartphone app developed for the recent Australia and New Zealand Parks Week. Magical Park, the augmented reality game for 6 to 11-year-olds, gets tech-minded kids and families off the couch and back to urban parks. Nineteen New Zealand councils tapped into the app. And permanent Magical Parks have been set up in Auckland, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Dunedin, Hastings and Selwyn. The New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) and Parks and Leisure Australia were supported by Geo AR Games, the New Zealand developers of Magical Park. Magical Park is the world’s first digital playground app using augmented reality. Similar to the global phenomenon Pokemon Go, the Magical Park app mixes real life with gaming. An average of 1069 game sessions were played each day during Parks Week. Across Australasia families spent more than 1200 hours playing Magical Park. The most active parks in New Zealand were Merrilands Domain in New Plymouth and Ouruhia Domain in Christchurch. Magical Park co-founder Melanie Langlotz says kids were running an average of up to two kilometres per 60 minutes while playing the games. New Plymouth District Council’s recreation and cultural manager Teresa Turner adds: “What really appealed was that families could
do this together – parents and kids both could hunt for dinosaurs and fairies, and swap stories about their experiences after.” Councils pay for the app, which is geo-located to a specific park. The app will only open in a designated park area. The families find out about the app via the council or through signs put up in the park by their council.
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IN BRIEF DATES FOR YOUR DIARY MAY 3 – 5 Water New Zealand’s Stormwater Conference 2017. Pullman Hotel, Auckland stormwaterconference.org.nz 4 2017 NZ CEO Summit. Langham Hotel, Auckland www.conferenz.co.nz/events/2017-nz-ceo-summit 11 – 12 Professional Administrators Forum. Grand Millennium Auckland, Auckland bit.ly/SOLGM_ProfAdmin 11 – 12 NZ Engagement Symposium: Community-Led Change – the People Speak! Heritage Hotel, Auckland bit.ly/IAP2_EngagementSymposium 17 – 18 Green Pavlova: NZRA’s Parks and Open Spaces Conference + Playspaces. Westpac Stadium, Wellington bit.ly/NZRA_GreenPavlova 22 – 23 ALGIM Autumn Conference: GIS and Information & Records Management. James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel, Wellington www.algim.org.nz/algim-events 29 – 30 Freshwater Symposium. LGNZ Macs Function Centre, Wellington www.lgnz.co.nz JUNE 8 – 9 Future Workforce Forum. Macs Function Centre, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_WorkforceForum 14 – 15 2017 CIO Summit. SKYCITY Convention Centre, Auckland www.conferenz.co.nz/events/2017-cio-summit 19 – 20 Resource Management & Environmental Law Reform Conference. Crowne Plaza, Auckland bit.ly/CONFERENZ_RMA_EnviroLaw 22 – 24 IPWEA NZ 2017 Conference. Dunedin Centre, Dunedin bit.ly/IPWEA_NZConference 23 Representation Review Forum. Macs Function Centre, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_RepresentationReview JULY 4 – 5 Clever Buying Procurement Training for Local Government. Christchurch bit.ly/Procurement_Training
25 2017 Local Government New Zealand AGM. SKYCITY Convention Centre, Auckland www.lgnz.co.nz AUGUST 9 – 11 NZRA JAWS (Just Add Water) Conference. Rydges, Christchurch bit.ly/NZRA_JAWS 14 – 15 Community Plan Forum. Amora Hotel, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_CommunityPlanForum SEPTEMBER 4 – 5 NZRA’s Outdoors Forum. TBA, Wellington bit.ly/NZRA_OutdoorsForum 13 – 15 Low Volume Roads Workshop. Trinity Wharf, Tauranga bit.ly/REAAA_LowVolumeRoads 17 – 19 ALGIM Spring Conference: Web & Digital and Customer Experience. Dunedin Events Centre, Dunedin www.algim.org.nz/algim-events 17 – 22 Water New Zealand’s 59th Annual Conference and Expo. Claudelands, Hamilton www.waternz.org.nz 28 – 29 2017 SOLGM Annual Summit. TBA, Rotorua bit.ly/SOLGM_AnnualSummit OCTOBER 9 – 10 SOLGM’s Funding & Rating Forum. Cliftons Wellington, Majestic Centre, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_FundingRatingForum NOVEMBER 6 – 8 NZ Transport Agency & NZIHT 18th Annual Conference. Trinity Wharf, Tauranga bit.ly/NZIHT_NZTA_Conference2017 6 – 9 WasteMINZ 29th Annual Conference. Claudelands, Hamilton bit.ly/WasteMINZ_Conference2017 8 – 10 NZRA National Conference. TBA, New Plymouth bit.ly/NZRA_NationalConference 13 – 14 Communication and Engagement Forum. TBA, Queenstown bit.ly/SOLGM_CommunicationEngagement
17 – 18 Governance Professionals and Committee Advisors Forum. TBA, Auckland bit.ly/SOLGM_GovProf
13 – 15 ALGIM Annual Conference (includes infrastructure technical stream). Rotorua Energy Events Centre www.algim.org.nz/algim-events
23 – 25 LGNZ Conference and EXCELLENCE Awards. SKYCITY Convention Centre, Auckland www.lgnz.co.nz
DECEMBER 4 New Zealand China Mayoral Forum. LGNZ Wellington www.lgnz.co.nz
Would you like us to include your event in this calendar? Please email details to ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz
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New alliance Hynds Pipe Systems and Eloy Water have formed a new partnership in New Zealand and the South West Pacific Islands. Eloy Water NZ is part of the Belgian-owned Eloy Group which supplies wastewater treatment plants to 26 countries around the world. Eloy Water specialises in modular treatment solutions for single house to mid-sized communities. Solutions include three technologies: Submerged Aerated Fixed Film (SAFF); Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR); and Passive Treatment Filter (Zero Power Treatment Process). Eloy Water has established a strong market presence in the local wastewater industry since it opened a subsidiary office in New Zealand in 2013. It provides the New Zealand market with Eloy Water global technology and R&D – supported by the manufacturing strength of Hynds Pipe Systems. In the coming months, Hynds and Eloy Water will introduce a suite of products focused primarily on the treatment of domestic grade wastewater for single dwellings, up to medium-sized communities. The two companies will also introduce “SMART”, a new way of designing tailored solutions for difficult projects. Eloy Water’s range of products includes well-known brands such as Oxyfix, X-Perco and Airoxy. They will sit within the Hynds Wastewater category, alongside products such as the Hynds Lifestyle Treatment System and Aquate. The new venture is under the leadership of Mike Dawson, the previous GM of Eloy Water NZ.
National Foundation for the Deaf calls for captioning The National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) is urging all local authorities in New Zealand to step up and provide quality captioning of all public council meetings. According to its recent Listen Hear! New Zealand report, an estimated 880,350 people (or 18.9 percent of the population) have some type of hearing loss. This makes them the largest sensory disability group in the country. Closed captions were introduced on live Parliament TV (PTV) broadcasting in August last year. All proceedings in the House of Representatives shown on PTV are being made accessible. David Wilson, clerk of the House of Representatives, has said that one in nine people in New Zealand use captions when watching TV content. The NFD’s chief executive Louise Carroll cites articles 3 (c) and 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). These stipulate that people with disabilities shall have “full and effective participation and inclusion in society” and state that “countries shall guarantee political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others”. The NFD argues that as New Zealand is a signatory to the CRPD, access to the democratic process is a right for all people with all types of disabilities. This, it says, confers a strong imperative to ensure access to democracy at all levels, including local government.
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MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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PHOTO COURTESY OF: JOE MABEL.
IN BRIEF Play among the tombstones Cemeteries as community hubs and recreation spaces? It’s a trend that’s gathering steam internationally, and a concept that was front and centre during New Zealand’s inaugural Cemeteries Week at the start of April. Organised by the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective, the week saw councils and other organisations holding heritage walks, crematorium tours and other public events to celebrate the contributions cemeteries make to community connectedness. “Cemeteries are enduring, welcoming places for people to connect with communities, to recognise and uphold different cultural traditions, and to embrace heritage,” says Michelle Rivers, chair of the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective. “They are also often well located and situated in scenic places, making them ideal green spaces for people who want to go for a walk or run in quiet surrounds.” The use of cemetery gardens and open spaces for recreation was popular in many Western cities during the 19th century, but became less common in the 20th century following the establishment of dedicated city parks and playing fields, Michelle says. However, the idea is again coming to the fore in some cities around the world, where residents are rediscovering their amenity value, she says. In Berlin increasing demand for cremation rather than burial has seen some sections of the city’s cemeteries converted into playgrounds and gardens. In New York, some cemeteries are offering outdoor yoga classes and other recreation options on their grounds.
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A playground in Yanaka Cemetery, Tokyo. Recreation spaces are becoming more common in cemeteries internationally.
Michelle says this thinking is also gaining traction in Australasia, and it is not unheard of to see families playing a social game of cricket or rugby at some Australian and New Zealand cemeteries. A swing has been installed in Porirua’s Whenua Tapu Cemetery, while across the Tasman, a café has been established in Melbourne’s Springvale Botanical Cemetery, offering jazz and outdoor movie screenings over summer. Michelle says the evolution in the way cemeteries are being used is being driven by a change in how the public views death and burial places, on the one hand, and rising land prices and funding constraints faced by councils, on the other. “In places like Auckland, where demand for housing is placing pressure on city parks and other green spaces, there is a need for councils to explore alternative options, including how cemeteries can be best utilised for the benefit of communities.” So long as communities are well consulted and recreational opportunities are respectful of community desires, this can only be a good thing, she says.
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GOVERNANCE
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COUNCIL MAORI ENGAGEMENT New models on the horizon? MÄ ori have long argued for their own wards and constituencies within local government. Now a paper by Victoria University of Wellington’s Maria Bargh outlines new ways in which they can represent themselves and be involved in decision-making in local government.
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aria Bargh (Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa) is head of school and senior lecturer in Māori studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research into the Te Arawa Partnership Board’s inaugural elections in 2015 suggests that tribal members who live away from their areas remain keenly interested in the governance of the resources in their home tribal areas. This, in turn, suggests that Māori continue to have strong connections and interests to vote in places where they have tribal connections. More to the point, they may possibly have more of an interest in their tribal areas than in the places where they simply reside and work. Maria says the broader implications for local government legislation are significant. She argues that if there is an opportunity for legislative change to implement a more effective and mandatory system for Māori wards and constituencies, legislators must consider the appropriateness of distinguishing between two groups: mana whenua (those who have traditional authority in particular areas) and mātaawaka (Māori who live in urban towns or cities but who are not of the main mana whenua group). (See box story “Mana whenua, taura here & mātaawaka”.) Maria goes on to say that legislators should also investigate two main ideas. The first is whether an independent board model better enables local government to uphold its Treaty of Waitangi duties. Second, she says legislators should look into how Māori can better exercise their tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) by using forms of representation sourced in tikanga Māori (the body of rules developed by Māori to govern themselves). Maria’s paper is titled Opportunities and complexities for Māori and mana whenua representation in local government and is published in the Political Science journal. In it she outlines existing legislative options available to Māori for representation and involvement in decision-making at a local level. (See box story “The problem with legislation”.)
CONFUSED? Importantly, Maria highlights the current lack of clarity for local government regarding their Treaty of Waitangi duties and obligations. Existing legislative options for Māori representation have been introduced with some reference to the principles of the treaty, she says. But the main emphasis in discussion of Māori representation has been on a rationale that relates to population, and this has led to ongoing debate about the extent of Māori rights. Amendments to the Local Electoral Act 2001 provided all councils with the opportunity to establish Māori wards and constituencies. These provisions occurred alongside the enactment of the Local Government Act 2002. But some phrasing in the Local Government Act 2002 has produced some confusion, says Maria. “The distinction made between the ‘crown’ and ‘local government’ obfuscates the reality that local government has been devolved powers and responsibilities by central government and, like central government, therefore holds obligations under the treaty,” she writes. “Some local government councillors and central government politicians do not interpret the treaty reference in the preamble to the Local Government Act in the same way, however.
“They suggest that the reference implies that central government, even more specifically, the crown, holds treaty obligations rather than local government.” Maria says that in light of this, some Ma¯ori see independent boards with a strong emphasis on the role of mana whenua as providing opportunities because these connect councils directly with those iwi in their areas as potential partners.
LOOK TO ROTORUA Maria notes that while many councils have established Ma¯ori advisory boards, the independent boards created in Auckland and Rotorua were the products of entirely different circumstances and have set up a new and distinct focus on mana whenua representation. In Rotorua, for example, the Rotorua District Council approved in principle in late 2014 the creation of the Te Arawa Partnership Board / Te Tatau o Te Arawa. The rationale was firmly based around the rights of Te Arawa as mana whenua and the obligations on the council to include mana whenua in decision-making. The final agreement to go ahead was signed a year later in December 2015. The board has 14 members: one seat for koeke (an elder); six seats for Te Arawa hapu¯; two seats for Nga¯ti Whakaue; two seats to represent Ma¯ori Land Trust and Incorporations in the area; one seat for a pan-Te Arawa entity; and two seats for rangatahi (youth). The Rotorua District Council has agreed to pay $250,000 annually towards the costs of the board and $290,000 in election years. The Te Arawa Lakes Trust (formed after the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement 2006) was asked to provide its database of members as an initial Te Arawa electoral roll. Maria says that of all databases held by pan-Te Arawa organisations, the Te Arawa Lakes Trust database is considered to hold the largest number of Te Arawa people and to have the most reliable contact information. She says that enabling Te Arawa members to vote directly for the board representatives may have implications for the level of interest that these members are likely to show in voting for the Partnership Board. “If Te Arawa members have already taken the step to register themselves with the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, they have indicated to a certain extent willingness and interest in being involved in local resource and governance matters.” She adds that questions still remain, however, about Te Arawa members that are not registered with the trust and what avenues are available for them to be engaged. From the board of 14 members, two representatives are nominated to each of two key committees on the Rotorua District Council: the strategy, policy and finance committee, and the operations and monitoring committee. The representatives have voting rights on these committees. However, the powers of these two committees were changed during debates on the Te Arawa Partnership model so that they no longer make decisions, but rather just recommendations to the full council. The partnership model also allows for one Te Arawa MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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GOVERNANCE
2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Figure 1. Valid votes by region, 2015 election.
The problem with legislation Maria Bargh says current legislation indicates the need for local government to involve Māori in decision-making and engage with Māori regarding decisions relevant to Māori resources. It gives local government the opportunity to establish Māori wards and constituencies. Yet, Maria says one of the most significant limitations of these legislative provisions is that their rationale is not clearly set out. “The rationale is largely implied – that Māori need to be represented and involved in decision-making at a local level because all branches of government have a duty to actively protect the interests of Māori and to balance the tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) of Māori with their kāwanatanga (governance). “This lack of clarity is one of the biggest difficulties that Māori have faced in arguing for guaranteed representation. “As a result, at a local government level, the arguments challenging Māori involvement have been particularly vocal from politicians and ‘pro-democracy’ / ‘anti-treaty’ groups who do not understand, or who disagree with, the treaty obligations, making it extremely difficult for Māori.”
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representative to be nominated to act as one commissioner of three on statutory hearing panels for resource consents and for one Te Arawa representative to be nominated to working groups and steering committees as required. Maria says that, at this stage, the Te Arawa Partnership Board does not include mātaawaka representation. “But it has indicated that it will in the future. The exact rationale for not including mātaawaka at the beginning is unclear, as is the rationale for including them in the future.”
A MANA WHENUA APPROACH Acknowledging the rights of mana whenua in particular regions is a fundamental feature of Ma¯ori law and Ma¯ori political organisation. To maintain their territorial authority, mana whenua needed to live on – and stay in control of – their lands. Those who lived on the land held their tenure through ahi kaa (keeping the fires of occupation burning), and were acknowledged to have a greater right to decision-making authority than those tribal members who moved away to other regions. In the current context, where many Ma¯ori live away from their traditional lands, iwi are enacting their mana whenua rights in a variety of ways and each is responding differently to the social, political and geographical situations of their tribal members. When it comes to voting, however, many iwi organisations continue to require representatives to either be resident in a particular area or nominated by a hapu¯ that is based in the traditional area.
ELECTIONS According to Maria, the results of the Te Arawa Partnership Board’s inaugural elections provide a number of insights and important implications. ElectioNZ carried out the election and Maria was given access to data with permission from the Te Arawa Lakes Trust. She says the results of the first election suggest many Te Arawa living outside the area have an interest in the Partnership Board. They also indicate possible emerging trends in the method of voting. A total of 2839 people voted out of a list of 11,153. The total population of Te Arawa is 43,377. The 2015 election allowed for all of those on the Te Arawa Lakes Trust membership database to vote – no matter where they lived at the time they voted. Votes therefore came from around the country. As can be seen in Figure 1, the majority of votes still came from the Bay of Plenty area, followed by Auckland and the Waikato region. A significant 817 votes (28.7 percent) came from those living outside the Bay of Plenty area. “Having nearly a third of all votes coming from outside the region suggests that Te Arawa members who are outside the Bay of Plenty remain connected with, and interested in, Te Arawa matters,” says Maria. “It may also indicate that a dedicated representative for those living outside the region should be considered in future for the Trust or the Board to reflect the lived realities of Te Arawa members.” Specific attention should be paid to the number of people who voted from overseas, which constituted 2.78 percent of all votes. Maria says this may not appear significant. “But given that the election is for trustees who have a specific focus on activities in the Rotorua area, it indicates that although members are overseas, they do continue to remain interested in the area and iwi.” Maria suggests it may be possible to make tentative comparisons with Māori voting from overseas in general elections. She says research by Paul Hamer indicates that since 1996 there has been a 200.6 percent rise in the total number of valid overseas party votes from those on the Māori electoral roll. “In 1996, there was 1.6 percent of such votes, and in the 2014 election, 3.6 percent.” Maria says the exact reasons for the increase in votes from Māori overseas on the Māori electoral roll are unclear but may present a
Mana whenua, taura here & mātaawaka Maria Bargh notes that different opinions exist among Māori regarding the extent and nature of the rights held by mana whenua, taura here and ma¯taawaka. Traditionally, Māori who lived outside their own tribal area did so largely at the grace of the host iwi community, she says. “Then after the urbanisation of the 1950s, many Māori who came to live in urban settings established groups called taura here, which included members of the same tribal group living away from their traditional areas. “Many of these taura here have endured and some have become recognised hapu¯ [sub-tribes] of their iwi [such as Nga¯ti Awa ki Poneke].” Since the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, the term mātaawaka has come to mean Māori who live in urban towns or cities (such as Auckland), but who are not of the mana whenua group.
trend that should be considered in regard to the Te Arawa elections and for other iwi considering independent boards. Maria says that if mātaawaka were incorporated into the Te Arawa Partnership Board in future, their voting behaviour could also provide insights into where their interests might lie and therefore appropriate mechanisms for ensuring their participation and representation. As Maria sees it, the broader question is what similarities or patterns might there be for Māori voting in Māori wards and constituencies compared with Māori voting for independent boards? And what form of guaranteed representation do Māori electorates prefer? LG • Maria Bargh (Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa) is head of school and senior lecturer in Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research is in the area of Māori politics, resource management and economics. Maria.Bargh@vuw.ac.nz
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GOVERNANCE
Mana Whakahono a Rohe Iwi Participation Agreements What do they mean for councils?
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Allowing iwi authorities to participate in resource management and decisionmaking processes is not the same as handing decision-making over to unelected parties, says Brookfields Lawyers partner Linda O’Reilly.
T
his latest attempt to “fix” the Resource Management Act (RMA) contains a variety of controversial changes and has taken a while to gain sufficient support for the government to propel it into law. With the Productivity Commission recommending a complete re-think of the RMA in its Better Urban Planning report, it seems this is just another stage in attempting to resolve the tension between protecting the environment and enabling development to meet current growth demands. Some features of the Bill, added at the Committee stage, are the proposed new sections providing for Mana Whakahono a Rohe: Iwi Participation Arrangements (MWRs). The concept of Māori involvement and engagement in RMA processes is not new, having evolved through the many iterations of the RMA. Productivity Commission chair Murray Sherwin notes that one of the critical goals of a planning system is that it should “recognise and actively protect Māori interests in the built and natural environments arising from the Treaty of Waitangi”. These provisions extend current provisions, where a MWR is in place, to participating in the preparation, change or review of a policy statement or plan, and to consenting and monitoring. The provisions apply to iwi and hapū in relation to areas of interest identified as their traditional rohe. Iwi authorities will be able to invite a local authority to enter into a MWR, the purpose of which is to: • provide a mechanism to discuss, agree and record ways for tangata whenua, through their iwi authorities, to participate in resource management and decision-making processes; and • assist local authorities to comply with their statutory duties under the RMA. A set of guiding principles is included for the initiation, development and implementation of a MWR. Once invited to enter into a MWR, a local authority must convene a hui to discuss how to develop it, and a MWR must be concluded within 18 months, or such other period as agreed by the parties. An existing relationship agreement relating to resource management matters may, by written agreement, become a MWR. A MWR must include provision for iwi authority participation in policy statement and plan preparation, consultation requirements and the development of monitoring methods. It may also provide for consultation on resource consent matters, and define circumstances in which iwi is deemed an affected party. It cannot be altered or terminated without the agreement of the parties. Once entered into, the local authority must review its policies and processes for consistency with the MWR within six months or an agreed period. There has been adverse reaction to these changes introduced into the Bill at a late stage, and without the opportunity for further public submissions. However, substantial changes are often made to Bills as a result of Select Committee recommendations, and it is not uncommon for such changes to reflect political expediency. Putting the process issue aside, it seems that fears of a tangata whenua takeover of the resource management process are exaggerated.
Allowing iwi authorities to “participate in resource management and decision-making processes” is not the same as handing decisionmaking over to unelected parties. Local authorities have to agree the terms of a MWR, and are unlikely to want to lose control of their regulatory responsibilities. It is also worth remembering that in many instances RMA decision-making is already delegated to independent (and unelected) hearing commissioners with no direct accountability to electors. Further, as with all persons exercising authority under the RMA, the procedural and substantive provisions of that Act continue to apply. There is no reason to expect that parties to a MWR are any less capable of working within the framework of the RMA than any other person. These new provisions are undoubtedly a big step towards greater involvement of iwi in RMA processes. With goodwill on all sides we have every reason to hope improved participation should result in improved outcomes. LG • Linda O’Reilly is a oreilly@brookfields.co.nz
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The McGredy Winder 2017 SOLGM Local Government Excellence Awards MCGREDY WINDER SOLGM LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE SUPREME AWARD
and INNOVATION IN COUNCIL COMMUNITY RELATIONS CATEGORY WINNER
Waimakariri District Council – Draft Waimakariri Residential Red Zone Recovery Plan The entry In December 2016 the government approved the Waimakariri Residential Red Zone Recovery Plan, which sets out how approximately 100 hectares of red-zoned land will be used in the short and long term. This integrates with the surrounding areas and plans to restore community assets to pre-quake status. This entry focuses on the processes for engaging with a diverse community that was showing some signs of fatigue both with consultation and the personal impacts of the earthquakes and their aftermath. Council’s engagement with the community utilised a 3D model of the affected areas and the impact of the proposals. During workshops the community was invited to attach ‘flags’ to the model showing likes (blue), dislikes (red) and new ideas (pink). Council used online ‘flyover videos’ to extend the reach to those who could not attend the workshops. The council reports that there were some 30,000 interactions and 4000 comments received through the process. The judges said The Red Zone Recovery Plan was a mission-critical deliverable for the council and the community.
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The timeframe and degree of community fatigue made this that much more challenging. The council’s approach is innovative, interactive and engaging. It draws people into interacting and, above all, makes it easy to participate. We were particularly impressed with the way in which young people participated in the process, even to the extent of guidance and advice on making effective presentations to council. We see applications across the range of planning and service delivery including land use planning, transport planning, environmental management (especially natural hazards) and urban planning. About the Innovation in Council Community Relations category This award recognises programmes, projects or initiatives that demonstrate outstanding results through innovative means of community engagement or empowerment. Entries may come from any area of local government activity but must have community engagement, empowerment or partnership as a key aspect. Entries may include successful collaboration with private or community organisations. The approach taken must be transferable to other local authorities. As in 2015 and 2016, this category had the largest number of entries.
Vaughan Payne & Patrick Lynch (both from Waikato Regional Council) with Barbara McKerrow (SOLGM president).
Mark Butcher (Local Government Funding Agency) with Leonie Rae & Andrea Mulder (both from Christchurch City Council).
Simon Young (Hamilton City Council), Shanine Hermsen (Nelson City Council) & Liam Nolan (Christchurch City Council).
Jim Palmer (Waimakariri District Council).
Arno Benadie, Kym Fell & Kritzo Venter (all from Whanganui District Council).
Peter Winder (McGredy Winder & Co) & Jim Palmer (Waimakariri District Council).
THE BERL COLLABORATIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION CATEGORY WINNER
Kapiti Coast District Council – Getting Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway on the Road The entry The council joined the Mackays to Peka Peka Alliance, a private sector consortium established by the New Zealand Transport Agency to design and build the Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway. The project was a highly strategic decision for council, taken in recognition both of the impact that the lack of a second route was having on the overall quality of life, and in recognition of the substantial community concern. Through its representation on the governance and management groups, the council was able to negotiate a better overall result for the community than it might otherwise have had. The judges said This is a highly transferable example of a collaborative approach turning a politically-challenging community concern into an opportunity. The council has shown this collaborative model can be adapted to engagement with other land transport
projects, with a town centre review, with a community futures project and with other engagement on topics such as bylaw reviews. Through effort and careful negotiation with the community, the council and its partners in the alliance have delivered on a project that is likely to generate a great deal of social, economic and environmental benefit for the community now and in the future. The Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway opened while judging was in progress. The award recognises a smart strategic decision and the value of getting ‘inside the tent’ to achieve a real result for the community. About this category This category recognises outstanding results that have been achieved through local authorities working with other government agencies. It could include programmes or projects from any area of local government activity, provided there is a demonstrable community benefit and the approach is transferable to other local authorities. In previous years this category was known as the Joined Up Local Government Category. The change in title recognises that local authorities also partner with central government agencies, and ensures that these types of partnerships are eligible for an award. This is the first year BERL has sponsored a category in the awards. MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEREMY HILL. jeremy@jeremyhill.co.nz
Anaru Wilkie, Juliet Johnson, Liam Hodgetts, Jon Painter (all from New Plymouth District Council) & Colin MacDonald (Department of Internal Affairs).
Brendan Duffy (managing director) & Karen Thomas (SOLGM).
MANAGEMENT INNOVATION IN ORGANISATION AND PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT CATEGORY WINNER
Waikato Regional Council – Basic Investigative Skills for Local Government Training Programme The entry The Basic Investigative Skills (BIS) programme helps councils prepare their compliance and enforcement staff with skills and tools to: consistently and transparently gather information when investigating possible breaches of the RMA; make good decisions; and take the right action. Now in its fifth edition, the programme consists of a comprehensive users’ manual and a four-day workshop. The programme has been continuously refined since Waikato Region trialled it ‘in house’ in 2006 and has been rolled out to 25 councils and some 500 recipients. The judges said The BIS programme addresses a significant area of risk in an activity that is one of the fundamentals of local government. BIS embodies several of the values that the award promotes. This is a striking example of the sector’s ability to share good practice – Waikato Region developed this for its own staff, now the programme is in use in around a third of the sector. The programme also embodies a continuous improvement ethos, with the developer regularly improving the course, including getting an independent review of its enforcement practice. A great result for the sector and for local communities.
HIGHLY COMMENDED CITATION
Rotorua Lakes Council – Te Amorangi ki Mua, Te Ha-pai o- Ki Muri – Bicultural Capability Development Programme The entry Te Amorangi ki Mua, Te Hāpai ō Ki Muri is a programme designed to enhance the capabilities of staff to work in partnership with local iwi, Te Arawa. The programme began
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING AGENCY TRANSFORMING SERVICE DELIVERY CATEGORY WINNER
Christchurch City Council – Partnership Approvals The entry The partnership approvals service is an example of the case management approach that agencies such as the Productivity Commission have recommended that local authorities adopt when undertaking complex consenting or licensing activity. Partnership approvals assist a client to identify and obtain timely regulatory approvals and compliance on large development projects. The case manager provides a single point of contact for the customer, generally has specific expertise in the type of project or consent, and helps the customer avoid issues proactively. The case manager does not function as an advocate on behalf of the project. SOLGM understands some 200 project clients have been through
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with an internal ‘health check’ of the council’s capacity to work in partnership (including a set of progress measures). The approach has included a review of the council’s policies and procedures, promotion of the council as an employer of choice for Māori, and development of a framework for reporting outcomes for Māori. These were interwoven with opportunities for staff to learn Te Reo, noho marae and Treaty awareness. The judges said Te Amorangi ki Mua, Te Hāpai ō Ki Muri is one of the steps that the council has taken to infuse its partnership with Te Arawa into the way it operates on a dayto-day basis. This programme serves as an excellent reminder that a successful partnership is demonstrated by action as well as good intentions. We were impressed with the actions the council took to establish its capacity to work in partnership through the health check. We commend the council for its recognition that working in partnership means a shift in the way that the council ‘does business’ and for being willing to change the way it operates. The willingness to harness the expertise of champions, being inclusive in the way the programme has been implemented, and the steps the council is taking to measure ongoing progress will stand the council and its partner in good stead. Note The Te Arawa Partnership Programme received a Highly Commended Citation in last year’s Innovation in CouncilCommunity Relations category. About this category This category recognises innovative approaches to building an exceptional organisational culture or capability through the application of transformational leadership. Entries in this category might be multi-year programmes or one-off projects but they will involve organisational redesign, human resource management, capability development or related aspects. The approach must be capable of transfer to other local authorities.
this process including commercial builders, community groups and large organisations such as Environment Canterbury. The judges said The Transforming Service Delivery Category recognises projects or programmes that have resulted in a change in the way users experience the service. We understand the partnership approvals process is now promoted by MBIE, and has been the subject of discussion with other councils. In making the award this year we recognise the nature of the transformative journey that Christchurch has undertaken to get from its starting point to where it is now with consenting large or specialised projects. This journey has taken place against the backdrop of pressing needs arising from the earthquakes, and improvements across the range of consenting practice and systems. About this category This is for programmes or projects that result in an exceptional service experience through innovative delivery models or the redesign of business processes or practices. The programme or project can relate to any area of council activity which delivers improved value for money to ratepayers. The approach must be capable of transfer to other local authorities.
INNOVATION IN POLICY AND REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION CATEGORY WINNER
New Plymouth District Council – Waahi Tapu and Archaeological Sites Review The entry New Plymouth has one of the densest concentrations of archaeological sites in New Zealand, many of which are waahi tapu. Not all sites are known and the location of some is inaccurately recorded, which has meant some sites have been damaged. The review involved council and iwi jointly working to identify and register the location and nature of sites in the district. This includes a process for sharing information using a web-based GIS tool (a step ahead of the paper-based process in use previously). We understand that the repository of information created through this process has identified some 1500 sites (as opposed to the 700 identified in New Plymouth’s District Plan). The repository is robust and provides for the protection of sensitive information. This establishes ‘one source of truth’ that can be used to support
Resource Management Act functions and planning functions as well as acting as a record of historic and cultural heritage in its own right. The judges said There are two aspects that made this a winning entry – the foundation of trust and goodwill that has been built, and the smart nature of the technical solution. The location and nature of waahi tapu are deeply sensitive to iwi and hapu¯. The demonstrated degree of success would not have been possible without a sound foundation of trust between the council and the 13 iwi and hapu¯ that were involved in the review. The review tells a compelling story of an extremely successful engagement process and has lessons for councils that are transferable across all activities and local authorities. We were also impressed with the council’s smart use of an existing tool to transform an existing process and establish a repository for no more than the cost of the staff time involved. About this category This award recognises the development of robust and effective evidence-based policy or local regulatory initiatives. Entrants are expected to clearly demonstrate their initiative was based on the application of the principles of effective policy or regulatory design and implementation, development of an evidence base and that the initiative is transferable to other local authorities.
be made based on a better assessment of risk and consequence, as opposed to the ‘remaining useful life’ models so often used with underground assets. The judges said Decision-making based on an informed assessment of risk and consequence is the way ahead for asset WINNER management, especially with water and wastewater where the Whanganui District Council – Risk-Based Asset degree of risk is high and asset condition not always easy to observe. Management Whanganui’s approach is an effective, pragmatic, evidence-based approach with the potential to deliver real value for money to its The entry Risk-based asset management is the council’s name community. The sector can learn much from the process through for an approach that involves the integration of ‘the right’ asset which the council is turning a morass of data into useful information condition and performance information with hydraulic information for asset management decisions. quarter page horizontal 64x180mm and criticality information into a single Building Information Model About this award The Minister’s Award recognises procedures, (BIM). planning or practices that demonstrate innovative approaches to The BIM will be used as an information source for the development the management of assets. The entry must be capable of transfer to, of the council’s 30 Year Infrastructure Strategy, asset management or application by, other local authorities. This is the first year that plans and long-term plans. The intent is that asset decisions will SOLGM has had an award for asset management.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT’S AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN ASSET MANAGEMENT
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MANAGEMENT BROOKFIELDS EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER
Catherine (Cashy) Ball, team leader strategic policy, Whakatane District Council The judges said Cashy’s leadership potential was clearly demonstrated through her management of a project involving the proposed sale of the council’s pensioner units – a highly controversial and sensitive issue. Cashy took a very community-driven approach to solving this very contentious issue. She achieved significant positive outcomes for both the reputation of her council and all community stakeholders involved. It has enabled her to embed a model for best practice in stakeholder engagement across the council and one which she has shared with the sector. Cashy’s project has also played a significant role in increasing community awareness of the positive role a council can play in their community.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
David Langford, infrastructure New Plymouth District Council
manager,
The judges said David had an impressive record of achievement and the best CV presentation of all the applicants. They noted his significant impact and contribution to both his council and the sector in terms of procurement and contract management. They said his approach would certainly constitute best practice and other councils could learn a lot from it. About this award The judges were: Linda O’Reilly, partner, Brookfields Lawyers; Nicola Richardson, leadership development manager, programmes – LDC (Leadership Development Centre); Mike Richardson, director, Time Well Spent; and Natalie Stevens, manager learning and development, SOLGM.
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE WINNER
Tauranga City Council The judges said What a great challenge. The 2017 Local Government Challenge saw 14 teams from across the country compete to win the New Zealand challenge and the right to represent our country in the finals in Hobart in May. There was an exceptionally high standard of teams. Tauranga City Council was the winning team this year closely followed by Christchurch City and Hastings District Council. The judges were impressed by the team dynamics and professional reporting Tauranga produced. Having found a winner the judges commented that this was the best year yet, with a new venue that works better and a great bunch people. If this is the standard of professionalism then local government is in great shape for the future.
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Linda O’Reilly (Brookfields Lawyers) & Catherine Ball (Whakatane District Council).
The award was hotly contested and we received a number of outstanding applications. Judges commented that it was gratifying to see such a positive contribution being made both from a community and council perspective at this level. It was clear that the local government sector was a good environment where people could make a real difference. New for this year, kindly sponsored by Brookfields, is a fullypaid trip and provision to attend the ICMA Annual Conference in the US, the largest annual event in the world for local government managers and staff.
Note: This is the second time in three years that a Tauranga City team has won the New Zealand leg of the Management Challenge. About the challenge In March each year SOLGM runs the New Zealand leg of the Management Challenge, Australasia’s premier forum for current and emerging local government leaders. The winners of the New Zealand leg go on to represent New Zealand at the Australasian finals. There they compete against the winning teams from the seven Australian states. New Zealand teams have an exceptional record at the finals with two firsts, a second and a third place over the past four years. SOLGM's sister organisation, LGProfessionals Australia administers the challenge while SOLGM runs the New Zealand leg of the challenge. The councils that entered this year were: Christchurch City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Taupo District Council, Tauranga City Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, Whanganui District Council, Whakatane District Council, West Coast Regional Council, Masterton District Council, New Plymouth District Council, Hastings District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Waikato District Council and Wellington City Council.
SCHOLARSHIPS The Skills Organisation Mt Eliza Scholarship: Leading for Strategic Success WINNER
Andy Gowland-Douglas, CE, Buller District Council The judges said This was an outstanding application. What made it unique was a clear personal vision statement and focus on a values-led approach to both community engagement and council operations. Andy’s core driver is to develop potential in individuals, teams, organisations and communities.
OVERSEAS MANAGER EXCHANGES UNITED STATES (Sponsored by Civic Financial)
WINNER
Steve Hill, CE, Clutha District Council This application was outstanding, very strategic in approach, and the benefits of the exchange to his council, the region and the overall experience for his exchange partner had been taken into consideration and were well demonstrated. Steve showed consideration in terms of timing from a council perspective and consulted with the potentiallyaffected parties. Steve was selective in his approach showing careful thought and was very clear about personal learning outcomes and benefits. Steve’s exchange partner is in Mission Hills.
WINNER
Ken Morris, group manager business support and chief financial officer, Waipa District Council This application clearly stated how and at what level Waipa District Council would be involved in making the exchange experience a success for the exchange partner. Ken had carefully considered the benefits to Waipa from an exchange partner facing similar issues and challenges. Ken has provided a set of well thought out personal objectives and benefits accruing for the exchange. He is a solid contributor to the local government sector and expressed a willingness to continue doing so through the exchange experience. Ken’s exchange partner is in South Barrington.
AUSTRALIA (Sponsored by JLT)
WINNER
Simon Young, unit manager, city delivery unit, Hamilton City Council This application was well written with clearly articulated personal and council objectives. Simon demonstrated a good understanding of the issues and challenges facing Queensland particularly with
Leadership Development Centre Leadership in Practice Scholarship
(LDC)
WINNER
Nicola Pinfold, group manager community and planning, Dunedin City Council The judges said Nicola clearly articulated the benefits that would accrue from attending this programme both on a personal level and to her council as a whole. Nicola has a large span of control and complexity in her role and her position of influence was significant. She was very clear about the value she would bring to the programme and contribution she could make. Nicola has a solid track record of giving back to the community and would use her experience to continue to ‘give back’.
respect to the management of water and associated water assets. He showed a keen interest in understanding how Queensland managed the ownership operations and respective networks of asset owners and how the knowledge could be used to help shape and develop a new model of operation in the Hamilton district. Simon’s exchange will be to Queensland.
WINNER
Shanine Hermsen, manager partnerships, Nelson City Council
community
This was a very well-rounded and well-considered application. Shanine’s special area of interest is in community partnerships and she is keen to investigate and benchmark her council against international examples of best practice. She had clearly thought about how her exchange partner could benefit not only from learning about her council’s own practices but demonstrated how she might include and involve other councils across New Zealand. Shanine’s exchange will be to New South Wales.
BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA) (Sponsored by JLT)
WINNER
Liam Nolan, head of vertical capital delivery and professional services, Christchurch City Council Liam’s approach was to highlight how the ongoing development and regeneration of Christchurch City could benefit from the solutions other cities faced with similar issues have employed. His key objective was to provide insights as to how he could achieve a “community-centric, affordable, demand-based, valuefor-money approach to Christchurch regeneration”. Liam provided a detailed approach to disseminating his experience and learnings back to his council. About the exchanges Entries were judged on three criteria: quality of application and clear indication of how the exchange could benefit their own council (and potentially the sector); proven track record of creating and delivering initiatives over and beyond the normal scope of their job role; and clear evidence of individual contribution to the sector. LG
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WASTEWATER
Dollars in Dirty Water Wastewater energy mapping in Dunedin Dunedin City Council is working with Smart Alliances and other collaboration partners to calculate and map the thermal energy available within one of Dunedin’s three wastewater networks. Smart Alliances’ Nick Meeten says the potential energy savings are huge.
W
astewater is an enormous untapped source of thermal energy available in every town and city. It can be used to provide a highly-efficient source for heating and / or cooling for buildings and industries, and independent research shows it can lower heating or cooling electrical energy use by approximately 40 percent. The infrastructure is already there and using this resource could help cities become more energy efficient and potentially earn new revenue. Yet this potential is currently almost totally ignored. Dunedin City Council recognised this untapped opportunity after hearing my presentation at the August 2016 IPWEA conference in Melbourne. In late 2016, the council commissioned Smart Alliances to help it get started taking advantage of the resource by calculating and mapping the thermal energy available within one of the city’s three wastewater networks. The project was recently completed
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and showed up to 10,000 kilowatts of thermal energy available within the network studied. This is estimated to be approximately 60 percent of the overall total, if all three systems were taken into account. Nevertheless, the system studied could provide enough thermal energy to heat about 1000 typical New Zealand houses (or equivalent commercial buildings and industries) and Dunedin City Council now has information and energy maps allowing it to develop a strategy to start utilising this wasted energy. Why is using wastewater as a thermal source so efficient? Wastewater is stable and neutral in temperature all year round. This makes it relatively warm in winter and relatively cool in summer compared to ambient temperatures. This temperature stability, together with the excellent energy capacity of water, means buildings’ heating and cooling systems do not have to work so much against nature to provide heat or take heat away from buildings.
This translates to significant increases in efficiency of the heating and cooling systems, and savings in electricity needed to power these systems. But no one need be worried that sewage will be pumped around their building. Wastewater comes out of a street trunk sewer, goes through a special heat exchanger, and then goes back into the sewer. Everything else within the building is conventional equipment. There are also other benefits, such as allowing heavy heat exchanger equipment, which is normally mounted on the roof of a building, to be located down at ground level. In a seismically active country like New Zealand, removing this weight from high up on a building lightens the load on the building structure, which is welcome. Around the world, there are an estimated 500 to 700 established systems that recycle the energy from wastewater for heating and / or air conditioning, and this number is starting to rise rapidly. Though the idea may seem to be new in
District energy project in Vancouver, Canada. The development area shown by the red border will have heating energy provided from wastewater.
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WASTEWATER
Dunedin energy maps.
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New Zealand, and by association seem quite risky, technically it’s very simple. The first systems were installed in Switzerland more than 30 years ago and there are at least five operating in Australia, including the Hobart Aquatic Centre, which has been running successfully for over 20 years. The project team consisted of Dunedin City Council wastewater manager Laura McElhone as the client, and Smart Alliances in Blenheim as project leader. Smart Alliances teamed up with collaboration partners Applied Energy also in Blenheim and Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL) engineers in Vancouver, Canada. Despite the project team being widely distributed geographically, the entire project was delivered smoothly and without requiring any travel, which kept costs down. As the project leader, Smart Alliances was the single point of contact with Dunedin City. KWL provided the specialist calculations and Applied Energy the mapping skills. KWL had previously developed a specialised calculation model for this purpose for wastewater energy projects it had previously undertaken for Metro Vancouver (a federation of 21 municipalities that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services for the Vancouver region). However, before the collaboration started with Smart Alliances, the calculation modelling service had never been provided for other cities outside of Canada. The Smart Alliances / KWL / Applied Energy team started working together in early 2016 by trialling the calculation and mapping process on Blenheim as a test project, and this had ironed out initial teething problems. For the Dunedin project, a variety of council data was used such as wastewater infrastructure data, temperature data and hydraulic modelling data. Other criteria required by the KWL calculation model were discussed and agreed. Once the necessary data and inputs were in place, this was delivered to KWL which ran its calculation model and delivered the results back to Smart Alliances. This calculation data was sent on to Applied Energy which displayed the data as thermal energy maps for Dunedin City.
The Hobart Aquatic Centre has been heated from wastewater for the past 20 years.
Revenue Generation The energy source from wastewater could become a new source of revenue for cities which want to utilise it. There are different ways it can be monetised, and at least two different commercial models are being used in other parts of the world. Quebec City charges an annual connection fee for tapping into the energy from its wastewater network. Scottish Water adopts a different approach by metering the amount of energy withdrawn by a college campus and charging per kilowatt hour of energy. Other commercial models will evolve. However, every city should view their wastewater flows not just as dirty water but also a flow of energy with a value attached.
A variety of maps were generated, at differing scales to provide high-level overviews down to detailed maps for parts of the city. Once the maps were generated, a number of locations within the city presented themselves as good candidates for potential energy from wastewater projects. These locations ranged from the existing university campus, and hospital to areas identified as possible future development sites for the council itself. A comprehensive report was also provided to Dunedin City. This covered the topic of using wastewater as an energy source, the agreed inputs used in the calculation model, and discussion of the findings. A comparison of the wastewater temperatures from Dunedin with a number of other cities was provided, to illustrate that Dunedin is well within the normal expected range.
The report also covered variations in thermal energy due to daily flow profiles and where the threshold limits are to manage possible impacts in the wastewater treatment plant’s biological processing. A number of example projects from overseas were shown within the report, to give Dunedin City some ideas for what could be suitable candidates within Dunedin. Dunedin City Council is now looking to establish an in-house champion to take the concept forward. This champion will need to be a bridge between the council and the private sector, as well as a bridge between the wastewater and building sectors. At least they have maps to guide them on their way. LG • Nick Meeten is buildings, water and sustainability consultant at engineering consultancy Smart Alliances. nick@smartalliances.co.nz
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GOVERNANCE
Bribery
& corruption
How vulnerable is your council?
T
Peter Winefield says bribery and corruption could happen in any council in New Zealand. He suggests some practical ways to guard against it. And he asks whether traditional public service ethics are being lost as local government embraces a more commercial approach to doing business.
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he chief executive of Auckland CCO Watercare spoke about the importance of public trust in a recent Local Government Magazine article (‘Raveen Jaduram: One man’s view of the water industry’). In a survey of customers, less than half the respondents indicated that they trusted Watercare. That’s obviously a disappointing result but I’d suggest that if you asked the same question of ratepayers anywhere in New Zealand you wouldn’t do much better. Kiwis have an instinctive dislike of public bodies – and it seems the bigger the organisation, the less they’re trusted. An event that goes to the very heart of trust in local government was the recent bribery and corruption trial in Auckland: New Zealand’s largest bribery case according to the New Zealand Herald. In addition to large cash payments (north of $1 million) we heard about overseas holidays, business class travel, large restaurant bills plus extensive hotel accommodation and gifts. It was quite spectacular. In December 2016, after a sevenweek trial, a senior council official and a consultant engineer were sentenced to five years and five and a half years jail respectively. A third council official was earlier convicted and sentenced to 10 months home detention and prior to that a number of other council officials left the organisation. The case related to the transport sector rather than the water sector but this is irrelevant – the method of operation meant that it could have occurred in any department of any council.
The case is interesting from a number of perspectives. For example: • The offending took place under the cloak of collaboration – a popular and successful method of managing outsourced contracts in local government. • It occurred over a long time – the prosecution covered a seven-year period of offending. • Over time, a culture of largesse became accepted practice in the organisation (breakfasts, lunches, ‘celebrations’) making it difficult for staff to clearly differentiate right from wrong, especially as the ‘new way of operating’ was sanctioned from the top. • The corruption relied extensively on concealment of the truth rather than manipulation of information. This made it very difficult to detect. • Compounding the last point is that much of the bribery and corruption actually occurred outside the organisation – away from the normal checks and balances. Thankfully, cases like this are rare in New Zealand but I can also recall troubles at Dunedin City in recent times and the Serious Fraud Office is currently looking at another South Island council. This is all the more reason why councils should be taking an interest in these cases and thinking about how to protect themselves. What happened in Auckland could happen in any New Zealand council. Make no mistake: the outcome of this sort of offending is devastating – especially for senior staff and colleagues of the offenders.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN? Reflecting on the case, I wonder if traditional public service ethics have become a bit lost in modern local government. Over the past 30 years the industry has embraced a more commercial approach to doing business (particularly outsourcing operations) and the gains have been huge. But the public sector is fundamentally different from the private sector and we should never forget that. The concepts of honesty, duty, integrity and good faith are less fashionable today – but just as relevant as they always were. If I were a CE, I’d be thinking about the culture of the organisation I led and whether those concepts are well enough understood. To my mind, providing clear leadership (and ‘walking the talk’) on these core public service ethics is the most important thing councils can do to mitigate the risk of this sort of crime. Another suggestion is that CEs look at the composition and competencies of audit committees to ensure there is an appropriate range of skills and experience.
I’d also be thinking about a risk review to identify areas that might be vulnerable to bribery and corruption – high-spend departments, physically isolated operations and so on. And I’d be looking at procurement policies, whistle-blower policies, gift policies and secondary employment policies. Probably the worst thing an organisation can do is overreact to the situation and introduce over-thetop policies. In some organisations I work for outside New Zealand I can’t even buy a client a cup of coffee because this is perceived as bribery. Common sense is a good guide and interestingly, in the Auckland case the High Court referred to: “… gifts of token value that are part of the usual courtesies of life”. All this sounds pretty obvious and you are probably thinking ‘it would never happen here’. But what I’ve learned from this case is that if someone is determined to commit a white-collar crime it will come as
a complete surprise, it will rock your organisation to the core, it will damage reputations and leave a trail of carnage. Furthermore, the offender will most likely be a person you always liked and implicitly trusted. Going back to an earlier point about ‘the bigger you are the less you’re trusted’, I suspect Auckland Transport’s public reputation has not been harmed that much by this affair. It’s not that wellknown and as a CCO its relationship with ratepayers is somewhat oblique. It also deserves congratulation for identifying and dealing with the problem as quickly as it did. However, the crime will linger in the minds of some ratepayers and damage to the wider roading industry will take time to heal. You can’t eliminate the risk of this sort of thing happening but I think you can mitigate the risk. Vigilance is the key. • Peter Winefield is a director of public sector management consultancy Participate. pwinefield@icloud.com LG
GOOD FOR YOU! The NZMCA congratulates the 45 local authorities throughout the country who have joined our Motorhome Friendly scheme to welcome responsible travellers in Certified Self-Contained motorhomes and caravans. We appreciate the privilege of freedom camping at the sites you’ve made available in your regions – and you can trust our members to respect the precious natural environment that makes New Zealand so special. BTW, if you’re not one of the 45 locations that are currently enjoying the benefits of the Motorhome Friendly scheme, call Gillian Rutherford today at the NZMCA, 09 298 5466 ext 706.
New Zealand Motor Caravan Association | P 09 298 5466 | www.mhftowns.com | www.nzmca.org.nz MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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TOURISM
Short-term rental accommodation To rate or not to rate?
Councils from Thames-Coromandel, Queenstown, Marlborough, Rotorua and Auckland have to find fair ways to fund tourism infrastructure. David Hammond looks at some of the options.
O
n March 6 this year the Tenancy Tribunal awarded the owners of a Wellington house $1568 when their entrepreneurial tenants decided to let the owners’ home on Airbnb. That same month we also heard how a Hamilton first-home buyer, Francie, rents out her house on Airbnb while she house-sits in Auckland. Responding to that story and others, IAG manager Ralf Hart reminded people that if you rent out a house on Airbnb you need to inform your insurance company as you may not be covered for that activity. Periodically, the IRD also reminds renters of Airbnb that they are subject to tax requirements like anybody else. But what are the messages coming out from local government? Unlike the IRD or insurance companies, local councils seem to have limited visibility of rental accommodation – whether it is Airbnb, BookaBach, Bachcare or TradeMe. Where are the warnings that rental accommodation needs to be managed under the short-term accommodation provisions of the district plan or meet fire regulations for paid accommodation? The growing success of New Zealand tourism over the past decade has put pressure on councils nationwide to fund for tourism infrastructure and tourism capital projects such as cycleways and walkways. Councils are exploring how to pay for this infrastructure gap in ways that do not fall heavily on the ratepayer. Funding from rental accommodation and hotel beds is on the agenda. Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) is one council among several that has explored rating tourism rental accommodation. In 2015 TCDC went out to public consultation on the rating of rental baches for a $200 rate to help offset the cost of council’s economic development which
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includes walkways, cycleways and tourism marketing. Rental properties arguably benefit from tourism attractions but don’t pay more than the average householder for that commercial benefit. The TCDC rate over some 1400 rental homes would have netted some $280,000 annually. The council went out with the rate on several bases. One of them was equity. At the time council’s position was that, “all accommodation providers benefit from our investments but a large part of the sector does not contribute toward this programme”. It cited as an example, the Whangamata Beach Hop – which it described as the biggest single event in New Zealand with around 120,000 people in Whangamata for Beach Hop week.
MONEY DOWN THE PAN? Council says that, for years, many commercial accommodation proprietors have pointed out the inequality of who pays commercial economic development rates and pan charges and who doesn’t. Motels and hotels have a raft of costly compliance legislation and struggle to compete with the growing rental accommodation sector which avoids most compliance costs. Charging for a separate tourism rate is not in question here. At least three councils (Marlborough, Queenstown and Rotorua) have a well-established history of this rating. In Marlborough District the charge was only applied if it could be proven that the property was advertising. Recently in Queenstown, council staff sent letters to some 800 owners found to be advertising short-term rental accommodation online but paying only residential rates on their properties.
PHOTO BY ASSE E BOSCH. COURTESY OF GO WAIHI. PHOTO BY JOSH GENTIL. COURTESY OF GO WAIHI.
2017 Beach Hop Waihi.
Beach Hop week attracts a huge influx of people to the Waihi and Whangamata area.
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PHOTO BY ASSE E BOSCH. COURTESY OF GO WAIHI.
2017 Beach Hop, Waihi.
TOURISM According to a recent article by writer Amanda Cropp on Stuff, the council’s chief financial officer Stewart Burns said that 200 agreed to register their holiday homes as required, 300 said they were no longer renting, and staff would chase up the remainder. Through public consultation the TCDC rate did not proceed. The counter-arguments focused on three main points: • the contribution that rental visitors to the Coromandel make to the economy; • the traditional right of Kiwis to rent their homes and make a few bucks to offset their rates (at an average of $7000 income from renting annually they are hardly ‘commercial’); and • the fact that rental home owners not living on the peninsula don’t receive the full benefit of services for their current rates. The practicality of the process is also limiting. For a return of some $280,000 there would likely be a cost of around $90,000 to collect, with a dedicated person constantly updating addresses and playing cat ’n’ mouse with renters.
Rental properties arguably benefit from tourism attractions but don’t pay more than the average householder for that commercial benefit.
Councils rely on identifying properties to rate. Properties on the Coromandel do not need to identify the number of their street address on the rental accommodation site. The street is enough. If TCDC introduced the rate, the number of identifiable properties would drastically reduce and the cost to identify properties increasingly rise.
THEN AND NOW For those councils that began this form of rating many years ago the public has a long history of acceptance in those areas. In 2017 it is arguably much harder to introduce this new form of rate in New Zealand to a better informed and better organised public. Auckland Council is finding this out in 2017 as it signals its intent to introduce an accommodation rate to help offset the costs of tourism and economic development to the city. There is concerted opposition from the hospitality industry and Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA). Research undertaken in 2016 on local government expenditure on the tourism industry (Value for Money? Tourism Spend in New Zealand Local Government 2015/16) found that Auckland paid only $15.30 per head of population for council tourism spending. That compared to a national average of $37.90 per head, which rises to in excess of $100 per head in tourism centres including Thames-Coromandel, Rotorua and Queenstown. Auckland is arguably under-investing already from general rates by this national standard.
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BED TAXES The TIA does not like the bed tax. In 2005 it wrote The case against bed taxes: A tourism industry perspective. Its opposition included the cost of changing business’ computer systems to manage a new tax, to the unfairness. It argued that the broad benefits of tourism dollars extend into the local economy far more widely than just accommodation providers, so why target them? TIA research showed that those tourists who would pay a bed tax ranged from 92.7 percent of visitors in one area which has a lot of hotels, down to 50.9 percent in another area with a lot of rental houses and campervans – like Coromandel. So places without a sizable commercial accommodation industry miss out. The best study on bed taxes is probably by US-based planner and community builder Tom Knipe. In a 2011 Cornell University paper he reviewed bed tax research across the US. In contrast to the TIA research, Tom concluded that bed taxes work well in almost every measure used. He stated that, since they were first introduced in 1946, bed taxes were in all US states except Wyoming by 2011. In addition, a state-wide bed tax for tourism promotion (on top of the local bed tax) had been introduced into 21 states. Some key points from Tom Knipe’s work that are relevant to New Zealand are: • Bed taxes are better than airport taxes because they target higher income earners, people from outside the area, and are easily and cheaply levied; • The hotel industry opposes bed taxes but opposition fades away if funds are spent directly on the area’s tourism promotion; and • Studies support local control of the bed tax as providing better accountability and outcomes in the area they are levied. It is my view that the way forward for bed taxes is as follows: • We should have the option for a bed tax to improve the principle of user (visitor) pays and capture more dollars from visitors to help pay the costs of sustainability. • We should only bring the bed tax in if we can capture the online short-term rental market, and it should also be charged at point of campervan rental. • The bed tax should be managed locally like any other rate or user-charge by the local council. • There is a case for a small portion of bed taxes to be contributed from local areas to a regional pool of funding. This ensures that places like Mackenzie and Waitaki without high bed numbers can contest for a grant pool for infrastructure costs of tourism. • The allocation mechanism should (a) ringfence an infrastructure component, (b) apply funding to destination marketing, (c) provide a small percentage to a regional pool for contestable project funding, and (d) have a portion available to match private sector funding for local projects. • The allocation entity would be both industry and council, with this partnership locked into legislation. LG • David Hammond is director of advisory services firm Hammond Robertson. david@hammondrobertson.co.nz
INFRASTRUCTURE
Far horizons Asset management and long-term planning How well are councils adapting to the longer timeframes and deeper analysis now required under 30-year infrastructure planning regimes? Ruth Le Pla takes a look at a recent Audit New Zealand report.
S
ix councils got a pat on the back for good performance by Audit New Zealand in its first major review of asset management plans since 2010. The report, Asset management and long-term planning: Learnings from audit findings 2015 to 2017, is the first significant look at these plans since councils were required in 2015 to switch to 30year horizons for their infrastructure strategies. Prior to then, councils were only required to report on their strategies for the next 10 years. But overall, the latest report reveals a mixed bag of results. Audit NZ said not enough organisations have made a clear policy decision about the level of sophistication that is appropriate. “The majority of asset owners can improve some aspects of their planning.” The report covers plans by public entities but makes it clear that many of its findings are drawn from its research into work by local authorities. The plans by the six councils singled out for particular praise demonstrated a range of attributes including strong data analysis, clarity, comprehensiveness and honesty. (See box story Councils show best practice.) These provide some strong indicators from Audit NZ about the direction it expects local authorities to take in their plans in the future. The change requiring councils to look 30 years ahead chimed with the launch of the National Infrastructure Unit’s (NIU) Thirty Year New Zealand Infrastructure Plan in August 2015.
LGNZ president Lawrence Yule noted in that plan at the time that local authorities together own about $120 billion worth of assets. He added that local government manages all of the country’s drinking, waste and stormwater infrastructure and 88 percent of the country’s roads. When, a year later, the NIU added up councils’ planned projects between 2016 and 2025 alone, it reckoned they could be spending some $51.1 billion across the board including transport, water and social projects.
Councils show good practice In its latest report Audit New Zealand singled out the following councils: Thames Coromandel District Council – for its succinct and easy-to-read strategy. Hamilton City Council – as a good example that covers more than just the core assets. Whangarei District Council – for learning as it went through the planning process and coming out with a much stronger document as a result. Tasman District Council – for presenting its strategy clearly. Horowhenua District Council – for its honesty about its challenges. Wellington City Council – whose strategy is underpinned by significant data analysis.
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infrastructure the implications for thebut assets. do not not make explain Most councilsand identify significant issues, oftenSome they do thewhy link they backhave to the judged an issue be implications important. Affordability was a case Many raised infrastructure andtothe for the assets. Some do in notpoint. explain whycouncils they have affordability as an but did not explain what limitsinonpoint. funding were, what raised work judged an issue to issue be important. Affordability wasthe a case Many councils could not be as afforded that planned, what effect this might havewhat on the affordability an issue butwas didotherwise not explain what the limits on funding were, work assets,not and the strategy dealing with that effect Unless reader clear could bewhat afforded that wasforotherwise planned, what is. effect this the might haveison the why an issueand is important, and what implications are,effect the strategy is the not reader as effective as itwhy assets, what the strategy foritsdealing with that is. Unless is clear could be.is important, and what its implications are, the strategy is not as effective as it an issue could be. Case study Case study Case study: We liked the clarity with which Whangarei District 4.2 Council made its strategic priority explicit. 4.1 Case study Case study Case study: We liked the clarity with which Whangarei District 4.2 Council made its strategic priority explicit. 4.1 Figure 7 Whangarei Figure 7 District Council’s strategic priority Whangareiprinciple Districtoptions Council’s strategic priority Assumptions, and decisions
INFRASTRUCTURE
Upgrade the existing plant Upgrade the existing plant
Build a new plant on a new site Build a new plant on a new site THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO
upgrade due to the age and condition of a Structural investigations of the existing plant number of its critical component assets. determined that extensive works would be required toinvestigations meet the Earthquake Strengthening Structural of the existing plant requirements under the Building Even determined that extensive worksAct. would be then at best it canthe only be brought up to 67% required to meet Earthquake Strengthening compliance. Chlorine gas separation proves requirements under the Building Act. Even WR EH D FKDOOHQJH DQG LQVXIͤFLHQW URRP WR then at best it can only be brought up to 67% manoeuvre delivery The capacity compliance.large Chlorine gas vehicles. separation proves of this plant cannot be extended any further on WR EH D FKDOOHQJH DQG LQVXIͤFLHQW URRP WR the current site. manoeuvre large delivery vehicles. The capacity of this plant cannot be extended any further on Other issues at the current plant are chemical the current site. storage and delivery in a residential zone. The building of a new plant on aplant new are sitechemical is deemed Other issues at the current a more sustainable option.zone. The storage and deliverylong in a term residential building of a new plant on a new site is deemed a more sustainable long term option.
8VH RWKHU PRUH H[SHQVLYH WR RSHUDWH THE PRINCIPAL ALTERNATIVES treatment plants. This will cause restrictions in the summer months when the capacity of those 8VH RWKHU PRUH H[SHQVLYH WR RSHUDWH plants is limited. treatment plants. This will cause restrictions in the summer months when the capacity of those Build a new plant on a new site or demolish plants is limited. building and rebuild on the same site. Acquire more aland to cater Build newadjacent plant ontoa the newcurrent site or plant demolish for the constrained issues. building and rebuildsite on the same site. Acquire more land adjacent to the current plant to cater for the constrained site issues.
Investigate alternative new sites to optimise construction costs, overcome issues at current site alternative and providenew for sites long term capacity Investigate to optimise increases. construction costs, overcome issues at current site and provide for long term capacity increases.
That Council will construct a new Whau Valley Water Treatment Plant on a new site and then demolish the current plant. THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO That Council will construct a new Whau Valley Water Treatment Plant on a new site and then demolish the current plant.
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Woodville Water supply
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THE PRINCIPAL ALTERNATIVES The Whau Valley Water Treatment Plant was constructed in 1953 and is in need of a major upgrade due to the age Treatment and condition of was a The Whau Valley Water Plant number of itsincritical component assets. constructed 1953 and is in need of a major
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Case study: Tararua District Council dealt with significant decisions well. Figure 9 Tararua District Council’s table of significant capital expenditure decisions Figure 9
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Case study: Tararua District Council dealt with significant decisions well.
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Draft Tararua District Council Infrastructure Strategy – February 2014
20 | P a g e
Significant decisions on capital were explained in detail. Using a table Draft Tararua District Council Infrastructure Strategy – expenditure February 2014 20 | P a g e allowed a lot of information to be presented were succinctly. Splitting the information Significant decisions on capital expenditure explained in detail. Using a table according to asset types helped thepresented reader navigate theSplitting strategy.the Linking the key allowed a lot of information to be succinctly. information issues, levels service, asset condition, andnavigate the significant decisions helped the It reader information, corporate or individuals. has according to of asset types helped theknowledge reader the key strategy. Linking the key engage with the debate.asset condition, and the significant decisions helped the reader issues, levels of service,
also resulted in the watering down of key asset management In its recent report Audit NZ raised concerns about whether engage with the debate. systems and processes, and as a result organisations can, and asset management performance across the sector has plateaued. Most likely scenarios and alternatives frequently do, goand backwards in asset management capability.” “This was an issue we raised in 2010,” it said, “and it remains Most likely scenarios alternatives We found that readers were often left to work out for themselves what the Council had He thinks it could beCouncils difficult for left councils to resolve such an issue today.” determined the most likely scenario to be. this implicit. The best, We found that readers were often left to work out fortypically themselves what the Council had issues. Although, suggests atypically focusthey onthis both capability Tony Urquhart is director – strategic asset management at make however, a clear statement ofhe thebe. most likely scenario have selected why.and determined the most likely scenario to Councils left implicit. Theand best, understanding will help. AECOM which provides engineering, consulting and project however, make a clear statement of the most likely scenario they have selected and The most likely scenario always has alternatives. Sometimes alternative scenarios arewhy. “Too often I Other see assetinSometimes management undervalued by management services for infrastructure projects. He saysThe the outside organisation’s control. factors the environment or economy mostthe likely scenario always has alternatives. alternative scenarioscan arehave an unforeseen effect. Morecontrol. often, however, the distinction between theeconomy most management likely scenario organisations and for asset notion of a plateau describes the current situation very well. outside the organisation’s Otherresponsibility factors in the environment or can have and others depends the decisions thethe organisation makes and the it decides to unforeseen effect.on More often, however, the distinction between theoptions most likely scenario delegated too deep in organisation. Large telephone bookNew Zealand local government organisations were an once pursue. It isdepends importantontothe bedecisions clear. and others the organisation makes and the options it decides to type documents are produced as asset management plans and heralded as world leaders in developing the science of asset pursue. Itare is important to beclearly clear. set out. Many councils fail to set out genuine alternatives Options generally not / or infrastructure strategies more as a ‘tick-box’ exercise than management, he says. But this is no longer the case. to their preferred option. Even where options arecouncils identified, their and other Options arewith generally clearly set out. Many fail value.” to setcosts out genuine alternatives anynot real understanding of their “I recently moved back to New Zealand after 16 years implications are generally not well expressed. to their preferred option. Even where options are identified, their costs and other working overseas and was surprised by the lack of real change implications are generally not well expressed. LINK LINK across local government. If you look back to 1995, asset Cushla Anich is a senior consultant at Australasian management management was just starting to be recognised as an important consultancy Morrison Low. A specialist in strategic asset element of local government planning,” he says. “Twentymanagement, Cushla says councils can significantly boost the two years on we are still trying to collect base data on our value of their 30-year infrastructure strategies by ensuring infrastructure assets.” they inter-relate them with other documents. Tony suggests there seems to be a real lack of discipline in “If it’s not used to inform decision-making, it’s just another this area, given the inherent risk in the essential infrastructure plan that sits there,” she says. provided by local government. The practice of inter-linking myriad in-house and external “You could have written the latest Audit NZ report 20 years documents is no simple task. As Cushla points out, there’s no ago and it would have drawn the same conclusions.” shortage of connections that need to be made – there’s now Tony notes that many council departments managing a new National Policy Statement for Urban Development infrastructure assets are subject to frequent restructures, changes Capacity, for example. in direction or focus, and the possibility of amalgamations as a “People are getting planned out,” she says. “Some people result of the political arena in which they operate. get swamped. They have lots of asset information but what “On many occasions this has resulted in loss of asset do they do with it?... So how everything inter-relates and how each document informs decision-making is important.” The Audit NZ report highlighted areas where smaller entities consistently seem to struggle. It noted that addressing Want to lift your game fast at asset management? Audit New Zealand them would “significantly strengthen practice”. says three of the greatest opportunities for improvement relate to Most changes needed were “organisational improvements”, asset information: it said, rather than technical issues – “ensuring that policies • Ensure that there is complete and accurate data on your asset base; are clear, governing bodies are well informed, learning from • Supplement basic data with up-to-date assessments of asset peer review, and adopting a more structured approach to condition and performance; and maintaining data”. • Make sure that asset data is consistent across systems, so that Yet in both Cushla’s and Tony’s experience, many larger financial forecasting is accurate and budgets reflect real asset need. councils suffer from what Tony calls corporate inertia.
Fast track
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and timelines Consider scope to be creative with graphs, info-graphics, and The Acttimelines allows local authorities to show expenditure in 5-year blocks. We do not find this Coping with uncertainty useful aidinglocal comparison with years. At best, it looksblocks. misleading a graph The Actforallows authorities to earlier show expenditure in 5-year We doonnot find this Coping uncertainty Strategy, bywith its nature, is long term. As there is inherent uncertainty about what the future where years 1-10 are shown individually. A glance can give the impression that spending
useful for aiding comparison with earlier years. At best, it looks misleading on a graph might bring, assumptions haveterm. to beAs made. reviewsuncertainty show that these generally well is set toyears rise significantly. Strategy, by its nature, is long thereOur is inherent aboutare what the future where 1-10 are shown individually. A glance can give the impression that spending covered, but assumptions not many councils indicate the Our levelreviews of uncertainty. might bring, have to be made. show that these are generally well is set to rise significantly. The best strategies are engaging documents that present information clearly. covered, but not many councils indicate the level of uncertainty. Case study: Hamilton City Council madeinformation particularly engaging useCase of study Case study: Thames Coromandel District Council’s strategy had good The are engaging documents that present clearly. Casebest studystrategies 4.5 4.4 coverage of assumptions. info-graphics. of study Case study: Thames Coromandel District Council’s strategy had good Case study Case study: Hamilton City Council made particularly engaging useCase 4.5 4.4 coverage of assumptions. info-graphics. Figure 11 Figure 12 An extract from Hamilton City Council’s timeline showing when major items of Thames District Council had thought about the uncertainty of its Figure Coromandel 12 Figure 11 capital expenditure are forecast assumptions An extract from Hamilton City Council’s timeline showing when major items of Thames Coromandel District Council had thought about the uncertainty of its dETAIL are forecast capital expenditure kEY
106M
$
9M
$
northern riVer crossing YRS 8, 11-17, 19-23 $
resolution driVe eXtension YRS 3-5
kEY
9M
northern riVer $ crossing YRS 8, 11-17, 19-23 founders theatre uPgrade YRS 7-8
resolution driVe eXtension YRS 3-5
TRANSPORT COMMUNITY
14M
$
10M
$
39M
10M
hamilton gardens deVeloPment Programme YRS 1-30
STORMwATER
39M
rototuna reserVoir YRS 1-2
STORMwATER wATER SUPPLY
$
14M
$
rototuna reserVoir YRS 1-2
2015
$
31M
Wet Weather netWorK storage YRS 1-9
16
17
18
19
(year 2)
(year 3)
(year 4)
10M
$
23M
$
16
7M
$
31M
WasteWater treatment Plant uPgrade $ YRS 12-14
neW ParK deVeloPment YRS 11-26
WasteWater treatment Plant uPgrade YRS 12-14$
31M
15M
$
18M
imProVements for eXisting city YR 12 $
10M
18M
far eastern intercePtor through ruaKura
imProVements for eXisting city YR$12
20M
$ YRS 9-10
29M
Wet Weather netWorK storage YRS 15-17, 22-23
reconfigure reserVoirs to create Water Zones YRS 1-15
Water treatment Plant uPgrade for caPacity 20 21 YRS 2-6
Wet Weather storage 23 netWorK 24 YRS 15-17, 22-23 (year 8) (year 9)
reconfigure reserVoirs to create Water Zones YRS 1-15
(year 5)
26M (year 6)
$
22
(year 7)
20M
29M
$
2025 (year 10)
17
153,000
ANTICIPATEd TIMING FOR dEVELOPMENT
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
(year 3)
(year 4)
(year 5)
(year 6)
(year 7)
(year 8)
(year 9)
Population growth Population growth
$
north east aQuatic facility $ YR 11-13
15M
Description
strategic cycle netWorK YRS 13-16, 20, 23, 25
PoPulation 174,000
ANTICIPATEd TIMING FOR dEVELOPMENT (year 1) (year 2)
2015
netWorK YRS 13-16, 20, 23, 25
neW ParK deVeloPment YRS 11-26
$
PoPulation 153,000
eXisting city PoPulation rototuna PeacocKe 1
ring road $ imProVements7M YRS 12-14, 21-23 cycle strategic
15M
far eastern intercePtor through ruaKura YRS 9-10
26M
30M
$
Water treatment Plant uPgrade for caPacity YRS 2-6
$
(year 1)
Playgrounds Programme YRS 1-30
rotoKauri strategic stormWater YRS 7-9
consent imPlementation YRS 1-30
31M
7M
rotoKauri strategic stormWater YRS 7-9
6M
ring road imProVements YRS 12-14, 21-23
$
$
23M
$
Wet Weather netWorK storage YRS 1-9 $
5M
15M
5M
rototuna sPorts ParK $ YRS 8-10
YRS 1-30
treatment Plant uPgrade YRS 2-5
$
$
17M 17M
14M
14M
$
$
$
note: all figures on this wATER SUPPLY timeline dO NOT include inflation note: all figures on this timeline dO NOT include inflation
land Purchases for neW future reserVes YRS 1-30
land Purchases for $ neW future reserVes YRS 1-30 $ 6M treatment Plant uPgrade consent YRS 2-5 imPlementation
wASTEwATER
5M
neW Pool founders $ $ 5M YR 8 7M theatre uPgrade YRS 7-8 rototuna Playgrounds sPorts ParK Programme YRS 8-10 YRS 1-30
$
hamilton gardens deVeloPment Programme $ YRS 1-30
$
neW Pool YR 8
30M
$
southern linKs - Wairere driVe eXtension - Bridge to $ PeacocKe YRS 11-15 southern linKs - Wairere driVe eXtension - Bridge to $ PeacocKe YRS 11-15 north east aQuatic facility YR 11-13
85M
106M
$
PARkS ANd GREEN SPACES wASTEwATER
85M
$
OUTLINE
TRANSPORT
COMMUNITY PARkS ANd GREEN SPACES
Description Assumption assumptions
OUTLINE
dETAIL
2025 (year 10)
PoPulation 174,000
Peak Demand Peak Demand Inflation Inflation Vested Assets Vested Assets Development Contributions Development Legislation Contributions Legislation
Risk
ESTIMATE
Our growth assumptions are based on a low growth scenario. This will result in our usually resident population increasing gradually over Assumption ESTIMATE the next 30 years; with an expected net increase 0.1% per year Our growth assumptions are based on a low growth scenario. This The usually population the Mercury Bay Community will result in resident our usually residentof population increasing gradually over Board area expected to increase 0.8% perper year and the the next 30 is years; with an expectedby netaround increase 0.1% year Coromandel-Colville Community Board area is expected to increase Thearound usually0.2%. resident population of the Mercury Bay Community by Board area is expected to increase by around 0.8% per year and the The usually resident population the Tairua-Pauanui is expected to Coromandel-Colville CommunityinBoard area is expected to increase decline by 0.2%. around -0.5% per year, Thames by - 0.2% per year and by around Whangamata by -0.4% The usually resident population in the Tairua-Pauanui is expected to decline by around -0.5% per year, Thames by - 0.2% per year and The summer seasonal peak and peak days will continue based on Whangamata by -0.4% historical trends and locations The summer seasonal peak and peak days will continue based on historical trends andadjusted locationsto include inflation in accordance with All costs have been
the guidelines provided by the Society of Local Government Managers; set out in the BERL Forecasts of Price Level Change All costs have been adjusted to include inflation in accordance with Adjustors – 2014 Update. the guidelines provided by the Society of Local Government Managers; set out in the BERL Forecasts of Price Level Change Vested assets are assumed Adjustors – 2014 Update. to be received by Council in proportion to the growth of the District. Vested assets are assumed to be received by Council in proportion Any contributions have been included based on estimated growth to the growth of the District. forecasts. This funding is used to provide growth related asset development. Any contributions have been included based on estimated growth The strategy hasfunding been developed the current legislative forecasts. This is used to based provideon growth relatedthe asset development. The strategy has been developed based on the current the legislative
Risk of uncertainty: medium Level Potential impact: if we have underestimated the level or location of population growth we may have insufficient capacity to meet demand Level of uncertainty: medium and this will place pressure on our assets and networks and may Potential we haveIfunderestimated impact on impact: levels of ifservice. we overestimatethe thelevel levelororlocation locationofof population growth have insufficient capacity tocost meetofdemand growth we will havewe anmay oversupply of capacity and the and this will pressure networks on our assets and networks and may servicing ourplace infrastructure may become unsustainable impactour on smaller levels ofthan service. If werating overestimate given expected base. the level or location of growth we will have an oversupply of capacity and the cost of servicing our infrastructure networks may become unsustainable given our smaller than medium expected rating base. Level of uncertainty: Potential impact: if peak demand increases at a rate greater than expected it will place pressure on our networks and this may impact Level of uncertainty: medium on our ability to maintain levels of service. Potential impact: if peak demand increases at a rate greater than expected it will place pressure Level of uncertainty: Mediumon our networks and this may impact on our ability to maintain levels of service. Potential impact: Variation will impact on expected operational and capital costs and on rating requirements Level of uncertainty: Medium Potential impact: Variation Level of uncertainty: Low will impact on expected operational and capital costs and on Potential impact: A rating higherrequirements level of vested assets than expected would impact on capital and operational costs and on rating Level of uncertainty: Low requirements Potential impact: A higher level of vested assets than expected Level uncertainty: would of impact on capitalMedium and operational costs and on rating Potential impact: If growth does not occur or occurs a slower rate requirements than expected this will have an impact on Councils debt levels. Level of uncertainty: Medium Level of uncertainty: Medium Potential impact: If growth does not occur or occurs a slower rate than expected this will have an impact on Councils debt levels. Level of uncertainty: Medium
PeacocKe 2
ruaKura eXisting city rotoKauri 1 rototuna te raPa north1 PeacocKe
PeacocKe 2
As Cushla says, “It can be hard for small organisations, but The Hamilton strategy went further than just core infrastructure and incorporates social large ones often have so many teams and departments, you infrastructure as well. Its imaginative use of infographics helps put projects in context. The Hamilton strategy went further than just core infrastructure and hard incorporates social have to aren’t get them inter-relate and things are to change. The results perfect to in terms of the readability of footnotes, but the graphics are infrastructure as well. Its imaginative use of infographics helps put projects in context. effective and make a change from the typical bar/pie graphs that have been used in So big isaren’t notperfect always good.” The results in terms of the readability of footnotes, but the graphics are ruaKura rotoKauri 1 te raPa north
most of the other strategies we reviewed. effective and make a change from the typical bar/pie graphs that have been used in most of the other strategies we reviewed.
HINT HINT
Among its key messages to asset managers, Audit NZ says it expects planning to operate at strategic and operational levels, and for the linkages between them to be clear. “We expect planning to be based on a strong foundation of reliable asset information and good quality analysis.” It also repeated earlier pleas for good quality data, which, 30 it says, must lie at the heart of effective planning. “It allows 30 accurate and informative analysis to help manage risk and facilitate forecasting. It allows trade-offs to be determined with confidence so that the best value whole-of-life strategies can be developed.” Audit NZ says more could be done to improve the reliability of asset data and the way it is used. It also says councils could do more to improve their reporting on how they manage their assets. “The poorer strategies met legal requirements but no more. The best are not constrained by the legislation. They meet the minimum requirements but consider what more is needed in a document that hangs together strategically.” Breadth of coverage was a concern. Councils included their core infrastructure in their strategies – water supply; the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage; storm water drainage; flood protection and control; roads and footpaths. But Audit NZ says the best plans also considered the strategic importance of other assets. “We were disappointed with councils that excluded their other assets first time but plan to include them next time. The benefit of time may allow more consideration of what to include, but ultimately all strategically important assets should be covered.” Among many other practical suggestions, Audit NZ said many local authorities struggled with how long an infrastructure strategy should be. “Our reviews indicate that 40+ pages is typically about right to cover the issues effectively,” it said. “Much shorter and important issues are missed or insufficiently detailed. Much
longer and the document is no longer strategic. Of course, the length is really dependent on the extent and complexity of the issues. Templates can be useful but the key is in how well they are completed.” Audit NZ also noted that local authorities need to explicitly tell readers what their strategy is. “It is not enough to discuss issues. It is important to be clear what approach is being taken to address the issues and why. “Most29councils identify significant issues, but often they do not make the link back to the infrastructure and the implications 29 for the assets. Some do not explain why they have judged an issue to be important.” Affordability is a key example. “Many councils raised affordability as an issue,” said Audit NZ. “But they did not explain what the limits on funding were, what work could not be afforded that was otherwise planned, what effect this might have on the assets, and what the strategy for dealing with that effect is. “Unless the reader is clear why an issue is important, and what its implications are, the strategy is not as effective as it could be.” Ultimately, though, as Cushla points out, the value of any plan lies in how it is used. To that end, she recommends councils use the set of questions provided at the end of the Audit NZ report to guide their thinking. Audit NZ calls them “the top 10 questions that governing bodies and senior managers need answered”. They range from broad ideas such as whether the organisation has a strategy for the long-term sustainability of its assets, to crunchy questions such as how it plans to handle any backlog of repairs. “A good 30-year infrastructure strategy should inform good decision-making,” says Cushla, who argues such questions help keep people on track. She agrees that some of the ideas can be “a bit of a mother statement”. “But they’re agnostic – it doesn’t matter if you’re looking at roads, water, buildings or facilities. They’re good questions. “You might do the flashest infrastructure strategy but if councillors just say ‘no, we want to keep with a certain rate increase’ your report isn’t going to go anywhere.” LG
MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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SPECIAL FEATURE
N I S N O I T A V O IN N
Stormwater management F
Recent storms and unprecedented levels of rainfall have left councils and communities struggling to cope. Could a shift towards water-sensitive design, better 3 waters management, and improved retention and detention systems provide more security in the future? Patricia Moore investigates.
Auckland Transport's TetraTrap programme retrofits road catchpits with filter screens.
40 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz
rom the ‘Tasman Tempest’ to the sting in the tail of cyclone Debbie, stormwater systems across the country have taken a hammering as downpours drenched vast areas of the country. The end result has been slips, flooding, the town-wide evacuation of Edgecumbe, impassable roads and isolated communities. But should current stormwater systems be expected to handle the intense rainfall generated by such events? Or does the solution lie in local bodies embracing innovative measures to reduce the danger of significant flooding? In Auckland, Water New Zealand president Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner was in the thick of it. “March was a long wet month – the wettest I’ve experienced,” she says, “with five separate flooding events and up to 600mm of rainfall over the 30 days to April 5.” To put this into perspective, 70-100mm of rain usually falls in March while July, normally the region’s wettest month, averages around 130mm. Dukessa’s focus on innovative solutions made what was an extremely challenging situation slightly more manageable. “All the work we have put into our systems, processes and tools over the past few years came to the fore,” she says, “and we had the data we needed at our fingertips 24/7.” The work Dukessa’s Healthy Waters team lead at Auckland Council was acknowledged in February when Healthy Waters was recognised as the highest-ranked utility in an international utility benchmarking exercise, AMCV International Benchmarking. Stormwater360 MD Mike Hannah says stormwater management has been evolving since the concept of drainage was conceived. “Originally it was simply about preventing flooding. Today it’s also about protecting the environment.” This is driving innovation and, he says, it has required a rethink. “There’s a shift towards holistic management such as watersensitive design; 3 waters management; and reducing volume through reuse and infiltration.” The old is becoming new again. Mike says soakage or infiltration is one example. “Soakage systems are designed to store water and discharge it into the ground but this can only apply in areas where the soil is free-draining. Today, we are
Dukessa Blackburn-Huettner.
Vijesh Chandra.
using soakage to maintain base-flows in streams and protect the ecology of streams. By soaking a small amount of the runoff to ground, base-flow can be restored.” Dukessa says techniques including remote sensing, aerial laser surveying, big data, cloud-based computing and use of nationally-held meteorological data to inform local rain events, are among the many innovations available to local government. “Another really important issue is engagement with the community to collectively own stormwater outcomes,” she says. She says that whilst councils maintain the piped networks, landowners and residents have a big part to play in managing what goes into the network. “Improving water quality, in particular, requires everyone to improve their practices. Maintaining streams and overland flow path on private property not only results in better water quality outcomes but can reduce the risk of flooding.” Vijesh Chandra, GHD business leader, stormwater says the gains made from innovation in education, communication, operational management, catchment management and risk management, come at a much lower cost than building major infrastructure systems. “It’s well understood we can’t build pipe systems that will fully cater for all storm events,” he says. “But many flooding impacts in recent times have risen out of factors not related to the capacity of the system. “We’re finding out the hard way that people living in floodrisk areas are still unaware of the risks and that stormwater flows can carry debris, blocking drainage catchpits and pipe systems. Higher velocity flows can also cause massive erosion and slips in the catchments we rely on for our drinking water.” Auckland Transport’s TetraTrap programme is an example of a technique making a big difference, says Vijesh. This international award-winning programme focuses on retrofitting road catchpits with low-cost, low-maintenance filter screens that prevent litter and harmful sediment being discharged into the city’s waterways. At the same time, they also prevent blockages that lead to road surface water-ponding and flooding. The initiative also illustrates innovative thinking, says Vijesh. “It’s succeeding due to a local authority supporting and championing innovation. Without that, innovative initiatives in the industry cannot get off the ground.” Dukessa says the introduction of resilient and multi-use infrastructure, as well as the management of both water quality and quantity at source, have been used overseas for many years but are now becoming more common here.
This includes a water-sensitive design approach, rain gardens and green infrastructure to provide stormwater treatment and retention / detention at the source. She highlights the concept that the more a problem is treated and contained at source, the less of an issue it is in the environment. “It’s about building water-sensitive cities and a working-withnature approach to stormwater management, in which natural waterways and gullies remain vegetated and intact, rather than being scraped, piped and filled for higher-density housing.” Water-sensitive urban design, or low-impact development (LID), is laying the foundation for environmental systems to support expanding development needs, says Mark Lewis, Boffa Miskell landscape architect, senior principal. Above-ground natural systems or ‘environmental infrastructure’ such as the Oakley Creek / Te Auaunga Awa project in Auckland, are progressively being used alongside the pipes for waste, water and power, he says. “Re-profiling and naturalisation of kilometres of stream will reduce flooding in development areas, restore significant urban habitat, provide useable connected open space, and reveal natural systems that allow people to enjoy a healthy and stressfree space within the urban jungle.” According to Mike Hannah, mimicking the natural water cycle is leading to innovation as engineers, landscape architects, ecologists, scientists and geologists work together to develop stormwater projects. “This sort of lateral and collaborative thinking is fundamental to a water sensitive design approach,” he says. We can’t control the rain but could innovative systems and ideas have alleviated the impact on the recent weather events? Vijesh Chandra says that while similar concepts to the TetraTrap programme can be used to prevent blockage of stormwater systems, it’s important to note that during extreme weather events overland flows through property and roads have to be expected. “If these flowpaths are well designed and maintained, then the impact of flooding can be manageable.” Meanwhile, Mark Lewis says, “Providing the green infrastructure – if you like, the right-of-way for stream environments to be protected and enhanced – optimises this natural resource base and the important function it plays in receiving flood waters. “This is only going to become more relevant as climate change leads to more intensive rainfall.” The final word goes to Dukessa, who says that whilst many innovative approaches within the industry are continually evolving, the most important facet is what the industry is trying to evolve into. “The outcome we are focused on is creating watersensitive cities.” LG • Patricia Moore is a freelance writer. mch@xtra.co.nz
>>
www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz For related articles go to our website. Search: Stormwater
MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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SPECIAL FEATURE
IN NOVATIONS IN
Parks & recreation
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Traditional thinking and models are being challenged as parks and recreation areas are increasingly being viewed as green infrastructure. And that is changing the way work is procured, delivered and managed. Patricia Moore reports.
G
enerations of Kiwis grew up having fun in their local park; lining up for swings and slides, hanging upside down on the jungle gym, meeting friends, making friends and creating their own imaginary worlds. Then, somewhere along the way, parks lost their pulling power. Kids discovered small screens and those grassy spaces didn’t offer much for adults. “The mere presence of a park does not guarantee people will use it,” was one of the findings of a 2016 Rand Corporation study designed to gauge the role of parks in getting people active in the US. But there’s a new excitement around parks as local bodies rise to the challenge and explore innovative ways to meet the changing demands of rapidly-expanding urban communities. Probably the most significant innovation in the sector is public participation at grass-roots level: for a neighbourhood park to become a people place the locals need to have a say.
PARKS WITHOUT BORDERS
Exeloo Jupiter Toilet, Waihi Beach. Mural by local artist.
In New York, residents wanting easier access to parks is leading to a ‘Parks Without Borders’ initiative and the removal of physical barriers like chain-link fences. In Wichita, child-minding seniors wanted a walking / playing space. The result is a ‘grandparents park’ designed for all ages and with an exercise station designed specifically for the over 50s. New Zealand councils are not far behind. Whangarei District Council has embarked on a strong development pipeline in response to community dialogue, says Exeloo’s Craig Van Asch. “Public input is seeing more park designs centred around trending physical activities such as bike parks, skateboard and dog parks.” Mark Bowater, chair of the New Zealand Recreation Association board, and head of parks services at Auckland Council, also highlights a stronger focus on community engagement, along with financial and environmental sustainability. “This includes advancing the use of green infrastructure and creating multi-use and multi-purpose open spaces,” he says. “We’re thinking more about empowering communities to get involved in parks and open space activities and the ensuing health and wellbeing benefits.” (In Auckland a focus on innovative health and wellbeing measures has also seen the removal of sugar-sweetened beverages from vending machines across the council’s network of pools and leisure centres.) While ‘play’ equipment continues to evolve, innovation is happening across the entire parks sector.
MAY 2017 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Asplundh worked alongside the team at Ironman in the run up to the Queenstown Marathon in November last year. The team helped ensure the course was in top condition for the race.
The Asplundh A3 crew monkeying around on their climbing training day.
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
NEW WAYS TO PAY
Craig cites prefabrication, which minimises disruption during commissioning, shorter lead-time cycles to ensure infrastructure is in place ahead of seasonal peaks, and ‘plugand-play’ intelligent technology, which enables facilities to be easily relocated or re-commissioned after an event such as an earthquake. And there are innovative new uses for old spaces he says. “Dying golf courses in the US are being revitalised as disc golf courses.” Another example is the Goods Line, a disused railway line in Sydney that has been transformed into a linear park and pedestrian pathway with study pods, dining tables, table tennis facilities and a water play area for youngsters. Nick Hanvey, Asplundh GM, North Island, says recognising areas as green infrastructure is changing the way work is procured, delivered and managed – and challenging traditional thinking and models. It’s those challenges that drive innovation and get them thinking outside the box, she says. “An example is the continued evolution of hybrid surfaces for sports fields, such as the work done at Auckland’s Gribblehirst Park. The hybrid surface approach can increase playing capacity by up to 75 percent.” Nick also points to innovations around the provision of career pathways and staff training which are benefiting the industry as a whole. “We’re also investing in new technology and fresh thinking to provide new services. “This ranges from the use of drones to provide visual tree inspections, to battery-powered equipment that provides access to night work and offers alternatives to large-scale disruptions during the day, and plant such as the City Lift, created and modified for New Zealand conditions.”
“The role of local bodies is also changing. Increasing pressure on resources to maintain parks and recreational centres is seeing many consider alternative funding sources. Innovative models including user-pays, sponsorship, social enterprises, tariffs and programmed events have to be considered.” Local bodies need to see themselves as partners and enablers, says Ariana. “This means adopting collaborative community planning that goes beyond tick-in-the-box surveys, instead, getting out into communities to understand their values, needs and preferences relating to recreation, and approaching communities before there is a specific proposal on the table.” Technology provides the opportunities for this, she says, citing online engagement tools that make it easy and fun for people to share their views while providing useful data for decision-makers. “Significant amounts of useful data can also be collected from health and fitness apps.” Craig believes the days of “prescriptive solutions based on often dogmatic planning approaches” are long gone. “The modern way is to work out what the community needs but not to prescribe an answer. It’s up to suppliers and designers to come up with answers to the broader questions. “Project managers need to have access to meaningful data from specialist suppliers; people with skin in the game,” Craig says. “We must get better at embracing the collective knowledge of our industry.” And, he adds, it’s important to understand that intelligent systems are not necessarily all about automation or significant cost. Solar technology can be used to manage many functions in a very simple toilet, he says. “And that is smart.” LG
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE At maintenance providers City Care, Nige Cottingham says they’re looking at innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, the use of autonomous vehicles and robots, 3D printing, alternative power sources, bio and nanotechnology and open source information and big data analysis, which could potentially play a role in park maintenance. Communities are increasingly diverse and as they change so does what they want, says Ariana Ross, GHD stakeholder engagement specialist.
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• Patricia Moore is a freelance writer. mch@xtra.co.nz
COMING UP In the May issue • Innovations in GIS and spatial technology • Innovations in training
>>
www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz For related articles go to our website. Search: Recreation
PETER SILCOCK / FROM CIVIL CONTRACTORS NZ CH I E F EXECUTIVE, CIVI L CONTRACTOR S N EW Z EALAN D. peter@civilcontractors.co.nz
Whatever the weather Recent events raise need for self-reliant islands.
I THERE IS A DANGER THAT LOCAL CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY COULD BE LOST.
am writing this column a few days after New Zealanders have been lashed by the violent tail of Cyclone Debbie with flooding, slips, rivers bursting their stopbanks, communities evacuated and numerous road closures. My thoughts go out to all those affected especially the residents of Edgecumbe where it will take some time for life to return to normal. I also want to say thank you to the thousands of workers in civil construction and general contracting who were outside in the worst of the extreme weather helping ensure public safety by clearing slips, drains and roadways, repairing stopbanks, and directing and diverting traffic. Like emergency and civil defence staff, our workers help out in extreme weather conditions at all times of the day or night. It can be very difficult and very dangerous work and is often not recognised. I’d like to acknowledge their dedication. The reality is that the work contractors do for councils and NZTA to not just clear up but to repair the damage done to our civil infrastructure has only just begun. Our people will be very busy in the weeks and months ahead as this work, some of it urgent, is added to an already busy construction market. The work ahead is not just about opening roads and clearing slips but also concerns repairing drainage and water systems, sewerage and communications. While much of the work is on civil infrastructure there will also be a considerable amount of work on farms and residential properties. Our members will be working as quickly as they can to do essential jobs that will assist the affected communities to get back to normal. The worst affected area was the Eastern Bay of Plenty where there was major flooding and stopbank breaches. But there was also major damage in Auckland, Wanganui, Wellington, Kaikoura and many other areas. The people, machines and equipment mobilised during emergencies like these do not just appear out of thin air. In most cases the emergency response is undertaken as part of a
wider council or NZTA maintenance contract. There is no doubt that local and central government play a very important role in ensuring that contractors can mobilise quickly and adequately. As a result of recent earthquakes, the Wellington region’s emergency response and preparedness has been closely examined. The concept of self-reliant islands with their own capacity and capabilities has been further discussed in terms of critical services such as water, power, food supplies, medical care and emergency services. In today’s world of efficient transport systems it is easy to think we can just bring in resources from outside the region. Yet in an emergency this will not always be the case because roads, railway lines, ports and bridges may have been damaged by earthquakes or floods. We need to be thinking about how our emergency response will be mounted and maintained without these supply lines in place. So, the concept of a self-reliant island is very valuable. It is a concept that can be communicated to individual residents in terms of water and food supplies but also applies at a community and regional level. Having a local construction and maintenance capability available within the area is also critical. However, that capability cannot exist on intermittent emergency work only. Contractors needs a steady flow of work throughout the year to be able to keep people and resources in an area. With major changes occurring to the way local government procures its civil construction and maintenance work, including moves to larger contracts, there is a danger that this local capacity and capability could be lost. Continuity of everyday work is important to maintaining the on-the-ground capability and capacity which is called on in emergencies. With the increasing frequency of adverse weather events, councils need to better plan and schedule their business-as-usual work so it enables contractors to operate effectively and maintain those local emergency crews. LG
MAY 2017 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
Preparing for change Policy priorities set for the next three years.
A THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE COMING MONTHS TO RAISE AND DISCUSS THESE PRIORITIES WITH OUR COMMUNITIES, IWI, STAKEHOLDERS AND THE GOVERNMENT.
t the start of each new triennium Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) goes through a process to set strategy and direction for local government for the coming three years. This includes the formation of a new national council, made up of 15 elected members from across the country and which acts as the governing body of LGNZ. In December the new national council began work on strategy development and business planning for the new triennium. This work, which is now complete, includes the setting of policy priorities and goals for LGNZ and the local government sector which reflect the circumstances New Zealand faces. These priorities focus on the “big issues” and have been developed with consideration to the diversity of our communities, from the big cities to rural towns, and are informed by the shifts New Zealand faces in the next three decades. These shifts were outlined in LGNZ’s 2050 Challenge document which we published last year. Initiated by our young elected members committee, the paper was designed to assist councils prepare for the changes and challenges expected to impact on New Zealand and our towns, cities and regions over the next three decades. These major changes include responding to climate change, an aging population, the impacts of technology on the ways we work, the results of people increasingly moving to cities on both urban and regional areas, and protecting the environment as these shifts come to bear. As a sector, local government is at the forefront of policy development and implementation so it is vital we are taking a long-term view in the work we do. Through these priorities we will endeavour to improve the outcomes for all of our communities and the country as a whole.
Infrastructure: Ensuring infrastructure and associated funding mechanisms are in place to allow for growth and maintenance across housing, building, transport, broadband, tourism-related, three waters and flood control infrastructure. Risk and resilience: Understanding and addressing risks from natural hazards and other events – both for infrastructure and to support resilience in the economy and our communities. Environmental: Leading and championing policy and working alongside central government and iwi to deal with the increasing impact of environmental issues including climate change, the quality and quantity of New Zealand’s freshwater resources, and biodiversity. Social: Working alongside central government, iwi and stakeholders to address social issues and needs in our communities including an aging population, disparity between social groups, housing (including social housing) supply and quality, and community safety. Economic: Developing a range of policy levers, to address and fund economic development and growth across all of New Zealand. There will be a number of opportunities over the coming months to raise and discuss these priorities with our communities, iwi, stakeholders and the government and we will continue to talk about these as the issues we all need to be concerned with. This began recently at the Central Government and Local Government Forum in April, when LGNZ’s national council met with Cabinet to discuss joint priorities. Items on the agenda included: improving housing supply; providing essential infrastructure to support growth; understanding and managing risk; adapting to climate change; and approaching water issues in a comprehensive and coherent way. LG
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Future focus to LGNZ Conference 2017 The Local Government New Zealand Conference 2017 is fast approaching and if last year’s event is any indication it will once again be very well attended. With a theme of ‘creating pathways to 2050: liveable spaces and loveable places’ there is a future focus to this year’s conference. There will be a strong emphasis on future thinking and creating liveable communities in the years ahead.
opportunity by also providing a range of interactive workshops, events and social occasions.
The conference will feature highly regarded local and international speakers sharing best practice and take home messages that will allow councils to make the tangible changes needed to build liveable spaces and loveable places in their communities.
>>Governor-General of New Zealand Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, who will open the conference with her keynote Building communities from the ground up - strengthening local democracy and engagement.
Keynote speakers on this year’s programme include:
>>Young Australian business woman, futurist and globalist Holly Ransom, who will close the Conference with her keynote Future proofing our communities.
The conference is an excellent opportunity for local government to showcase its ideas and discuss the new initiatives to make these happen. Taking place in Auckland, the conference will play host to approximately 550 delegates made up of mayors, chairs, chief executives, councillors and senior management from New Zealand’s councils – along with key players from the private sector, business, government and non government agencies.
Don’t miss out! Register by 1 June for an early bird discount. For more information and to register, visit www.lgnz2017.co.nz.
It presents a chance for delegates to listen to fresh thinking from local and international speakers, take part in valuable, hard-hitting discussions and network within the sector. It is the one chance each year for all councils to be in the same room at the same time and the three day conference seeks to take full advantage of this
>>Auckland Council’s General Manager of the Auckland Design Office and first ever Design Champion. Ludo Campbell-Reid’s keynote will be Sustainable development 2050 - inspired action to build great communities. >>There will also be speeches from Parliamentarians including Labour leader Hon Andrew Little, Greens co-leader Hon Metiria Turei, New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters and Maori Party co-leader Hon Marama Fox.
The conference also marks the LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards and the LGNZ Annual General Meeting.
< The LGNZ Conference is a chance for local government to showcase its ideas and discuss the new initiatives to make these happen. >
EDITOR
Governance and leadership How do you train to lead your community? Leading within a council and community is a big job. It can mean responsibility for services and infrastructure for thousands of people. But what qualifications prepare you for making those big decisions? Major businesses have big development budgets to ensure their top staff have access to the best training programmes and executive coaching. And for politicians in charge of multi-billion budgets in a complex sector, it’s important to continuously build and support capability.
EquiP has been talking to New Zealand local government politicians and hearing your own stories of community leadership. You’ve told us about the challenges that you face, and that many of these are specific to our country and sector. To support your development some of you have participated in privately offered leadership programmes with varying costs and success. You have asked for a New Zealand programme reflective of the New Zealand local government environment.
Around the globe there’s a dependency on local government, so good decision making is essential for healthy communities. An innovative project in the United States is trying to fill any possible knowledge gap, in what’s being claimed as the biggest civic training project in the world. Funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies charity, they’re setting up a school for mayors. The school expects to train 300 mayors and 400 mayoral aides in the next four years, with the training delivered by Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School.
As a result of these conversations EquiP has developed a Leadership and Governance programme for elected mayors and members. This programme is a tool to support council effectiveness and collaboration. Offered as a series of five in-house, stand-alone workshop modules over a one- to two-year period, the programme builds both competency and collaboration within your council. Councils may choose to join in all or some of these modules.
EquiP’s five Leadership and Governance programme modules Applied governance essentials This workshop provides a tool for your council to work together to better understand how you will work and govern together effectively. You will: > become a more effective council; > define collective leadership and how it is represented in local government; > use governance processes to get better outcomes; > define how to balance representation and governance roles; > outline how governance and management can work together; and > start your own plan for governance success. Strategy Strategy plays a key role in setting your council’s direction, building your council’s culture, helping transmit that culture through the whole organisation, and defining priorities for community outcomes. This workshop will help you, at the governance level, to focus and prioritise around the outputs you seek to develop, as well as aid you in setting tangible goals to help drive your culture to success throughout your term in office. After this workshop module, you will be able to: > describe the characteristics of good governance and strategic decision making; > describe your and your council’s values, and their importance in the strategic decision-making process; > recognise and describe the characteristics of strategic thinking and the steps involved in strategy creation; and > apply strategic thinking to good governance.
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Leadership Local government is an important and dynamic environment with a constant array of unique pressures and demands. The best local government leaders can navigate through challenging times and build collaborative teams that best represent their communities. They ‘build bridges, not fences’. Before it is possible to perfect an adaptive leadership skill set, it is important for all local government leaders to first have a clear understanding of their own personal strengths and needs, and clearly define their own authentic leadership brand. This workshop will provide participating groups with the skills and tools to develop their effective leadership profile and strategies to balance the many faces of leadership required to lead their community during times of change and difficulty. This workshop module will leave all your council’s elected members with the ability to: > > > >
create your own community leadership brand; adapt as a leader while remaining authentic; develop strategies for effective community leadership; and continue to develop yourself and those you collaborate with for the community good.
Debating & influencing skills (Under development. Available in 2018.) Critical thinking skills (Under development. Available in 2018.) Each module may be adjusted to suit your council’s specific issues or areas of focus. The GROW handbook will be offered as a useful reference guide for all of these modules, and to support subsequent council conversations and action. For more information, please contact jill.calogaras@lgnz.co.nz
Appointing leadership Contingent recruitment and executive search – what is the difference? EquiP is committed to finding the very best CE talent to perform leadership roles in the local government sector. Rothley, as a valued partner, complements EquiP’s capacity to further service the sector, providing recruitment solutions for tier 2 and 3 management roles, as well as specialist hard-to-fill roles. EquiP and Rothley will collaborate on certain assignments to provide targeted and bespoke solutions for key sector leadership roles.
gets paid when their candidate is hired. This means that when assignments are difficult, there is no incentive to continue – the job is often put in the ‘too hard basket’. For this reason, fees are generally lower and reflect the limited time invested in the process. By virtue of the ‘fee-for-candidate’ nature of this business model, contingent recruiters are motivated to get many resumes in front of many clients as quickly as possible. This often leads to less than satisfactory results.
When appointing leadership, specialist talent or critical positions, hiring managers have a choice: they can keep the recruitment process in-house, or look for outside services. This isn’t where the engagement choice ends however, because hiring managers can choose either an executive search firm or a contingent recruitment company to work with. This article focuses on clarifying the differences between the two.
Which service should I use?
By definition, executive search firms are management consultants that work on an advisory basis for their clients, with fees linked to the delivery of agreed professional services and milestones. Engaged on an exclusive basis, a search firm partners with their clients to uncover, assess and select the very best possible candidates. With competition for the best people so intense, finding the right person may be only part of the task. Effective search consultants will present prospective candidates with a compelling story about a great opportunity. Executive search firms operate a clientcentric model, and therefore work on a limited number of assignments at any given time. As a customer, you should expect a high level of proactive service, a slate of highly qualified candidates, and a consultant who develops a long-term relationship with you that is built on trust. Alternatively, hiring managers can engage a contingent recruitment company. Contingent recruiters are generally hired to present a pool of candidates as quickly as possible. They will refer candidates swiftly, and most of the assessment and selection work is left to the client. Candidates are typically sourced from advertising or people already known to the recruitment company. Contingent recruiters seek to ‘place’ as many candidates as possible, in the shortest possible timeframe. Fees are charged on a ‘fee-for-candidate’ basis, meaning that the consultant only
Executive search firms are typically used for mid – to senior-level leadership positions, through to CE and board director appointments. They should be used for critical appointments, where the best candidate is harder to find and persuade to make a move, and where the potential impact of success or failure is the greatest. Contingent recruiters are generally used for lower-level positions where there is a large volume of qualified candidates, and a low potential negative impact resulting from the wrong hiring decision. Contingent recruiters have a strong sales orientation, working with a lot of contacts, which can be an advantage to low – to mid-level candidates looking to make a move quickly. Before engaging a firm make sure you: > know what support you need; > know what you are paying for; > understand the firm’s methodology; > check their credentials and track record; and > have confidence in the consultant you are engaging. When it comes to the most critical and senior hires, ensure that you know you are appointing the best possible candidate in the market. The only way you can be sure of this is to pay for a robust search and selection process that guarantees the most appropriate person is identified, attracted and retained. For more on Rothley/EquiP’s recruitment services, email equip@lgnz.co.nz
Executive Performance Programme The relationship between CE and Council, and the performance of the CE, are critical factors to success in local government. We spoke to Palmerston North Deputy Mayor Tangi Utikere on his experience with EquiP’s Executive Performance Programme, run by EquiP Associate Pamela Peters. What do you like/find most useful about EquiP’s Executive Performance Programme? EquiP’s programme draws on the relative experience of those who have been involved in the local government sector and professional leaders in their field. This allows for targeted assistance that meets the diverse needs of different councils. Their consultants work alongside you, ensuring that they provide an appropriate level of support at each stage of the journey.
What do you find most useful about having Pamela facilitate the Programme? Pamela’s personal approach, combined with her relevant experience, means that she is able to provide support that is tailored to meet the needs of our council. She offers a bespoke service which demonstrates her ability to easily adapt and respond to change along the way. This has proved most helpful in assisting our elected members and chief executive to meet our ongoing appraisal and performance needs with ease; a fundamental requirement for any local authority. For more on EquiP’s Executive Performance Programme, please email equip@lgnz.co.nz or visit lgnz.co.nz/equip-performance-programme
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The Final Word Future proofing, technology and investment to be canvassed at LGNZ conference. The challenges New Zealand faces in the coming decades have been well canvassed by LGNZ in its 2050 Challenge discussion document, which highlighted a range of shifts New Zealand will need to adapt to. These include climate change, changing demographics and advances in technology impacting on the ways we work, among others. The LGNZ Conference 2017 to be held in July picks up on this future focus with the theme for this year’s event, ‘creating pathways to 2050: liveable spaces and loveable places’. To bring this theme to life local and international speakers will raise key issues, such as: > Building communities from the ground up: strengthening local democracy and engagement. How engaging communities in shaping the look, function and feel of the places in which they live can build a strong sense of local pride, identity and connection. > Community faces: how people are shaping the future. A future vision on how people will shape our communities in the coming decades as a result of New Zealand’s growing diversity. This touching session features personal stories from members of the Cook Islands Development Agency of New Zealand and the Roots Collective on how they are changing lives in their community. > Building tomorrow’s places 2050: the role of technology. Looking at the role of technology in transport and how smart technology can be integrated in councils future plans. Learn about the practical technology trials underway to understand why New Zealand is a world leader in the implementation of Smart City technology. > Creating tomorrow’s places 2050. Attracting inward investment to boost local economy. Three councils share best practice examples and stories of how their approach has opened the door to investment, strengthening the resilience of their local economy.
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> Liveable spaces and loveable places: community infrastructure. Looking at the worlds most liveable cities: Creating cities that will continue to improve quality of life for our communities through liveable spaces and loveable places. > Sustainable development 2050: inspired action to build great communities. Bringing together policy, practice and research to inform our council leaders on how they can champion change to create and sustain liveable spaces and loveable places. A highly inspiring presentation on delivering a vision for our cities and towns. > Looking after tomorrow’s places 2050: meeting our nation’s water needs. Managing community expectations and delivering the Government’s objectives for freshwater water quality is a challenge facing all of New Zealand. The primary sector and urban infrastructure are key areas for focus but equally we need to have strong conversations with our community on costs and plans to deliver. > Future proofing our communities. This compelling international speaker brings the conference themes together and presents views on how and why we must adapt and be futureready in a period of unprecedented technological, environmental, and demographic change.
The 2017 LGNZ Conference will take place at the SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland from 23 - 25 July. For more information visit www.lgnz2017.co.nz
LGJobs: Connecting councils with the best local government candidates
LGJobs is the only local government specific jobs board in New Zealand. As itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operated by SOLGM, the not-for-profit membership organisation for sector professionals, its aim is to help councils find the very best candidates.
Councils and their recruitment agencies can find out more at LGJobs.co.nz or email lgjobs@SOLGM.org.nz or phone 04 978 1280 for more information.