Nigel Simpson: Time For Major Change For Napier
Nigel Simpson is calling on Napier residents to help elect a new set of councillors with proven governance experience; people who've served on school boards, business boards, and community groups, and understand what strategic leadership really looks ... More >>
Unbelievable: CEO Has To Lodge Official Request With Own Council To Get Info
Friday, 16 September 2022, 5:30 pm | Nigel Simpson
The news yesterday that the chief executive of Napier City Council had to lodge a Local Government Official Information Act (LGOIMA) request to get information out of her own Council is deeply disturbing. The just departed chief executive lodged ... More >>
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RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Southern councils reluctantly agree to jointly deliver water services
Clutha River Mata-Au. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton The Clutha District Council has reluctantly agreed to partner with other southern councils to deliver water services with councillors saying they feel backed into a corner. Councils have less than a month to submit their water service delivery plans to the Department of Internal Affairs. Four southern councils had been working towards a jointly owned, council-controlled organisation, but last month, the Waitaki District Council pulled out , leaving the others to work out if they should stick with the plan or strike out on their own. Earlier this week, the Central Otago and Gore district councils both voted to stay the course and continue with the Southern Water Done Well model. On Wednesday, Clutha District councillors met to consider if the updated figures for only three councils stacked up and they should stick with their earlier decision to adopt the Southern Water Done Well model. Analysis by Morrison Low Advisory, that was tabled at the extraordinary meeting, found that ratepayers across the three councils would collectively save approximately $392 million by 2054 through setting up the joint entity. This was $220 million less than the estimated savings if the Waitaki District Council remained in the partnership, but the analysis suggested the figures used conservative assumptions and more savings could be made if other councils joined in the future. The decision was not unanimous, with multiple councillors on both sides of the vote expressing their frustration and concerns. Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was gutted and furious, but the new entity was the only option they had to avoid government intervention as they faced rising debt, costs, rate rises above 20 percent and a looming deadline. It was the worst process that he had ever seen a government push through, he said. "Most councils walk out of this totally enfeebled. There's going to be some ghastly costs and ghastly decisions moving forward." But he urged councillors not to vote against the partnership, saying the council could not afford to go it alone and if it tried, the government would step in and councillors would not have a seat at the decision-making table. Clutha district Mayor Bryan Cadogan Photo: supplied Councillors had a moral and democratic responsibility to protect their ratepayers from having a complete stranger from Wellington intervene and call the shots for their district, he said. Councillor Dane Catherwood said they were being pushed into a corner, but he was worried about ratepayers facing separate rates and water bills and that it would be more expensive if the entity went ahead. Clutha Deputy Mayor Ken Payne said it felt like they only had one option, even if he did not like it. Councillor Gaynor Finch said she did not want to hand over the district's assets, but she thought this option was the only way to avoid government intervention. Councillor Brent Mackie said he resented the feeling their ratepayers were being threatened and their district was being bullied and pushed around. Councillor Jock Martin said he believed if the council backed its own staff and process, they could do a better, cheaper job. The analysis was peer reviewed by Concept Consulting and Infometrics, and considered by the Department of Internal Affairs, with all three noting that this model remained the best and most viable option for the three councils to deliver water services. Councillors also voted to agree that the Timaru District Council and Waitaki District Council might join the partnership and they were willing to explore future opportunities to collaborate with other southern councils. During the meeting, they were told that the Waitaki District Council, which has been hosting weekly workshops on its own water plan, had been advised by the Department of Internal Affairs that its plan had significant gaps. On that basis, the department staff told them a specialist would likely be sent in to take over decision-making and they were expected to get the council to rejoin the southern partnership. Councillor Alison Ludemann said no extra costs should fall on the councils already in the partnership if another council sought to buddy up and any request needed to be discussed by the councils. For Clutha ratepayers, the analysis found that a new joint water services entity would mean three waters debt and revenue no longer impacted the council's borrowing limits and the council would improve its debt to revenue ratio, allowing for an increase of approximately $8 million of additional borrowing capacity. The analysis also found, while this model was the best overall, there was a risk that some local control was eroded and some high value jobs might be lost in some districts as the work was centralised. It also said the benefits of the model would be derived over the long term and the transition to a regional price might increase charges for some customers. Southern Water Done Well chair and Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley said the entity would be designed to protect local communities and ensure fair, effective governance. "The model is regionally focused, community-driven, and ensures that decisions about water services remain in local hands," she said. Working together remained the best way for councils to achieve their shared goal to provide the best most efficient services for their communities today and into the future, she said. "We remain committed to collaboration and would welcome future conversations with any council interested in being part of a community-led, regional solution." The new water services entity was due to start operations by July 2027, covering 24 urban water supplies and 10 rural supplies. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Phase One Milestones In Shaping Our Future Programme Achieved
Press Release – Nelson City Council Council Chief Executive Nigel Philpott says the change will enable the organisation to improve the delivery of services and projects for its customers and community. Nelson City Council has unveiled a new organisational design as it moves into Phase 2 of Shaping Our Future, a five-year internal programme that will modernise how the organisation operates and ensure we deliver even better value for money for our community. Council's current five Group Manager roles will be disestablished and replaced with four new Executive Director roles: Executive Director Delivery: Leads integrated operational services and infrastructure delivery Executive Director People & Customer Experience: Leads strategic transformation, customer experience and people strategy. Executive Director Strategy & Planning: Leads strategy, asset management, and long-term planning. Executive Director Corporate Services: Leads centralised core corporate functions Council Chief Executive Nigel Philpott says the change will enable the organisation to improve the delivery of services and projects for its customers and community. 'This new structure will better integrate the various functions across Council, enhancing collaboration across services and moving us away from working in siloed groups into a 'one council' approach that puts the customer at the core of our business. 'We'll be better organised to focus on our long-term goals and have the breadth and depth of capabilities needed to provide good value for money for our community now and in the future, both at a strategic and operational level.' The various business units across Council will be reorganised to align with this new Directorate structure. Nigel says the changes aren't about downsizing the organisation but spending Council's people budget to better effect. 'We've got great staff doing a lot of good work, but as Council has grown into a complex organisation managing over $2.5 billion in assets, so have the expectations. 'These changes are about rising to those expectations and making it easier for staff to work more efficiently and collaboratively to better serve the community, and maximising value for money.' The new organisation design is one of the outcomes from Phase 1 of Shaping Our Future, a programme based on two years of data, analysis and feedback indicating a strong case for change. 'Through staff workshops; surveys; interviews with elected members and external stakeholders; and feedback from the 2024 City Revitalisation Summit; it became clear that the time is right for our Council to modernise so it can meet the changing needs of our community. We know there are things we do well and areas where we can significantly improve, and we now have a much better picture of what that will look like.' Entirely funded by an internal loan, which ensures the programme remains cost-neutral and has no impact on rates, another key outcome from Phase 1 of Shaping Our Future was a new Operating Model. ' The Operating Model is a blueprint that defines how our people, processes, technologies, and decision-making align with our strategic goals to deliver value for money, and it's what we used to develop our new organisation design,' Nigel says. The model was developed by the Operating Model workstream, one of seven staff-led workstreams tasked with reviewing aspects of the organisation. Creation of the model involved input from Council staff and key stakeholders. In March, 91 staff took part in workshops to explore how Council could work most effectively in the future, which helped to shape the model. 'The model will guide the way Council serves Nelson in the future and is what staff will refer to in Phase 2 when we start making tangible changes to the way we operate to create a more responsive, customer-focused organisation,' says Nigel. Other Phase 1 workstream highlights include: Service Portfolio: reviewed all of Council's services and explored interactive tools for using this data to inform future decision-making and how to get the best 'bang for the buck'. Purposeful Delivery: introduced a project prioritisation framework and began establishing a Programme Management Office (PMO) to better co-ordinate the work delivered across the organisation with a prime focus on value for money delivery. Customer & Community: mapped customer journeys to see where services could be made easier to access and tested these journeys with external focus groups. People: sourced a new Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to update Council's internal systems and significantly increase efficiency. Achievable Long Term Plan (LTP): revising Council's Long Term Plan process to ensure transparency, affordability and strategic alignment with community priorities. 'Shaping Our Future is about asking what's working, what's not working, and then making gradual, sustainable and meaningful improvements to our service,' says Nigel. 'We want to provide lasting value for our community now and in the years ahead.' What's next In July, the Transformation Management Office (TMO) workstream, which facilitates the Shaping Our Future programme, organised an Expo for Council staff to reflect on Phase 1 and look ahead to Phase 2. Nearly 200 staff attended. 'What we heard was clear: our staff are ready to tackle what's ahead and further develop the ways in which this programme will improve the way we work,' Nigel says. While Phase 1 was about information gathering and setting the future direction of the organisation, Phase 2 is all about how the organisation gets there. 'This next phase is about bringing the Operating Model to life and embedding it throughout the organisation,' says Nigel. 'Implementing the new organisation design will be a crucial first step, which will position us to make real changes that improve how we work and serve the public. 'Over time, people will see the difference: an achievable Long Term Plan that prioritises care of our existing infrastructure and services, the smart co-ordination of project delivery through a Programme Management Office, and, following a technology business case that will be put to Elected Members, more self-service options that make interacting with Council easier,' Nigel says. 'This programme is ultimately about ensuring Council does its part to help Nelson thrive —now and in the future.' Phase 2 of Shaping Our Future officially begins 25 August 2025.
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- RNZ News
LGNZ on govt's rate capping proposal
money local council 20 minutes ago The local government minister has confirmed he'll be taking a paper to cabinet before Christmas with a proposed model to cap rates. Local Government New Zealand and Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton spoke to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira.
