hotu manawa the new zealand society of local government ... file&folder_id... · by michael...

The electronic magazine from the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers

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PulseApril 2008

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11 years of awards

Conference 2008

Rates model results

http://www.mwhglobal.co.nz

http://www.civicassurance.co.nz

http://www.simpsongrierson.com

SOLGMPO Box 5538,Lambton Quay,8th Floor, Civic Assurance House,114-118 Lambton Quay,Wellington,New Zealand

Tel: 04 978 1280Fax: 04 978 1285Email: [email protected]


Contents

PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Contents People in this issue include Tanya Winter, Ray Andrew and Don Day

NEWS

Conference 2008: 7-9 September, Paihia, Bay of Islands

Five awards: 2008 Overseas Manager Exchanges

Lakes heaven: 45 South turns it on in Queenstown

Beat to the retreat: SOLGM bikers take two-wheel track

Janice Nadew: New Marketing and Communications Advisor

MWH International Conference Attendance Awards announced

Recent Chief Executive appointments

AGENDA

Model results: Independent Inquiry into Rating

Executive Committee Election 2008: Call for nominations for President and two Vice Presidents

Plenty on agenda: Strategic Planning Working Party

More prizes: Recruitment and Retention Programme developments

What’s hot: Good practice toolkits

New modules: Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme

Six showcased: 2008 Leading Practices Symposium

Filling the gaps: Strategy and policy courses target skill shortages

National Office Diary

IN PARTNERSHIP

The LGITO: Improving the people in local government

Change afoot?: A competitive insurance market

New system: Queenstown Lakes invests in new technology

New look: New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards

Eleven years: New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards

RMA plans: Councils ill-prepared to

evaluate plan effectiveness

1 July looms: New addressing standards for bulk mail

Briefing offer: Performance excellence in local government

VIEWPOINT

Brain food: ICMA annual conference, Pittsburgh, October 2007

‘Green centre’: ICMA annual conference, Pittsburgh, October 2007

TRAINING

From the SOLGM Opus Business School

http://www.solgm.org.nz



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News

Page 1 of 2

Conference 2008By Alistair DrakeConvenorConference Organising Committee

A very active Organising Committee

is enthusiastically working to ensure

that this year’s SOLGM Conference

in the Bay of Islands is every bit as

good, if not better, than previous

SOLGM Conferences.

2008 is the 20th year since the

establishment of SOLGM on 1

January 1988. This anniversary will

also be a cause to celebrate at the

Conference.

The Conference theme is

“Community Sustainability and

Wellbeing in an Uncertain Future”.

Under this theme, the Organising

Committee’s indicative thinking is

for four distinct sessions followed by

breakout workshops around:

• promoting social wellbeing;

• promoting environmental

wellbeing;

• promoting cultural wellbeing; and

• promoting economic wellbeing.

This will be followed by a session

dealing with their integration.

At this stage, keynote and other

speakers are being sourced to

address the four wellbeing sessions.

There will, however, be at least

three speakers of high international

calibre. These will be augmented and

complemented of course by some of

our own expert practitioners.

The Topp Twins are being sourced as

entertaining MCs.

We will provide you with updates on

other speakers as the programme



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News

firms up. In this regard, you can also

refer to the Conference website,

www.solgm2008.co.nz.

In the meantime, please note in your

diaries the dates of 7-9 September.

On behalf of the Northern Branch

Conference Organising Committee,

I look forward to meeting you at

the 20th SOLGM Conference in the

picturesque Bay of Islands at the

start of spring.

Page 2 of 2

Conference 2008

Picturesque Paihia.



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News

Five awards of Overseas Manager

Exchanges were agreed by the

Sector Capability Advisory Board at

its meeting on 14 March.

The exchange with the UK (including

attendance at the SOLACE

Conference in Belfast from 7 to

2008 Overseas Manager Exchanges

Five awards

9 October has been awarded to

Peter Guerin, Chief Executive of

Rotorua District Council. The award

is sponsored by Jardine Lloyd

Thompson.

The exchange with British Columbia

was especially keenly sought after.

This has been awarded to Susan

Jones, Human Resources and

Administration Manager at Gore

District Council. The exchange

includes attendance at the annual

conference of LGMA British Columbia

in Prince George from 17 to 19 June.

The award is also sponsored by

Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ltd.

The exchange to the United States

has been awarded to Robert

Mallinson, Corporate Services

Manager for West Coast Regional

Council. The exchange includes

Page 1 of 2Peter Guerin Susan Jones Robert Mallinson

http://www.jlt.co.nz




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News

2008 Overseas Manager Exchanges

Five awardsattendance at the ICMA Conference

in Richmond Virginia from 21 to

24 September. This exchange is

sponsored by Civic Assurance.

The exchange to New South Wales

has been awarded to Jeff Kivell,

Programme Manager Infrastructure

Services for Taupo District Council.

The exchange includes attendance

at the LGMA New South Wales

State Conference in Penrith from

17 to 19 September. This exchange


Thompson.

The exchange to Queensland has

been awarded to David Clapperton,

Strategic and Corporate Services

Manager for Horowhenua District

Council. The exchange includes

attendance at the LGMA Queensland

State Conference in Townsville from

21 to 24 October. This exchange

Jeff Kivell

David Clapperton

Page 2 of 2


Thompson.

New Zealand visitors

In addition SOLACE and LGMA,

British Columbia has also chosen

its exchange managers who will

visit New Zealand about the time

of the SOLGM Conference in early

September. Visiting from the UK

will be Michael Turvey, who is Chief

Executive of Christchurch Borough

in Dorset. Coming from Canada will

be Stan Westby, Chief Administrative

Officer for the City of Powell River.

The exchange partners to visit New

Zealand from the US, Queensland

and New South Wales are chosen

later in the year.



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News

Page 1 of 2

By Tanya Winter45 South Branch President

They came by air, land and

sea – well, not quite.

But some SOLGM

45 South branch

members did

arrive at the 2008

Queenstown retreat

by motorcycle.

The group, organised

by Michael Ross,

took the scenic route

through beautiful

Central Otago and

Southland,

to arrive

refreshed,

energised

and mostly in

one piece for

the couple of

days ahead. (See separate article on

page 9).

With a programme arranged

to balance the serious

stuff with the more

thought provoking,

Steve Parry and Susan

Jones of Gore District

Council put together a

stimulating and varied

two days, allowing ample

time for networking

and experiencing all

Queenstown has to

offer.

While not

wanting

to

single

out

any

one

guest speaker, Jenny Shipley’s

address on the morning of the

first day set the scene in a global

context, and was a highlight for me.

Jenny’s quiet strength and candid

revelations about her life beyond

central government politics were

inspirational and insightful.

Greg O’Connor, President of the

New Zealand Police Association,

spoke passionately about policing

in our communities. His sometimes

brutally honest account of the crime,

particularly through gangs, sweeping

through all communities, provoked

an interesting panel discussion on

the second day, where he was joined

by MP for Otago Jacqui Dean and

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Mayor Clive Geddes.

Lakes heaven45 South turns it on in Queenstown



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News

Lakes heaven45 South turns it on in Queenstown

Feedback from evaluations at the conclusion of the retreat were positive, with plenty of suggestions for next time. One person made the comment: “I can’t understand why more SOLGM members don’t attend these retreats. I consider it the best value for money, networking and development I have experienced.”

Page 2 of 2

Tawera Nikau’s story of the

challenges he has faced was set

against a rugby league way of life,

where not giving up and being

the best you can be are core to

everything he does. Tawera’s

commitment to supporting young

people through the work he does

– mainly voluntary – is admirable.

Political commentator Chris Trotter

rounded the retreat off and mapped

the political landscape from

“that famous Brash speech

at Orewa” to the upcoming

elections. The links he made

between Star Wars and

politics were enlightening.

This man was sharper than

Darth Vader’s light sabre!

Feedback from evaluations

at the conclusion of the

retreat were positive, with

plenty of suggestions for next time.

One person made the comment: “I

can’t understand why more SOLGM

members don’t attend these retreats.

I consider it the best value for

money, networking and development

I have experienced.”

The next 45 South Branch retreat

is in Wanaka on 7-9 February, 2010.

Diary it now!



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News

By Michael Ross

Honda rider

In seven years of owning my Honda, I have never had to experience the ignominy of picking it up off the road. In covering 1600km in three days, I guess you would have to expect some excitement! But more on that later.

The first ever SOLGM “Beat to the Retreat” gathered in Geraldine around lunchtime on the Friday before the Queenstown retreat. We had come from points around the South Island and one of our number had ridden down from Wellington.

The weather was hot and dry as we headed through the rolling downlands to Fairlie. Over Burkes Pass and the McKenzie country greeted us with a characteristic norwesterly blast. I thought at the time that this would bring some

Beat to the retreatSOLGM bikers take two-wheel track

Michael Ross, Eugene Bowen and Brian Lester rest the saddle sores.

Page 1 of 4



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News

excitement – and so it did.

After fueling at Tekapo we headed up the steep climb to the Mt John Observatory, where a new café has opened. The wind on top blew the froth off our lattes as we sat and contemplated the advancing dark clouds from the south.

The rain began once we dropped down to Lake Pukaki, having enjoyed the freedom of the private road on the Meridian canal. Despite a patient wait at the Wrinkly Ram in Omarama, it did not relent and continued all the way down the Waitaki Valley to Oamaru.

We were all soaked when we arrived at home. However Susie had done a great job on the dinner and with a few of Steve Green’s Carrick Pinot Noir on board, we were soon back in full spirit.

Given the programme for the next

day – Saturday – the nightlife in Oamaru was forsaken for a relatively early bed.

Saturday 1 February – Oamaru-Invercargill-Te Anau

Saturday dawned fine and clear. We headed down the coast road to Kakanui and Waianakarua, and then took to the coast again from Karitane, Seacliff and Warrington before avoiding the Northern Motorway into Dunedin – preferring the challenges to the windy Mt Cargill road over the summit and down into Dunedin.

Another round of coffees, this time at the Otago Museum Café.

On south to Brighton, and again we followed the coast through to Taieri Mouth and up and over the newly sealed road to Lake Waihola. Terrific views, good cruising and a minor woops as one of our number lost

traction in the loose chip and left a mirror on the roadway.

“Good thing that thick black leather,” he reckoned.

Further south in Balclutha. We lunched at Peggydale with some old friends who were keen to join our group and show us the way through their patch – the Southern Scenic Route through the Catlins and on to Invercargill. This is a great ride and requires full concentration to stay in sync with the tight corners all through the Catlins State Forest. After a quick re-fuel in Invercargill we continued on for refreshments at the Pavilion at Colac Bay – part of that great sweep of the Southern tip of the South Island – where the big westerly swells seem sent directly from Australia.


Page 2 of 4



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News

Along Te Waewae Bay, through the town of Tuatapere then over Blackmount, down past the Takitimus and into the Te Anau basin. We stopped at the Manapouri Tavern, the western-most bar in New Zealand, before knocking over the final leg of the Saturday ride into Te Anau itself. Another 600km day – lots of country and some wonderful stretches of kiwi roads – with no traffic in sight and hot weather to boot.

A few single malts and then out to the restaurant. A lot of laughs and smiles over the journey so far and intense discussion around the merits of one bike against another – and of course the road surface – as per brief. And the waitress – what waitress?

Sunday 2 February – Te Anau-Milford-Queenstown

Nature calls or looking for directions? Members of the motorcycle road trip take a break on the road to Queenstown.


Page 3 of 4



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News

The clouds were starting to roll in on the Sunday morning so we headed west early on the Milford Road, keen to avoid any more rain (Friday had cured us of that!). We flew through some of the most spectacular country you can possibly experience. Indeed, Peter Mitchell in his book Great Escapes rates it as the best ride in the world. I would agree, apart from that switchback on the climb back up to the tunnel, but more on that later.

Brunch in the Milford Café, another coffee and the rain stayed away. We took the obligatory shots of the view, but our focus was the road – the sweep through the next bend with the bike heeled right over in seeming defiance of natural balance. But that is all part of the thrill of it, until that is, you decide to look backwards and lose your concentration on the task ahead.


Which is why I ended up picking my ego and my bike off the chip seal by the mouth of the Homer Tunnel.

A bit of Joan’s duct tape on the cowling and we were away again, down the other side of the tunnel. Down the past the Hollyford, over the Cascade Saddle and down the Eglington Valley and back into the great open space of the wonderful Te Anau basin.

A venison pie at the Bracken Hall Café in Mossburn was next on the

list, before heading north through to Five Rivers, Garston, Kingston and finally to our hotel in Queenstown.

We were there – 1560km, lots of coffees and laughs later. We’d done it. A great high-speed inspection of some of the best roading infrastructure New Zealand has to offer the keen local government manager.

Next time – will you be there? Let’s see how the repairs go, but I would do it all again, just like last time, in a flash!

We flew through some of the most spectacular country you can possibly experience. Indeed, Peter Mitchell in his book Great Escapes rates it as the best ride in the world.

Page 4 of 4



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News

Janice NadewNew Marketing and Communications Advisor

Page 1 of 2

Janice Nadew joins our team at National Office as Marketing and Communications Advisor on 21 April.

She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in this new position. Janice has worked in advertising, marketing and corporate communications both in the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Janice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organisational Communication from De La Salle University in the Philippines, and a Master of Arts Degree in International Communication from Macquarie University in Australia.

Before joining the Society, Janice worked with the New Zealand Childcare Association, where she took on various marketing and communication projects that

included the rollout of new brand

identity, implementing marketing

campaigns and managing

website redevelopment. She was

also involved in press release

writing, stakeholder and internal

communications and producing the

Association’s quarterly newsletter.

“Communications is integral in

every organization,” Janice says.

“It is not about spinning messages.

It is about delivering a clear,

distinct and relevant message to

your audience. Listening to your

audience before constructing the

message and selecting the right

channel are essential ingredients

to effective communication.”

Janice hopes to make a significant

contribution to the Society. She

believes that marketing and

communication can support

the organisation to achieve its



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News

Janice NadewNew Marketing and Communications Advisor

business goals.

“I look forward to this new challenge and having the opportunity to make a difference,” she says.

She is also enthusiastic to learn about management and best practices in local government. She believes that empowering these communities will contribute to a better New Zealand.

Janice moved to New Zealand with her husband in 2006 to have a more relaxed lifestyle. She has spent most of her life in the Philippines, her home country, and lived in Australia for a couple of years while completing her post-graduate studies. She also lived in Ethiopia for a few months to gain work experience in development

Page 2 of 2

MWH International Conference Attendance Awards announced

On 31 March, the SOLGM Executive awarded two MWH-sponsored awards, to attend the Local Government Managers Australia National Congress on the Gold Coast on 25-26 May, to:

• Tamsin Evans, Strategic Projects Manager, Kapiti Coast District Council; and

• Antoinette Campbell, Community Services Manager, Hastings District Council.

The awards are each valued at $1050 plus GST. SOLGM greatly appreciates the sponsorship by MWH of these awards to assist SOLGM members widen their horizons through attending international events for local government managers such as this Congress. In June, applications for the three MWH-sponsored awards to attend the ICMA Conference in Richmond, Virginia, on 21-24 September, will be called for.




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News

Rodger Kerr-Newell, former Chief Executive of New Plymouth District

Council, has been appointed Chief Executive at Rodney District Council.

Rodger took up the position on 3 March and replaces Vijaya Vaidyanath,

who recently became Chief Executive at Waitakere City Council.

Ross McLeod, former Director, Corporate and Civic Services, Waitakere City

Council, has been appointed Chief Executive of Hastings District Council.

Ross took up the position on 11 February. He replaces Murray Gilbertson,

who retired.

Michael Willis, former Chief Executive at Palmerston North City Council,

SOLGM President and also Chief Executive at Blue Mountains City Council in

New South Wales, began as Chief Executive of Surrey Heath Council in the

UK last December.

Recent Chief Executive appointments

Agenda




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa Independent Inquiry into Rating

Model resultsSOLGM has continued to make

a major commitment to the

Government’s process for making

decisions on the recommendations

made by the Independent Inquiry

into Rating.

During March SOLGM and Local

Government New Zealand published

No Magic Answers. This report

focuses on the recommendations

that the Inquiry made in relation

to rating tools – that is the set

of recommendations focused on

achieving what the Inquiry saw

as a fair sharing of rates burdens

within communities, as opposed to

those that might reduce the overall

reliance of local authorities on rates

as a source of revenue.

The report sets out the results of

modeling undertaken by 20 local

authorities to assess the possible

effects of the recommendations. The

recommendations concerned were:

• the abolition of powers to levy a uniform annual general charge (UAGC);

• the abolition of powers to levy general rates on a differential basis;

• strong encouragement for local authorities to switch to the capital value system;

• strong encouragement for local authorities to introduce volumetric charging (metering) for water supply and wastewater disposal.

The councils were asked to model

the effects of four scenarios

involving the implementation of

these recommendations. While the

exercise is inherently a hypothetical

one, it is seen as providing a

generally accurate picture of what Page 1 of 2

Agenda




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s there might also be some shift in rates from lower-valued properties to higher-valued properties as a result of the abolition of the UAGC where this mechanism is currently used.

• In provincial and rural New Zealand

s the recommendations generally create shifts from urban ratepayers (both residential and commercial) to the rural sector.

• Overall, it appears that the commercial sector would be the clear “winners” if these recommendations were implemented, with the rural sector the clear “losers”, and the impact on residential property owners is more mixed.

The full report can be downloaded

from www.solgm.co.nz/Other+

SOLGM+Good+Practice+Material/

Rating+Inquiry.htm

The Government has also sought

reports from officials on a wide

range of the other groups of

recommendations made by the

inquiry.

the impacts of implementing these

recommendations would be. The

headline results were:

• In metropolitan New Zealand

s the recommendations generally create shifts in rates from the commercial/industrial sector to the residential sector and, to a lesser extent the rural sector;

s the extent of the shifts varied from moderate to extreme in nature, depending on the extent to which existing rating systems resembled those envisaged by the inquiry;

s this headline shift in incidence can be traced to the abolition of differential rates (in most metropolitan local authorities commercial properties are currently paying a higher rate in the dollar than residential);

Independent Inquiry into Rating

Model results

Page 2 of 2

www.solgm.co.nz/Other+SOLGM+Good+Practice+Material/Rating+Inquiry.htm



Agenda




Page 1 of 3

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All SOLGM Members

President and Vice President Positions

Notice is hereby given that an

election is to be held for Officers

of the Executive of the Society

(President and two Vice Presidents)

in accordance with Rule 11 of the

Constitution and Rules of the

Society.

Nomination papers must be in

writing, signed by the proposer,

seconder and the candidate.

A pen portrait of the candidate must

accompany the Nomination paper.

It is important that you refer to the

guidance notes in your preparation

of the pen portrait to ensure it fits

within our printing specification.

Executive Committee Election 2008

Call for Nominations for President and Two Vice Presidents

The Nomination Form is shown over.

Potential candidates may request

further information regarding these

positions. In the first instance we

recommend you discuss this with

your current Branch Executive

representative, or you may contact

the Chief Executive on

ph 04 972 1282.

In accordance with Rule 11.2 of the

Society’s Constitution, Nomination

Papers are to be in the hands of

the Chief Executive by 5pm on

Wednesday 30 April 2008.

Branch Executive Committee Positions

Members should note that Branch

Secretaries, under Rule 12.3 of

the Constitution and Rules, will

soon be calling for nominations for

Branch Elected Executive positions.

Branch nominations must be with

your Branch Secretary by 5pm on

Wednesday 30 April 2008.

David Smith

SOLGM Chief Executive

31 March 2008

Page 1 of 3

Agenda




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Executive Committee Election 2008

Nomination Form

We the undersigned Members of the New Zealand Society of

Local Government Managers Inc hereby nominate:

Full Name: (Print)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Local Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

with his/her consent, as a candidate for the office of:

President (tick choice)

Vice President

Proposer: Full Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Local Authority: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Seconder: Full Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Local Authority: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I, (Full Name). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

hereby consent to this nomination.

Local Authority: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A pen portrait is attached Yes (tick choice)

No

Dated this . . . . . . . . . day of April 2008

Notes:

1 To be valid, this form must be returned to the Chief

Executive, SOLGM, PO Box 5538, Wellington, by mail or

placed in his hands, by 5pm Wednesday, 30 April 2008.

2 No late nominations will be accepted.

3 Please see over for Guidance Notes on pen portraits.

4 Nominations without pen portraits will be circulated as a

name only.


Page 2 of 3

Agenda




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Guidance Notes on Candidate Pen Portraits

1 Candidates are required to provide a Pen Portrait with their Nomination. This must be provided within the application period ending 30 April 2008 – by mail (fax is not acceptable).

2 Pen Portrait (first person) statement of a Candidate’s

• relevant qualifications for the position

• industry, SOLGM and/or other professional society experience and leadership

• personal attitude to the position and ability to serve actively

• intentions, or aspirations, for the future development and work of the Society.

3 The Pen Portrait should be approximately 250-400 words in length. It may include a passport photo of the candidate. It shall not exceed an A4 page.

4 Presentation: Pen Portraits are photocopied from the original material supplied by the candidate. They must be presented on plain white paper, neatly typed, borders of 2.5cm, preferably in

font Arial size 10 (this font and size),

or using a similarly sized, sans serif, alternative. It should be mailed, unfolded, not faxed. It should be displayed as follows:

5 Heading: centred, in capital letters, in bold type, size 12:

PEN PORTRAIT

(CANDIDATE’S FULL NAME)

[turn down one line only]

Details . . .


Page 3 of 3

Agenda




Page 1 of 3

PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa Strategic Planning Working Party

Plenty on agendaThe Strategic Planning Working

Party met at the offices of

Wellington City Council on 22

February. The main focus of the WP

over the coming period will be on:

• the Community Outcomes guide

for the “2009 and Beyond” suite;

• overseeing the development of

the programme for the 2008

Community Plan conference;

• a guidance piece on “taking a

sustainable development approach

and the 2009 LTCCP”;

• investigating the feasibility of an

online resource library or portal

for resources for local authority

strategic planners;

• assessing whether there is a

need for guidance around climate

change and the 2009 LTCCP.

Community Outcomes Guide

The Planned Community Outcomes

Guide for the “2009 and Beyond”

series was originally scheduled

to be completed by the end of

February 2008. However, work was

interrupted by the focus in late 2007

on work for the “2009 and Beyond”

seminars and more recently by

the commitment of team members

to work relating to their councils’

annual plans. The project will start

again in early April with a revised

due date of early July.

2008 Community Plan Conference

Planning has started for the 2008

Community Plan Conference. A

Steering Group has been set up to

develop the conference programme.

This includes some members of

the WP, along with some of the

volunteers who have been part of

the Steering Groups for previous

conferences. The theme for the

conference is to be “how to get a

strategy-driven LTCCP” – as opposed

to one that merely adds up the

numbers provided by asset and

finance managers.

Feedback from the 2007 conference

highlighted that there is increasingly

a two-tier audience for this

conference. On the one hand, a

significant number of people are

relatively new to local authority

strategic planning roles, and we

expect this will continue to be the

case. On the other hand, there is a

growing group for whom 2009 LTCCP

will be their third such exercise.

The WP considered the suggestion

of a separate “LTCCP master class”

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Hotu Manawa

seminar or workshop for the more

experienced practitioners. The WP

was concerned that holding separate

events for the two groups might

mean the opportunity could be

lost for networking and knowledge

transfer between the “old chums”

and the “new hands”, which is seen

as a valuable aspect of the single,

broadly based event.

The WP has asked that for 2008

the Steering Group should aim to

develop a programme which includes

some sessions with separate

streams targeted to the two

groups of people within the single

programme.

The conference will be on 11 and

12 August in Christchurch. The

WP welcomes feedback about its

proposed approach and suggestions

for specific topics that might be

included in the programme. Contact

[email protected].

A sustainable development approach

Part of the Auditor-General’s report

on the 2006 LTCCPs was a report

from an independent reviewer on

the extent to which the LTCCPs

showed evidence of local authorities

“taking a sustainable development

approach” (as per section 14 of the

LGA 2002).

The Auditor-General signaled that he

would also be taking some interest

in this issue in the audit of the 2009

LTCCPs. There is, however, currently

no guidance to local authorities

about what reasonable expectations

might be on this issue.

The WP agreed to develop a

relatively brief guidance piece on

this issue as a supplement to the

Strategic Planning Working Party

Plenty on agenda

Page 2 of 3

current set of “2009 and Beyond”

guides. A project team has been

formed to do this.

We are interested in including

relevant examples of things that

councils either included in their

2006 LTCCPs or are planning

to include in their 2009 LTCCPs

that might be of use to other

local authorities. All offers to

[email protected].

Council-Maori engagement

The WP reviewed the material

developed by Local Government

New Zealand and the Department

of Internal Affairs on council–Maori

engagement. It recommends that

people involved in strategic planning

roles should make themselves

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PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

familiar with this. It can be accessed

at http://www.lgnz.co.nz/projects/

LGandMaori/index.html

Local Futures

Dr Claudia Scott attended the meeting to discuss the guidance products the Local Futures project is developing and the potential for SOLGM to play a role in maintaining the products after the project’s funding ceases.

The project is currently developing guides on:

• assessing strategic performance;

• community engagement/consultation; and

• strategic tools.

For further information about Local Futures go to: www.localfutures.ac.nz

Strategic Planning Working Party

Plenty on agenda

Page 3 of 3

Roading New Zealand Conference

Sustainability and People

Duxton Hotel, Wellington

26 August 2008

• International environmental best practice for the construction

and maintenance of New Zealand roads.

• How sustainability and economic growth can happen for New

Zealand infrastructure.

• Valuable secrets of holding and recruiting people into your

organisation and into our sector.

• How we can change the culture of the sector to have everyone

working for the common good.

CONTACT

P: (06) 759-7065

E: [email protected]

www.nziht.co.nz/roading08

http://www.lgnz.co.nz/projects/LGandMaori/index.html

http://www.lgnz.co.nz/projects/LGandMaori/index.html

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By Jim HarlandProgramme Sponsor

After the successful introduction of

academic prizes at the universities

of Canterbury and Auckland, I

was very pleased with the SOLGM

Executive Committee’s decision

to introduce five further academic

prizes for 2008/2009.

The current two prizes at

the schools of engineering,

have raised student

awareness of local

government as a career

option. The five new prizes,

worth $1500 each, are

for papers in:

• Environmental Law – Otago University.

• Public Policy – Victoria

University.

• Environmental Science and Management – Waikato University

• Iwi Resource Management – Auckland University of Technology

• Science and Technology – Massey University.

Accompanying the introduction

of the prizes is also a $5000

travelling fund. This will

provide for the travel and

accommodation costs

for local government

practitioners to be

presenters at appropriate

university courses relating to

local government. I believe it

is critical that students get

exposure to this expertise

in the context of their

academic studies. They

will also be inspired by

the diverse backgrounds and careers

that these experienced practitioners

will provide.

Also, $1500 in sponsorship has

been allocated for the landscape

architecture students’ annual

exhibition at Lincoln University.

The above academic prizes and

travelling fund will operate for

two academic years and then be

reassessed for their effectiveness

in providing a higher profile for

local government as a career choice

among students studying courses of

relevance to the sector.

The second Recruitment and

Retention Programme development

relates to the Job Board on

www.localgovernmentcareers.govt.nz.

Page 1 of 2

More prizesRecruitment and Retention Programme Developments

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Since the People Shaping Progress

brand and website was introduced

12 months ago, visits to the website

have been very encouraging.

Between March 2007 and January

2008, just under 20,000 visits

were made to the website by people

seeking information about local

government careers. Over the same

period 683 jobs were advertised on

the Job Board.

In relation to the People Shaping

Progress Job Board, we have

received considerable comment

from local authorities, recruitment

agencies and individuals regarding

the duplication and confusion caused

by the existence within the sector

of three job advertising facilities.

The other two are operated by Local

Government New Zealand and Local

Government Online.

More prizesRecruitment and Retention Programme Developments

This situation has been discussed

with Local Government New Zealand

and Local Government Online.

As a result, I am pleased to advise

that at the Local Government Online

Board meeting on 5 February it was

agreed to merge and rationalise the

three facilities under the People

Shaping Progress brand. Both Local

Government New Zealand’s National

Council and the SOLGM Executive

Committee support this approach.

Arrangements are now being

made to implement the decision

by no later than 1 July this year. I

consider this is a great step for the

sector’s Recruitment and Retention

Programme and the promotion

of People Shaping Progress as

the career brand for the local

government sector.

If you have any ideas on

implementing People Shaping

Progress, please do not hesitate to

contact me at:

[email protected] or

(03) 474-3851.

Page 2 of 2

http://www.localgovernmentcareers.govt.nz

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Hotu Manawa Good Practice Toolkits

What’s hotOver the past three years the Good Practice Toolkits website (www.solgm.co.nz) has grown to host an increasing range of information and good practice material.

With a greater range of material available, traffic has increased. Visits averaged 1645 a month in 2004/05, 3320 a month in 2005/06, 5099 a month in 2006/07, and so far for 2007/08 visits are running at just under 6500 a month.

Monitoring of the site provides an interesting barometer of “what is hot” at any particular time.

November 2007

The major new releases were:

• the new Risk Management and Legal Compliance module on Bylaws (early in the month);

• Dollars and Sense, the Guide to Financial Management Under the Local Government Act 2002, (mid

month); and

• the revised Risk Management and Legal Compliance Privacy Act module (late in the month).

The 2009 and Beyond suite was comprehensively the most popular content group, providing six of the top 10 downloads. The rest of the top five content groups were all recently published Risk Management and Legal Compliance modules. The NZIFRS Questions and Answers document (developed following NZIFRS Preparedness seminars in late 2005) made a spectacular return to popularity.

Top content groups

1. 2009 and Beyond

2. Risk Management and Legal

Compliance Bylaws module

3. Risk Management and Legal Compliance Resource Consents module

4. Risk Management and Legal Compliance Dog Control module

5. Risk Management and Legal Compliance draft module on Decision-making under the LGA2002

Top downloads

1. Performance Management Frameworks – “Your Side of the Deal”, complete guide.

2. “Dollars and Sense” – Financial Management under the Local

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Government Act 2002, complete

guide.

3. Pulse November 2007.

4. “Piecing It Together”, complete

guide.

5. Living through the LTCCP, full

version.

6. Legal Compliance Programme

contact list.

7. NZIFRS questions and suggested

answers.

8. Living through the LTCCP,

section 1.

9. Performance Management

Frameworks – “Your Side of the

Deal”, section 1.

10. Code of Good Practice For the

Management of Local Authority

Elections and Polls, Chapter 3

- Electoral Officers and Electoral

Staff.

December 2007

December saw publication of the SOLGM Briefing Paper to the Incoming Minister of Local Government.

The 2009 and Beyond guidance suite continued to be overwhelmingly the most popular content group, and provided five of the six most popular document downloads. There was also a strong showing from the pages on the New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards. Like Keith Richard, the NZIFRS Questions and Answers package just refuses to lie down and die.

Content groups

1. 2009 and Beyond.

2. New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards – general pages.

3. New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards 2007 entries.

4. Shared Services.

5. Risk Management and Legal Compliance draft module on Development Contributions.

Downloads

1. Piecing It Together, complete guide.

2. Performance Management Frameworks – Your Side of the Deal, complete guide.

3. Dollars and Sense, complete guide.

4. Pulse – November 2007 edition

5. Performance Management Frameworks – Your Side of the Deal, chapter 1.

6. Living Through the LTCCP, complete guide.

7. Kaikoura: Green for Growth – case

Good Practice Toolkits

What’s hot

Page 2 of 4

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Hotu Manawa

study from 2004 International Leading Practices Symposium.

8. Legal Compliance Programme contact list

9. NZIFRS questions and suggested answers.

10. Pulse – August 2006 edition.

January 2008

With the Christmas break no new material was published during January. 2009 and Beyond material continued to dominate as top content group and provided five of the top nine document downloads. The Briefing Paper to the Incoming Minister proved very popular, and the 2007 New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards continued to do good business. The NZIFRS Questions and Answers are still up there (at this rate it will be appearing in the next series of Dancing with the Stars).

Content groups

1. 2009 and Beyond.

2. Leading Practices Symposium 2006.

3. New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards 2007.

4. Risk Management and Legal Compliance draft module on Development Contributions.

5. Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme, general information pages.

Downloads

1. Performance Management Frameworks – Your Side of the Deal, complete guide.

2. SOLGM Briefing Paper to the Incoming Minister of Local Government.


4. Piecing It Together, complete

guide.

5. City of Corpus Christi case study for 2006 International Leading Practices Symposium.



8. Legal Compliance Programme contact list.

9. Performance Management Frameworks – Your Side of the Deal, chapter 1.

10. Pulse – November 2007 edition.

February 2008

New releases in February were:

• the key presentations from the 2009 and Beyond Seminars;

• presentations from the 2007


What’s hot

Page 3 of 4

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Community Plan Conference; and

• revised Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme modules on

s Property Sales, Leases and Acquisitions, and

s Building Consents.

2009 and Beyond material remains at the top of the heap as top content group and with three of the top 10 downloads. Publication of material from the Community Plan Conference pushed the Strategic Planning Working Party’s page into second place while Simon Markham’s presentation of “Significance under the LGA” from the 2007 Community Planning Conference, featured strongly among the downloads. The revised Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme –Property module also made a strong start. Meanwhile, the “Queen Mother of

good practice guidance products”, the NZIFRS Questions and Answers, just keeps on keeping on.

Content groups

1. 2009 and Beyond.

2. Strategic Planning Working Party (includes Community Plan conference).

3. New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards 2007.

4. Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme, general information pages.

5. Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme – revised Property module.

Downloads

1. Recruitment and Retention Research Report.


3. Performance Management

Frameworks – Your Side of the Deal, complete guide.

4. Pulse – November 2007 edition.


6. SOLGM Briefing Paper to the Incoming Minister of Local Government.

7. The “S” Word Again! – How to Determine Significance; A Local Authority Case Study”, Simon Markham, Waimakariri District Council (from 2007 Community Plan Conference).

8. Financial Management Working Party Newsletter February 2008.

9. Legal Compliance Programme contact list.



What’s hot

Page 4 of 4

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During February the Legal

Compliance Programme published

revisions of the Property Sales

Acquisitions and Leases, and

Building Consents modules.

This brings to 11 the number of

revised modules published since

August 2007. In addition, the new

bylaws module was published in

November 2007. The publication

of revised material has seen a

spectacular jump in the level of

traffic on the website.

Further revisions of the Health and

Safety, Rates Rebates and National

Dog Database modules are all

expected before the end of June,

along with enhancements to the Dog

Control module and the publication

of a new module on the Rating

Database.

Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme

New modules

The redevelopment of the

Enforcement module has been

identified as the major priority

for module development work for

2008/09. The existing module was

taken “off air’ during 2007.

The Working Party is keen for the

new module to provide a fuller

treatment of the law around

enforcement action under a range

of key statutes. Decisions on which

areas of enforcement will be dealt

with in detail are yet to be made.

Feedback is sought on which statutes

the focus should be on. People

with views, please contact Don

Mackay at SOLGM National Office

[email protected].

Seminar – Key Risk Management

Issues for Local Government

The Working Party has agreed to

proceed with the organisation of a

seminar on Key Risk Management

Issues for Local Government.

The aim is to provide an annual

forum for local authority staff with

responsibility for risk management

either on an organisation-wide basis,

or within particular high-risk areas.

Page 1 of 2

http://www.solgm.co.nz

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A Steering Group comprising

members of the Working Party along

with representatives of Riskpool

and the NZ Risk Management

Society will be developing the

programme, plus volunteers from

local authorities.

Likely areas of focus include:

• LIMS

• Employment

• Enforcement

• Contracting.

We are keen to hear from people

who either:

• have particular issues that

people would like included in the

programme; or

• have done things in the area of

risk management that they believe

would be of general interest and

Risk Management and Legal Compliance Programme

New moduleswhich they would be prepared to

present as case studies.

Please contact Don Mackay at

[email protected].

A date for the seminar is yet to be

fixed but it is likely to be in late July.

Links via intranet

The programme is still aiming

to get all local authorities linked

to the site via their intranets so

that individual staff members do

not have to use the password to

access the module material. If staff

at your local authority still have

to use the password, get your IT

department to contact Don Mackay

([email protected]) and he will

provide “the magic words”.

Page 2 of 2

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People who attended the 2006

Symposium in Rotorua rated it one

of the best value good practice

shows they had been to.

The programme for the 2008

Symposium is now finalised. The

Symposium is held every second

year as a joint effort by SOLGM,

LGMA (Australia) and ICMA (USA).

This year’s event is on 29 and 30

May, immediately after the LGMA

National Congress on Australia’s

Gold Coast.

The Symposium format has both a

formal presentation for each case

study and a series of workshop

sessions where participants can

discuss the case in detail with the

presenters. In addition there is a

formal case study write-up.

Cases from six countries, including

New Zealand, will be showcased.

2008 International Leading Practices Symposium

Six showcased

The cases to be presented are as

follows.

South Korea: Korea E-Government, Contributing to Enhanced Community Wellbeing

The presentation will focus on the

efforts made by the South Korean

government, at both national and

local government levels, to provide

better services to the public through

e-government. At the national

government level, South Korea

has implemented the “Information

Network Village (INVIL)” project, Page 1 of 3

under which more than 300

local villages are supported with

internet access, PCs, village IT

centres and IT training

to help create village

communities that can benefit

from IT. The Seoul Metropolitan City

provides integrated services through

a single channel, which facilitates

online public participation.

United Kingdom: Kaizen, A Model for Continuous Improvement

Aberdeenshire Council has adopted

Kaizen as a model for continuous

improvement and has built in-house

capacity to sustain an ongoing

programme of events. In three years

the council moved from a position

of being unsure about how to use

http://www.lgma.org.au/national/newsreel.php?display=184

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Hotu Manawa

such a technique to seeing staff fully

believing “this is how breakthrough

improvements get done around

here”.

This has not been an easy path, but

has produced fantastic results for

the management, employees, and

most importantly, the customers of

the council.

Australia: Environmental Leadership

The City of Melbourne has long

shown leadership in environmental

sustainability. It was an early

adopter of reduction targets for

emissions and water use, and has

well-established links with global

organisations that are making real

strides in addressing climate change.

However, it really cemented its

environmental credentials with the

creation of CH2 (Council House

2). The visionary CH2 has the

potential to change forever the way

developers approach ecologically

sustainable design.

Already the example set by CH2

is having flow-on effects beyond

the building itself, to policy and

regulatory innovation.

Canada: Intelligent Waterloo

The City of Waterloo was named the

2007 Intelligent Community of the

Year. The case will share insights

on participating in the Intelligent

Community process, with a focus on

the short and long-term benefits that

Waterloo has seen as a result.

Symposium participants will be

able to learn more about Intelligent

Waterloo, to explore the networks

that exist within their own

communities and to learn more about

the role that municipal government

can play in building community

partnerships that will allow their city

to compete and to thrive in a global,

broadband-based economy.

United States: Preparing the Next Generation

A whole generation of baby boomers

is retiring from local government,

and there are fewer Gen X and Gen

Y professionals ready and willing

to replace them. The Symposium

workshop will explore the integrated

Coaching Program designed to:

• accelerate the development of

aspiring managers already in the

local government pipeline; and

• attract young people into the local

government pipeline.

The California affiliate of the ICMA

Page 2 of 3


Six showcased

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provides an integrated Coaching

Program that targets emerging

leaders in local governments

throughout California. The various

Coaching Program events (webinars

and call-ins) have attracted as many

as 200 participants.

The more intensive workshops

attract between 15 and 25

participants. Several of the Coaching

Program participants have been

appointed city managers and

department heads.

Results like these start to define the

role and success of programmes like

this.

New Zealand: SmartGrowth, A Management Strategy for the Sustainable Future of the Western Bay and Tauranga Sub-Region

During the 1990s in the Western

Bay and Tauranga sub-region,

population increase, coastal ribbon

development, sprawling ad hoc rural

subdivision and rocketing urban

expansion had crept up on a region

ill-prepared for the pressures that

uncontrolled growth brings.

The growth explosion forced

unprecedented collaboration

between the three local authorities

– Tauranga City Council, Western

Bay of Plenty District Council and

Environment Bay of Plenty Regional

Council. The collaborative effort,

which began in 2001, was launched

as SmartGrowth in 2004 and is now

New Zealand’s most successful sub-

regional growth management plan.

SmartGrowth’s success depends on

a voluntary, cooperative approach

to sustainable development built

on understanding, agreement Page 3 of 3


Six showcased and commitment, in preference

to a mandatory model built on

compliance and coercion.

The Symposium programme and

registration form are available online

at www.solgm.co.nz

For a direct link go to:

http://www.solgm.co.nz/Other+SOLG

M+Good+Practice+Material/Leading

+Practices+Symposium/

http://www.solgm.co.nz/Other+SOLGM+Good+Practice+Material/Leading+Practices+Symposium/



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Strategic management and policy skills featured in the Deloitte Study on Recruitment and Retention as priority areas for skills development in the local government sector.

SOLGM Opus Business School has responded by working with the School of Government, Victoria University, to create 31/2-day intensive training programmes in strategic management and in policy development, which are tailored for the local government sector.

Both courses focus on imparting skills and knowledge relevant to the workplace, and include practitioners and academics as presenters and facilitators.

Strategic Management will be offered for the first time on 19-22 May and Policy Analysis and Advising will run for the third time on 20-23 October. The programmes

can be undertaken for professional development or alternatively, for academic credit (with assessment). Programmes will be at the Victoria University downtown Pipitea campus in Wellington.

The intensive 31/2-day format was selected to make the courses more accessible to local authorities throughout the country.

The strategic management programme will be coordinated Dr Lance Beath of the School of Government, Victoria University. Dr Beath has extensive experience as a practitioner, teaches several courses on the Masters of Strategic Studies at Victoria University, and has undertaken research on strategy and strategic decision-making in local government for the FRST Local Futures Project.

The strategic management

programme will have a strong practical element – involving workshops on strategic issue-framing and strategic tools and techniques relating to strategic management and decision-making.

A broad overview of the theory and practice of strategic management will be provided which includes relationships to strategic planning and thinking, the role of leadership in strategy development, managing for outcomes, and performance management.

The policy offering is coordinated by Professor Claudia Scott, Professor of Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington and at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Dr Scott has had long-standing teaching and research interests in

Strategy and policy courses target skill shortages

Filling the gaps

Page 1 of 2

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local government and is currently Project Leader of the Local Futures Project.

The course provides participants with hands-on practical experience in building skills in policy analysis and advisory work. The workshop format of the course will build skills in problem definition, clarification of goals and objectives, development and evaluation of options, assembling of information and evidence, and issues surrounding policy implementation and evaluation.

Participants will work in syndicates on a policy issue and develop an outcomes matrix of policy options for decision-makers, which is presented for discussion and critique.

Cooperation between SOLGM and the School of Government, Victoria

University, in this initiative reflects their common interests in building skills and capabilities in the local government sector.

n For further information contact: Con Flinkenberg, [email protected] (04) 978-1281

or

[email protected] (04) 463-5377

Claudia Scott

Cooperation between SOLGM and the School of Government, Victoria University, in this initiative reflects their common interests in building skills and capabilities in the local government sector.

Strategy and policy courses target skill shortages

Filling the gaps

Page 2 of 2

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PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa National Office DiaryThe diary is a brief list of the “headlines” of what National Office has been up to since the previous edition of Pulse. So if you have ever found yourself wondering what those people in Wellington do with their time, here is the answer.

NOVEMBER

Friday 2

• New Risk Management and Legal Compliance module on Bylaws published

Monday 5 and Tuesday 6

• 2007 RMA Planning Technicians/Administrators Training - Christchurch

Friday 9

• “Dollars and Sense” the guide to financial management and the LTCCP published


• 2007 RMA Planning Technicians/Administrators Training - Auckland

Wednesday 14

• National office hosts visiting Study tour from Korea

Thursday 15 and Friday 16

• 2009 and Beyond Seminar – Rotorua

Monday 19

• Revised Risk Management and Legal

Compliance module on Privacy Act published.


• 2007 RMA Planning Technicians/Administrators Training - Wellington


• 2009 and Beyond Seminar, Auckland

Thursday 22

• President and Chief Executive meet new Minister Mahuta


• 2009 and Beyond Seminar – Christchurch

Tuesday 27

• Risk Management and Legal Compliance Working Party meets


• 2009 and Beyond Seminar – Palmerston North

DECEMBER


• 2009 and Beyond Seminars (Dunedin)

Wednesday 12

• 2007 Electoral Officers Forum - Election Debrief


• SOLGM Executive Committee meeting

FEBRUARY

Friday 8

• Financial Management Working Party

meeting

Friday 22

• Strategic Planning Working Party

meeting

Tuesday 26

• Risk Management and Legal

Compliance Working Party publishes

revised modules on Building Consents

and Property Sales Acquisitions and

Leases


• Local Government HR Conference

MARCH

Friday 7

• Risk Management and Legal

Compliance Working Party meeting

Friday 14

• SOLGM Executive meeting

Wednesday 26 March 2008

• 2009 and Beyond for the Decision-

Makers - Auckland


• Community Consultation Skills

Training



In Partnership


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PulseApril 2008

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The Local Government Industry Training Organisation’s national certificates are an essential tool for ensuring local government employees are effective, efficient and complying to industry standards. The purpose of LGITO is to facilitate training for local government staff to enable them to achieve qualifications specific to the local government industry.

Our vision is to be a key contributor to the local government sector performance by improving its people. We will do this by:

• embedding a learning and achievement culture in local government;

• providing learning pathways for local government employees; and

• developing and maintaining local government specific unit standards and qualifications.

Improving the people in local government

The LGITO

LGITO has years of experience in

the design and assisted delivery of

industry-based local government

training. We are at the forefront

of qualifications development and

support of integrated learning in

on-job, non-classroom learning

environments.

Our approach to workplace learning

is learner-focused and industry-

based, providing the flexibility to

ensure that work-study balance is

maintained throughout learning.

Learners benefit from qualifications

that are portable and continuously

enhanced to reflect present-day

needs, thereby ensuring relevance.

LGITO is currently renewing its brand

and presence to increase awareness

of its services. A concerted effort

to become more marketing-oriented

has driven change in the way we

communicate; to be even more

customer-focused and user-friendly.

This is reflected in the redesign of

the LGITO web site www.lgito.org.nz

to improve access to information and

encourage interaction through our

http://www.lgito.org.nz



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Page 2 of 3


The LGITOmost important source of contact

with local government staff.

In addition, all marketing collateral is

being reviewed to present the brand

message and highlight benefits.

We believe that our “qualifications

matter” as they enhance local

government productivity by

improving the skill base, encouraging

learner engagement and staff

retention.

LGITO has a partnership approach

in working with a wide range of

organisations on programme

development. This means

consultation with expert groups,

current local government employees

and managers.

Our partners include SOLGM, other

ITOs, education providers, education

consultants and local government

employees. Working collaboratively

with stakeholders, employers and

learners helps to support workplace

learning.

The LGITO is currently involved

in work on qualifications for local

authority building officials. A

consultant working under a steering

group consisting of SOLGM, Local

Government New Zealand and

Building Officials Institute (BOINZ)

representatives has completed

several new unit standards to form

the basis of a National Diploma for

Building Control Surveyors related

to inspection of small buildings.

The LGITO has now successfully

registered those unit standards

on the NZ Qualifications Authority

Framework.



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Page 3 of 3


The LGITOThe National Diploma itself will also

be formally registered on the NZQA

Framework following clarification

of transition arrangements that will

identify how previous and current

building officials training courses

can cross-credit towards the new

diploma.

The LGITO is currently arranging

the start of a second project related

to building officials to develop a

National Diploma around inspection

of medium to large buildings. Some

of the unit standards in the small

buildings qualification will also

appear in the medium to large

building qualification, thereby

creating a path to achieving both

qualifications. Both qualifications

will comprise elements of existing

training courses for people in the

building design and construction

industry as much as possible, so

that building inspection for local

authorities becomes one of the

career options for these people.

SOLGM, Local Government

New Zealand and BOINZ will

again be involved in a steering

group to oversee development

of this qualification, along with

representatives from the Local

Authority Building Managers

Group, the Department of Building

and Housing, the Institute of

Building Surveyors and a provider

representative. The steering group

will be chaired by Craig Stevenson, a

member of the LGITO board.

For more information about how

LGITO qualifications can add value,

please visit www.lgito.org.nz or

contact General Manager Kevin

Wafer on (04) 978-1240.

The LGITO is currently arranging the start of a second project related to building officials to develop a National Diploma around inspection of medium to large buildings. Some of the unit standards in the small buildings qualification will also appear in the medium to large building qualification, thereby creating a path to achieving both qualifications.



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Page 1 of 4

A competitive insurance market

Change afoot?By Ray AndrewManaging DirectorJardine Lloyd Thompson

The insurance market continues to

be highly competitive locally and

globally but are things about to

change?

Australasian market underwriters

remain aggressive in their desire

to grow market share in all major

commercial classes. There is a

view, however, that premium rate

reductions in 2008 will be modest

compared to recent years.

One leading property underwriter

with 35 years experience in this

market told Jardine Lloyd Thompson

(JLT) that rates were now at 1997

levels, the lowest he’d experienced in

his working career.

It is not that the market has been

without losses over the past 12

months – the storms of mid-2007

in the Far North, Auckland and

Coromandel, and the Gisborne

earthquake in December has resulted

in insured losses already in excess

of $35 million. The Hunter Valley

floods, the summer storms in Sydney

together with other major weather

events in Northern New South

Wales and South East Queensland,

plus severe flooding in Central

Queensland, have resulted in claims

exceeding $2 billion.

The results of major listed insurers

IAG and Suncorp have been affected

by these losses. John Mulcahy,

the CEO of Suncorp (the parent

company of Vero New Zealand), has

http://www.jlt.co.nz



In Partnership


PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa A competitive insurance market

Change afoot?foreshadowed premium increases for

domestic classes of insurance while

other industry leaders are beginning

to talk about increasing commercial

rates.

Internationally the economic

environment is dishing up some

potential challenges for the

insurance market. The subprime

mortgage crisis will undoubtedly

bring significant claims to the

insurance market. Already some

underwriters have reported losses

due to their own exposure to the

credit market. XL Capital reported

a US$1.5 billion after-tax change in

their Q4 2007 results, and Swiss

Re, the world’s largest reinsurer, has

reported a CHF1.2 billion pre-tax

loss.

The subprime mortgage crisis will

bring claims against banks and

financial institutions, the real estate

industry, property valuers, financial

advisors and the like with the

Professional Liability market bearing

the brunt of these claims.

The equity and capital markets are

also experiencing turbulence which

will impact the insurance market.

In the past two years, underwriters’

loss ratios have increased due to

declining premium rates. Their

investment returns have been

increasing, which has enabled

them to post record profits despite

a softening insurance market.

Investment returns are likely to be

much lower in 2008, with not only

the stock market steadying, but also

the Federal Reserve reducing official

interest rates in the USA.

Investment guru Warren Buffet

warned recently at the Berkshire

Hathaway results announcement

that the times of record profits for

insurers and reinsurers had gone.

During the past decade the capital

Internationally the economic environment is dishing up some potential challenges for the insurance market. The subprime mortgage crisis will undoubtedly bring significant claims to the insurance market. Already some underwriters have reported losses due to their own exposure to the credit market.

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markets have been quick to respond

to the insurance market’s need for

replacement capital after major

losses. As recently as 2005, the

capital markets provided more than

US$50 billion of replacement and

strategic new venture capital in

response to the massive insurance

losses from hurricanes Katrina,

Wilma and Rita.

There is a squeeze on capital

globally and some doubt about

whether the capital markets can

respond to the market’s need

for replacement capital from

increasing loss ratios or from a

major catastrophe. If rates continue

to decline, underwriters’ capital

bases will decline from attritional

losses; reduced capital will affect

their ability to write new business.

Demand might begin to exceed

supply – at this point we will see a

rise in insurance rates.

There is some pressure in the

Directors & Officers Liability market

with several large class action

suits under way. These claims are

forcing underwriters to reassess

their underwriting guidelines. We

are seeing some underwriters

being more cautious in accepting

high-profile clients. Capacity will

tighten and there might be a rise

in premiums in the second half of

2008.

We continue to see aggressive

strategies from underwriters of SME

and Middle Market Property and

Casualty lines. With all the talk in the

market about an upward movement

in late 2008 or early 2009,

underwriters are trying to position

themselves to take advantage of

improved market conditions. Those

There is a squeeze on capital globally and some doubt about whether the capital markets can respond to the market’s need for replacement capital from increasing loss ratios or from a major catastrophe. If rates continue to decline, underwriters’ capital bases will decline from attritional losses; reduced capital will affect their ability to write new business.


Change afoot?

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with the market share will be better

rewarded.

In the major corporate market there

is less competition as many of the

accounts have been tested in the

market during the past five years.

The desire by underwriters to lock in

clients with long-term agreements is

increasing and JLT is recommending

to several clients they now consider

this hedging mechanism.

The major corporate market is

heavily impacted by Merger &

Acquisition activity. Underwriters

who are “on the losing end” of a

transaction are keen to replace

lost income, but the opportunities

to do this with new client wins are

diminishing.

The London market continues to

be active in the Asia Pacific region.

Lloyds Syndicates has opened

its own offices in Australia and

Singapore, and is adapting to the

local market conditions. Lloyds also

continues to support numerous

underwriting agencies in Australasia,

writing Property and Casualty

business.

The largest and/or more complex

risks still rely on participation from

London and European insurers and

reinsurers. The underwriters in those

markets are pushing for greater

market share in the top end market,

which is comforting to clients in this

sector.

While JLT is not anticipating the

same level of reductions in 2008

as we have seen in recent years, we

do envisage underwriters will seek

to offer broader policy coverage to

differentiate from their competitors.

With the predicted change in market

conditions within the next 12 months,

JLT believes its local authority

clients should be reviewing their risk

exposures in detail and will assist

them with this. 2008 is the ideal

time to ensure the policy coverage

totally reflects your needs.


Change afoot?The largest and/or more complex risks still rely on participation from London and European insurers and reinsurers. The underwriters in those markets are pushing for greater market share in the top end market, which is comforting to clients in this sector.

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Queenstown Lakes District Council has selected Infor Public Sector’s Hansen 8 Asset Management System to improve processes and manage the maintenance for its water and parks assets.

These assets include the council’s water, sewer and storm systems, and all parks facilities, open spaces, national parks and nature reserves. The QLDC project implements a new computer-based maintenance management system, along with supporting business processes to improve the operational efficiency of five key areas:

• on-demand work order management;

• asset tracking;

• asset inspections;

• performance assessments; and

• performance reporting.

Infor Public Sector’s Hansen 8

Queenstown Lakes invests in new technology

New systemproduct is fully integrated to meet the operational needs of local government. It comes from more than 20 years of experience working with more than 500 organisations that manage local government operations.

Hansen 8 is browser-based and built on Microsoft’s .Net technology. This supports security, globalisation, personalisation, and a highly scalable yet robust business and workflow framework. It delivers standardised HTML and XML to client PCs using Microsoft ASP .Net and AJAX-like technologies. There is no need to install, configure or maintain client side software, deploying endless updates and software versioning to PCs.

Hansen 8 will run from any supported internet client using a standard Internet Explorer 6 or higher web browser.

Implementation began in February and will run in three phases, which are scheduled to be substantially completed this year. In the initial phase, core business processes and related service levels will be established and mapped, the architecture for the asset register will be implemented, data needs will be assessed, and the Hansen 8 Asset Management System software installed.

The second phase will migrate and capture data to populate the asset register established during Phase 1. Advanced system configuration, administrator training

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and development of the interface to council systems will occur concurrently.

In the final phase, there will be training for end users, and the new maintenance and management procedures will go live.

“We are looking forward to using a single data source for all of our pipe and park assets that will also interface well with our existing ESRI GIS system,” says QLDC Chief Information Officer Kirsty Martin. “The Hansen 8 Asset Management System will allow the QLDC to better manage our assets, from planning and monitoring to evaluating and reporting.”

The project is being jointly implemented by Infor Public Sector and MWH, who will help the council with needs assessments, system analysis and developing functional specifications.

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Queenstown Lakes invests in new technology

New system

Infor Public Sector’s Hansen 8 will help to manage Queenstown Lakes District assets, such as at Rose Douglas Park, Arrowtown.



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PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards

New lookAfter more than a decade of the

New Zealand Post Management

Excellence Awards running in

essentially the same format,

SOLGM and New Zealand Post have

concluded that it is time to give the

awards a major overhaul.

The current format of the awards

has changed very little since 1999.

On reviewing the awards, it was

apparent that a great deal about

local government and its operating

environment had changed over that

period. It was easy to see that it was

time for an update of the awards to

reflect these changes.

The approach has been to look at

the relevance of the current set of

categories. With the exception of the

Community Relationships category,

these can be seen as reflecting

traditional divisions in the structure

of the local authority organisation,

rather the more outcome-focused

framework of the LGA 2002.

The opportunity was seen to adopt

a new set of categories that had

a broader, more thematic focus,

while also being relevant in terms of

focusing on issues and challenges

important to the sector. This

would also have the advantage

of broadening the range of local

authority projects that fell within

an award category, and of pitching

the categories at a level more

likely to relate to areas of overall

organisational focus.

Related to this change in the

type of category, there was an

opportunity for the award categories

to evolve more fluidly from year

to year to highlight different areas

of priority and challenge to the

local government sector. It was

decided that not only would the

categories for 2008 be released

at this stage, but also the change

that would be made for 2009. This

will provide sufficient lead time for

local authorities to consider possible

projects within the scope of the

incoming category.

Based on this approach it has been

agreed that the categories for 2008

will be as follows.

http://www.nzpost.co.nz



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Council-Community Relationships

This category is to highlight

work by local authorities that

demonstrates excellence, innovation

or sector leadership in community

engagement in the planning or

execution of the project. This

might relate to almost any area of

local authority activity, provided it

includes a key focus on community

engagement. This is essentially the

same as the previous Community

Relationships category.

Building Organisational Capability

This category focuses on

organisational capability building.

This might include human

resources, technology, process/

systems development, or any other

projects which focus on building

organisational capability and which

demonstrate excellence, innovation

or sector leadership in that area.

Taking a Sustainable Development Approach

A sustainable development (SD)

approach involves thinking broadly

and in an integrated manner about

the implications of options, decision

and actions, and taking a long-term

view. This is relevant across the full

range of local authority activities.

There is no limit of the subject

matter of projects that could be

entered in this category. However,

entries will need to make clear how

they have applied an SD approach,

and how this has made a difference

in terms of both the actions taken

and the results that flowed from

them.

Joined Up Local Government

This category is seen as

encompassing entries across a wide

New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards

New lookA sustainable development (SD) approach involves thinking broadly and in an integrated manner about the implications of options, decision and actions, and taking a long-term view. This is relevant across the full range of local authority activities.

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range of areas of local authority

activity. The defining characteristic

is that a key feature of what

is being done involves joining

together with one or more other

organisations to pursue a common

priority. This could include shared

services projects with other local

authorities, or partnerships with

government agencies or community

organisations.

For 2009, the Joined Up

Government category will be

replaced by one on More Effective

Local Regulation.

This category will focus on projects

that demonstrate sector leadership

and excellence in one or more

aspects of the local authority’s

regulatory activities. Entries might

relate to any aspect of regulatory

activity, from consent processing

to compliance activities, or systems

design to strategic alignment.

While decisions have not yet been

made on categories for 2010, there is

likely to be a category on Improving

Customer Service.

Along with the change of categories,

it has also been decided that

projects that have previously been

entered under the old awards

format will be eligible for re-entry

where the project has continued

to evolve or where there has been

further evaluation that can better

substantiate successful results. This

reflects a longstanding concern that

projects entered in the awards have

often been too recent for successful

results to be substantiated.

Thanks to those Chief Executives and

other stakeholders with whom we

consulted during the review of the

awards and who provided valuable

feedback and suggestions.

Look out for the call for entries by

the end of April.


New lookIt has also been decided that projects that have previously been entered under the old awards format will be eligible for re-entry where the project has continued to evolve or where there are results from further evaluation that can better substantiate successful results.

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2007 was the 11th year of the New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards. This makes the awards clearly the most long-running, and arguably one of the most successful streams of SOLGM’s good practice work programme.

With the decision to substantially redesign the awards for 2008 and onwards, it seems timely to look back over their history.

Since the inception of the awards the announcement of the winners has been a feature of the SOLGM Conference. The accumulated collection of awards entries represents a growing library of good practice from across local authorities large and small. All entries since 2004 – 110 in total – are available as downloads from www.solgm.co.nz. Executive summaries describing all projects back as far as 1999 are also


Eleven yearsavailable.

SOLGM is grateful for the ongoing support of New Zealand Post as sponsor. New Zealand Post’s association with SOLGM and the Management Excellence Awards began in 1997. The SOE’s objective then, as it is now, was to demonstrate to local authorities that the pursuit of excellence, exemplified by the Management Excellence Awards, aligns with the ideals and objectives of New Zealand Post and that in working with us councils could rely upon the highest possible standards of service.

“New Zealand Post is proud to have been associated with this programme through which creative and innovative solutions to real local

government problems have been recognised and shared across the sector, contributing significantly to ‘good practice’ in local government management,” says Don Day, Manager Local Government Relations for New Zealand Post.

Over the period as a whole, 285 projects have been entered for the awards. The largest single year was 2005 with 42 entries, the smallest was 1999 with 11. About two-thirds of all local authorities have entered the awards at some time over that period. There has been a solid core of about 10 local authorities that have been regular entrants.

Particularly in more recent years, a significant number of entries have related to joint projects among groups of councils. It has been

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common for some councils to enter more than one project in a year, and occasionally a single project has even been entered into more than one award category. Some councils have clearly built the awards into their programme of organisational development and service improvement initiatives.

After an initial period of evolution, the format of the awards has been largely stable. For the first two years there were no specified categories for the awards and finalists were selected and announced in advance of the SOLGM Conference.

The division of the awards into four categories dates from 1999, when the categories Technology Advance, Customer Relationships, Management of People, and Process Management were introduced. In 2000 the Customer Relationships category was re-designated as

Community Relationships. The four categories have been essentially the same ever since.

A special commendation was introduced in 2005 for local authorities which were first-time entrants in the awards. In 2007 this was replaced by a special commendation for small councils (with a population of 20,000 or less).

Similarly, the arrangements for the judging of the awards have, after an initial settling-down period, been very stable. This has involved a panel of general judges supported by a specialist judge for each category. These judges have been drawn from

Horizons Regional Council and Palmerston North City won the Supreme Award for their “After Hours Contact Centre” in 2005. This shared services initiative has continued to grow and thrive.


Eleven years

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local authorities, from New Zealand Post as sponsor, Local Government New Zealand, government departments, the Office of the Auditor-General and Audit New Zealand, and other organisations with an interest in public sector management.

SOLGM and New Zealand Post would like to thank all of the individuals who have given their time to play a part in the judging of the awards over the years. Deserving of special mention is David Chapman of the New Zealand Institute of Management who has been a judge

of the awards since from their inception.

The first winner of the awards in 1997 was New Plymouth District Council for its project on Creating a Customer Service Centre. The other entrants in the first year were Christchurch City (four entries), Manukau City (two entries), Franklin District, Hamilton City, Hutt City, Masterton District, Matamata Piako District, Tauranga District (not yet City), Upper Hutt City, Wanganui District, and Wellington City and Wellington Regional Council (not yet Greater).

The tendencies for the greatest number of entries to come from the metro local authorities and for some of the larger councils to make multiple entries hence date from the very beginning of the awards.

The second year of the awards saw


Eleven years

Long-serving judge David Chapman of the New Zealand Institute of Management.

Auckland Regional Council’s website for children was awarded a commendation in the Community Relationship category in 2004.

the number of entries drop away to 11. Auckland City Council won for its Property Information Systems project. Two commendations were awarded, to Auckland Regional

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Council for its Ridewell Business Unit project and Hurunui District for Going Outside the Square – an

approach to communicating with ratepayers in the annual plan. Environment Waikato, Kapiti Coast

District, Waikato District, Western Bay District and Waitakere City also all participated for the first time.

1999 was a breakthrough year for the awards with the number of entries rising sharply to 32. This was the first year where the now familiar format with the four categories and overall Supreme Winner was used. Environment Waikato

won the Process Management and Supreme awards for its project One in a Hundred Year Flood. Since that

time entry numbers have ranged from a low of 17 in 2004 to a high of 42 in 2005. 2002 marked the point at which a majority of local authorities had entered at least once.

Throughout the 11-year period, participation in the awards has been strongest among the metropolitan local authorities. This dated from the very start of the awards in 1997 when 12 of the 17 entries were from metropolitan local authorities. Only one of the metropolitan local authorities has never entered. Five – Waitakere, Dunedin. Auckland, Wellington and Manukau – have averaged better than an entry a year.

Provincial local authorities were initially slow to pick up on the awards, but participation across the


Eleven years

Peter Hebden of New Plymouth District presents “Real Service Real Time” at the 2006 Leading Practices Symposium. “Real Service Real Time” won the Technology category of the awards in 2004.

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group grew steadily over time. New Plymouth and South Taranaki Districts have been the strongest supporters of the awards among this group.

Among regional councils, the ARC and Environment Waikato have been regular entrants, but nearly half of the regions (including unitaries) have never entered. The level of entries from rural councils has always been lower than for the other groups.

Surveying the subject matter of the entries over the years reveals both continuity and evolution. Entries relating to planning processes, both at council and community level, have always been a feature. The advent of the LTCCP since 2002 has seen a change in emphasis in these.

Infrastructure projects have been a regular feature throughout, particularly in smaller and middle-sized districts. The balance of technology projects has gradually shifted from engineering towards IT. Process redesign projects around consenting functions have frequently been entered. Other areas of focus, such as human resources projects and customer service enhancements appear to have waxed and waned over the year.

Shared services projects involving more than local authority have become more prominent. The strong participation of local authority libraries has been a consistent feature, particularly in the technology category.

Since the inception of the four


Eleven years

Waitakere Central – 2007 Supreme Award winner. Page 5 of 6



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categories in 2000, the Community Relationships category has consistently drawn the largest numbers of entries. It was the most heavily subscribed category in every year except 2007. This seems to reflect the greater breadth of the type of projects capable of falling within it.

The Management of People category has been the least entered overall, but unexpectedly was the largest category in 2005. One of the aims of the rejig of the awards (see separate article page 47) is to have a set of categories capable of accommodating projects across a broader range of local authority activity.

The call for applications for the new-look awards is expected to be out by the end of April.


Eleven yearsTHE WINNERS1997 – New Plymouth District, Creating a Customer Service Centre

1998 – Auckland City Council, Property Information Systems

1999 – Environment Waikato, One in a Hundred Year Flood

2000 – Wellington City Council, Wellington City Libraries “E-City”

2001 – Auckland Chief Executives’ Forum, Shared Services – Councils of the Auckland Region

2002 – New Plymouth District, Taranaki BioBoostTM 6-3-0

2003 - Environment Waikato, Clean Streams Waikato – and Manukau City Council, New Settlers Policy and Action Plan (joint winners)

2004 – Kapiti Coast District Council, Developing the Kapiti Coast: Choosing Future Community Outcomes and Community Plan

2005 – Palmerston North City Council / Horizons mw, Local Government After Hours Contact Centre

2006 – Dunedin City Council, The Activity Management Plans

2007 – Waitakere City Council, Waitakere Central

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Page 1 of 4

Councils ill-prepared to evaluate plan effectiveness

RMA plansMeasuring the Effectiveness of RMA Plans: A New Plan Outcome Evaluation (POE) Methodology

Authors: Lucie Laurian, Jan Crawford and Neil Ericksen1

The Resource Management Act

mandates that councils monitor

“the efficiency and effectiveness of

policies, rules and other methods in

[their] policy statement or [their]

plan” by 2008.

Yet, by and large councils have

not begun to develop evaluation

programmes for their plans and

are ill–prepared to conduct any

evaluation of plan effectiveness,

let alone efficiency. This is largely

because it is very unclear whether

and how this can be done.

Councils cannot be blamed:

nowhere in the world are the

outcomes of local and regional

plans systematically evaluated

(see Figure 1 over page). While the

social, education, and health policy

fields of analysis have well accepted

programme evaluation methods,

the environmental and planning

fields have no such ready resource.

Planners do not experiment with

control groups, and thus cannot

describe the impact of a planning

intervention “all else being equal’

because all else is never equal with

regard to time and place-specific

RMA plans.

So how can district and regional

planners identify whether or not

plans are achieving their intended

outcomes? Since 1995, the Planning

Under a Co-operative Mandates

(PUCM) research team at the

International Global Change Institute

(The University of Waikato) has

progressively studied the quality

of district and regional plans, their

implementation and their outcomes.

At each phase of this research,

they had to develop the evaluation

methods, because there were no

1 Dr Lucie Laurian is Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Program, University of Iowa and an IGCI Associate assisting with the research programme on Planning Under Cooperative Mandates (PUCM) since 2000; Jan Crawford is Director of Planning Consultants Ltd (Auckland) and PUCM Objective leader for environmental outcomes (2003-2007) and, since 2007, the PUCM Practice Development Programme (2003-2009); Professor Neil Ericksen is PUCM Programme Leader (1995-2008) and former Director of the International Global Change Institute (IGCI) at The University of Waikato, where PUCM is based. Others on the PUCM Phase 3 team contributing to the reported research were: Dr Peter Kouwenhoven, IGCI researcher on PUCM and creator of the RAP method; Dr Greg Mason, who applied the RAP method in several councils; and Maxine Day, formerly of Lawrence Cross Chapman & Co Ltd (Thames), who helped develop and apply methods in Papakura District Council.



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Hotu Manawa ICMA annual conference, Pittsburgh, October 2007

RMA plansready-made methods available

internationally.

Applying the plan quality method

developed in Phase 1 to more than

50 regional and district plans, the

PUCM team found that the quality

of plans (their internal consistency,

clarity, factual bases, etc) varied

substantially across councils and for

a variety of reasons (Ericksen, et al.,

2001; 2003).

Applying the plan implementation

quality method developed in Phase

2 to six district plans chosen from

Phase 1 councils for the range of

plan quality and capacity to plan,

they found that district plans were

not consistently or well implemented

through the resource consent

process.

Some plans referred to innovative

policies and methods for solving

problems, but then councils relied

on traditional, and perhaps less

effective, methods, in practice (Day,

et al., 2003).

This raises these questions: Do plans

achieve their outcomes? When do

they achieve the best outcomes? Is

consistent implementation sufficient

to produce the desired outcomes?

Are other factors, not related to the

Page 2 of 4

Figure 1. This diagram highlights the typical evaluation gap when implementing the rational-adaptive model of planning in Western countries. In New Zealand our research showed: 1) notified district plans were not of high quality and therefore incapable of achieving their intended outcomes; 2) implementation methods in resource consents often did not reflect the policy intentions of the plan; and 3) lack of monitoring hindered evaluation of the effectiveness of plans, which the RMA requires councils to do.

Goal and objective setting

Problem identification

Design, evaluation and

selection of alternatives 1. Plan writing

and adoption

Plan/policies revision

3. Plan monitoring

and evaluation

2. Plan implementation



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plan, more influential?

The RMA requires councils to report on plan effectiveness by August 2008, but this might not be possible because we cannot improve planning practice without knowing what works and what doesn’t, and whether plans yield their anticipated environmental outcomes.

In addition, without a full understanding of causal relationships, we cannot understand which outcomes are actually attributable to plan interventions.

The PUCM team thus devised in Phase 3 of the research a Plan Outcome Evaluation (POE) methodology to address these questions. It was designed to be robust and applicable in a wide variety of contexts, whether or not monitoring data is available (since it often is not).

The POE methodology is composed of three methods, applied in three sequential steps.

• Step 1 is a qualitative analysis of the internal logic of plans to assess whether we can logically expect them to deliver EERs (Expected Environmental Results).

• Step 2 is an analysis of data relating to indicators that track the outcomes that plans seek to improve.

• Step 3 is a qualitative analysis by local experts, through a modeling exercise, of the factors that influence the outcomes.

These experts (including council personnel) collectively develop a model of the factors and interventions (plan and non-plan) that directly and indirectly affect the outcome of interest for the particular district or region.

This exercise can be conducted through workshops using the Rapid Assessment Programme (RAP) software support system. (For more details see Crawford, et al., 2008 along with http://www.waikato.ac.nz/igci/publications/download/RAPhowitworks.pdf.)

Combined, these three methods in the POE methodology tell us:

• whether the plan is capable of achieving its desired outcomes;

• to what degree and why the desired outcomes are achieved;

• which factors influence these outcomes; and

• which planning interventions are the most likely to yield favourable outcomes in the future.

We successfully tested this POE

ICMA annual conference, Pittsburgh, October 2007

RMA plans

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methodology in three districts and for three issues: water quality, built heritage protection, and ecological and landscape protection. The applications and findings are described in detail in Crawford, et al. (2008), available at http://www.waikato.ac.nz/igci/pucm/Publications-Phase3.htm along with other PUCM publications.

The POE methodology is now available for application in all councils, and a practice guideline on the use of the POE methodology will soon be published.

For more information about building local government capacity to evaluate plans, their implementation, and their outcomes, keep informed about the training offered by Jan Crawford and Lee Beattie through the PUCM Practitioner Training Framework provided by the International Global Change

Institute (The University of Waikato), The University of Auckland, and associated parties.

This training programme will be described in more detail in a forthcoming Pulse magazine. As well, practice guidelines for making quality plans and evaluating plan implementation are available through the PUCM website as Chapman, et al.

(2003) and Day, et al. (2005).

References:

Chapman, S., Crawford J., and Ericksen, N., 2003: A Guide to Plan-Making in New Zealand: the Next Generation. PUCM Planning Practice Guide, No. 1. The International Global Change Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton.

Crawford, J., Day, M., Kouwenhoven, P., Laurian, L., Mason, G., and Ericksen, N., 2008: Achieving Anticipated Environmental Outcomes: How Effective is the District Plan? Report on a Methodological Pilot on the Evaluation of Plan Outcomes Regarding Water Quality in Papakura District available at http://www.waikato.ac.nz/igci/pucm/Publications-Phase3.htm.

Day, M., Backhurst, M., and Ericksen, N., et al., 2003: District Plan Implementation Under the RMA: Confessions of a Resource Consent. (Second PUCM Report to Government.) The International Global Change Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton.

Day, M., Backhurst, M., Laurian, L., Crawford, J. and Ericksen, N., 2005: Monitoring Plan Implementation in New Zealand. 2005). PUCM Planning Practice Guide, No. 2, The International Global Change Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton.

Ericksen, N., Berke, P., Crawford, J., and Dixon, J. 2003; Planning for Sustainability: New Zealand under the RMA (book). The International Global Change Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton.

Ericksen, N., Crawford, J., Berke, P. and J. Dixon, 2001: Resource Management, Plan Quality and Governance. (First PUCM Report to Government.) The International Global Change Institute, The University of Waikato, Hamilton.


RMA plans

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Hotu Manawa New addressing standards for bulk mail

1 July loomsBy Don DayLocal Government Relations ManagerNew Zealand Post

The date of 1 July 2008 is fast

approaching and for New Zealand

Post it’s the date when bulk mailers

must start using the new addressing

standards to continue to receive

bulk mail discounts.

A key change is the use of

the new postcodes. These

were first communicated

to all New Zealanders in

June 2006 when we ran

a major campaign to let

people know their

new postcode

and the

standardised

postal address

we held for them on our postal

address file.

Since then use of the correct

addresses and postcodes has

gradually increased, but we’ve always

known the biggest leap in adoption

would happen once bulk mailers

started using the new addresses.

We’ve provided two years for

businesses and

organisations to

get their address

databases in order

and feedback

suggests

about

80 per cent of bulk mail will be

carrying correct addresses from 1

July.

If your council still needs help

getting ready for the change you

should immediately contact your

New Zealand Post account manager.

It’s also worth thinking about how

you’ll communicate the changes to

your ratepayers and residents.

In some cases, New Zealand Post’s

postal address file contains a

different suburb or even city name to

that which your ratepayers may be

familiar with.

Page 1 of 2




In Partnership


PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Addresses in New Zealand are quite

inconsistent – our analysis of mail

over a period of 12 months showed

that people in the Auckland suburb

of Grafton, for example, used 10

variations of the suburb name on

their mail.

New Zealand Post has prepared

some template newsletter and

website articles to help explain why

addresses might differ. Again you

can talk to your account manager if

you would like to receive copies of

this material.

As you receive calls and feedback

though, there might be instances

where you find the postal address

file is at odds with how your

council represents an address.

It’s very important that you let

us know about those cases so we

can investigate and, if necessary,

correct them in our file. Please direct

enquiries of this nature to:

[email protected].

New addressing standards for bulk mail

1 July looms

Page 2 of 2

For further general information on addressing, see www.nzpost.co.nz/addressing or phone 0800 501 501.

www.nzpost.co.nz/addressing

www.nzpost.co.nz/addressing



In Partnership


PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa Performance excellence in local government

Briefing offerCouncils now have the opportunity

to use the internationally proven

Performance Excellence Study

Award (PESA) criteria to improve

performance and develop their

organisation.

The 2008 PESAs are supported by

Local Government New Zealand,

the Ministry for the Environment

and Business Excellence NZ. The

PESA criteria continue to evolve

in line with international best

practice, and to stay up-to-date

more than 60 councils have now

taken advantage of a subsidised

in-house briefing on performance

excellence principles and how to

use them.

With the launch of the 2008

PESA it is timely and highly cost-

effective to take advantage of

the 31/2-hour subsidised in-house

briefing. The cost to a council for

an in-house briefing is $850 +gst.

To secure an in-house briefing

for your council, use the contact

details below.

Other key features of the PESA

which continue to attract positive

feedback from councils are:

• The detailed written feedback

report which all award applicants

receive from the Baldrige-trained

external PESA assessment

panel. The report is an invaluable

business improvement tool and is

entirely confidential.

• Understanding how to implement

a proven and comprehensive

model for improved performance

across all aspects of a council’s

operations, including meeting

regulatory and planning

obligations.

• Access to organisational

development and performance

Page 1 of 2

http://www.businessexcellence.co.nz



In Partnership


PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

excellence expertise on a one-off

or short to long-term contract

basis.

• Sharing knowledge and ideas on best practice with other councils which are using the PESA criteria.

• The opportunity to participate in the annual PESA study visit programme to the USA. So far, about 35 council managers have participated in this study visit programme and some places have already been booked for the 2008 study visit.

The 2008 application document for

the Performance Excellence Study

Awards is at

www.businessexcellence.co.nz –

click on “Awards”.

n For further information on the council programme or to secure a subsidised in-house PESA briefing, contact:

Errol Slyfield, Business Excellence NZ, ph (04) 473-2400 or 0274 510 400, email [email protected]

Performance excellence in local government

Briefing offer

Page 2 of 2

Viewpoint




PulseApril 2008


Brain foodBy Jim CrookHorowhenua District Council

Even before the ICMA Conference

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had

officially begun I’d had a huge steak,

drunk both good American beer

and Australian wine, met varied and

interesting people and was honoured

with genuine hospitality. A good

start, I thought.

Ensemble Ptijatelji’s colourful

dancing was an interesting

beginning. It was followed by the

formal “presentation of the colours”,

the singing of the American

national anthem and prayers then

a stimulating man, Bill Strickland,

talking about the “art of leadership”

and patterns of imagination. It was

different, inspiring, interesting and

his efforts were making a significant

impact on people’s lives not only in

the USA but now further afield.

I enjoyed the

session in making

the community

active participants

rather than

passive

bystanders to

gain practical

solutions and

priorities within

an ability-to-pay

framework. It was

a practical, mature

approach that was

also evident in

the performance

management presentation and

benchmarking sessions. Find and

stick to one business tool was the

message if you don’t want to alienate

the staff and give the impression of

panic. People like consistency.

I had expected leadership to be a

major theme at the conference and

indeed it came up a few times, none

more intriguing than how important

it is to develop a positive community

“brand”. Critical for prosperity, every

A trip out to Fallingwater, Pennsylvania, after the ICMA conference. Pictured with Jim Crook (far right) are, from left, Michael (Australia), Daniel (England) and Trudy (USA).

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Viewpoint




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Page 2 of 2


Brain foodcommunity, whether we like it or

not, has a reputation and not all

reputations are positive.

An excellent case study was

provided to show how, through

strong political leadership, a rural

farming community which also had

a high-tech United States Air Force

base, developed a strong logo and a

strap line. It was accepted and used

by all businesses, the voluntary,

military and statutory sectors to

promote the community. It has

become a consistent and positive

brand.

I attended the libraries session to

hear about developments in the USA

and to listen to a speaker from the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Libraries are referred to as the

“third place” – the first being

home and the second work – with

the potential to have a huge

positive impact on the community.

In the USA libraries are having

a transforming affect and I was

left wondering what impact new

developments such as these would

have in New Zealand.

Perhaps not surprisingly, America

and New Zealand share common

public service challenges. It was

the depth and quality of thinking,

practical and realistic solutions

based on the communities’ ability

to pay and the passion from

public service that was the most

impressive message that came

from Pittsburgh. It was a long

way to go, but the “brain food”

was refreshing, inspirational and

sufficiently different to justify the

effort.

It was not all work. After the

event finished, with three new

international colleagues I visited

the Frank Lloyd Wright house at

Fallingwater, a journey that took us

through the beautiful Pennsylvania

countryside.

After a great day we parted at the

airport and went back to our own

worlds.

Finally, thanks to MWH for their

sponsorship of my award. I really

appreciated the opportunity it

offered.


http://www.icma.org

Viewpoint




Page 1 of 3

PulseApril 2008


‘Green’ centreBy Paul BrakeFinance ManagerAshburton District Council

Thanks to the SOLGM Executive

Committee and MWH International

Conference Attendance award I was

able to attend the 93rd ICMA annual

conference in Pittsburgh. The

conference was in the David L

Lawrence conference centre,

which claims to be the

first US “certified green”

conference centre and the

world’s largest “green”

building.

My first impression on arrival

was the sheer number of

attendees – more

than 3000 – and

by the end of the

first day, how well

the conference had

been organised.

The track I chose to attend was the

performance management theme,

although I was also able to attend a

seminar on recruitment issues.

The keynote speakers – Bill

Strickland, Daniel Pink and

Dr Lowell Catlett – were

all very informative and

thought-provoking. Their

presentations have been

well covered by my fellow

attendees in the November

2007 issue of Pulse

magazine.

The first

performance

management

session covered the fundamentals

of performance measurement

and management. Perhaps the

key message to come out of this

presentation was that organisations

must have a “piercing clarity of

purpose”. Ultimately, elected

members need to agree this clarity

of purpose and, in the New Zealand

environment, champion it through

the LTCCP development process and

subsequent three-year cycle.

Organisations must be absolutely

clear on what they are trying

to achieve, and that this must

Page 1 of 2


http://www.icma.org

Viewpoint




Page 1 of 3

PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Page 2 of 2

be accepted across the whole

organisation before performance

measurement and management

can be put in place. Following this,

organisations must rigorously

assemble evidence (performance

measures) and apply rigorous logic

thinking and questioning.

Without rigorous evidence there

is the risk that decision-making

will be based on incorrect data,

assumptions or opinions, all of

which can undermine effective

management.

A subsequent session covered the

question of why such a performance

management system is important.

Food for thought was offered in the

question: How much time/resources

are currently devoted to tracking

dollars in

• developing and preparing budgets;

• monitoring month to month financials;

• preparing annual financial reports; and

• audits?

Compared to tracking how well are

those dollars are spent?

One presenter defined a successful

performance management system as

one that can answer the following:

• Is the focus of our work consistent with our mission and desired outcomes?

• Are we delivering what really matters?

• Are we efficient and effective?

• Are we improving?

• Are some areas performing better than others, and can we learn from those areas?

• Do we really know what good performance is?

• Are we using key performance measures in our management decisions?

The workshop session demonstrated

to me that there is still confusion

between the outcomes, outputs

and inputs, especially the focus

on outputs rather than desired

outcomes. My observation is

that there is still much work to be

done here in developing outcome

measurement frameworks and

tools – an issue SOLGM is currently

addressing.

I would like to again thank SOLGM

and MWH for the opportunity

to attend this conference and

encourage others to take advantage

of this opportunity in the future.


‘Green’ centre

Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Opus continues to support the Business School

In December, the Chief Executive of

Opus International Consultants Ltd,

Kevin Thompson, and the President

of SOLGM, Steve Parry, signed a new

agreement for Opus to sponsor the

SOLGM Opus Business School for

a further three years. This is the

third cycle of sponsorship that Opus

has funded since 2001. The new

sponsorship agreement will provide

the school with funding until 2010.

“The close working relationships

between Opus and the many local

authorities in New Zealand has been

cemented over a number of years

through an ongoing amalgamation

of trust, service and achievement,”

says Dr Thompson. “We see our

contribution to the school as a

means of assisting a key client

group with their training needs

and ongoing development. We are

delighted to once again enter into

this agreement.”

SOLGM is equally delighted by this

continuing expression of confidence

in the value of the Business School’s

work to the local government sector.

Training Programme

The 2008 programme at the SOLGM

Opus Business School is now in

full swing. During March, SOLGM

conducted seminars on 2009 and

Beyond for Decision Makers. These

seminars were aimed at elected

officials. They provided background

and instruction on the Long Term

Council Community Plan (LTCCP)

and the role of elected officials in

forming and monitoring the LTCCP.

The two final seminars will be on 1

and 3 April.

In April we will continue the

2009 and Beyond for Decision

Makers seminars and we will be

running the first of our Customer

Relations courses and the Financial

Management Seminar.

In May we will be conducting two

of the courses aimed especially

at enhancing the professional

development of local government

staff: first the new Strategic

Management course; and then

the popular Introduction to Policy

course. Training for Middle Tier Local

Government Managers will also be in

May. The Communications Forum and

the Chief Executives’ Forum will be

in June and the Committee Advisors’

Seminar in July.

Page 1 of 6


http://www.opus.co.nz

Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

From the SOLGM Opus Business SchoolDetails of these and all SOLGM Opus

Business School events are at:

http://www.solgm.org.nz/tools/

events/list.aspx?SECT=Business_

School_Events

Strategic Management course

Strategic Management for Local

Government is a specially designed

and customised course to develop

strategic management skills. It has

been prepared by Victoria University

of Wellington, in consultation with

SOLGM, specifically for the local

government sector. It covers:

• theories, models and issues

relating to strategic management,

as practised in the public sector;

• strategic planning and

management practices for central

and local government in New

Zealand (including emerging

thinking about on-going reform);

• tools and techniques for strategic

analysis;

• strategic planning processes,

particularly in relation to creation

of key planning documents (eg,

Long Term Council Community

Plans, Statements of Intent);

• exposure to current thought and

contemporary debates around

strategy.

The course draws on literature

discussing strategic management

in the public sector, on guidance

documents currently in use in

New Zealand and on candidates’

experiences and critical reflections

on current practice.

People taking this course can use

it to gain academic credit towards

a Victoria University of Wellington

qualification.

A special article on the Strategic

Management course by Professor

Claudia Scott is on page 35 of this

issue of Pulse.

2009 and Beyond for Decision Makers

Venue: Rydges Hotel Cnr Oxford Tce and Worcester St Christchurch

When: 1 April 2008

Venue: Travelodge (previously Novotel) Palmerston North

175-185 Cuba St

Palmerston North

When: 3 April 2008

Who should attend

The seminar is aimed at elected

members (new or returning). Senior

Page 2 of 6

http://www.solgm.org.nz/tools/events/list.aspx?SECT=Business_School_Events





Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

From the SOLGM Opus Business Schoolmanagers with little background in

the LTCCP could also find this useful.

Managing Customer Relationships

Venue: Princes Gate Hotel

1057 Arawa St

Rotorua

When: 3 & 4 April 2008

Venue: Sudima Hotel

Christchurch Airport

Cnr Memorial Ave and Orchard Rd

Christchurch

When: 1 and 2 May 2008

Venue: Hawke’s Bay Club

Cnr Marine and

Browning St

Napier

When: 24 & 25 July 2008

Venue: Scenic Circle Southern Cross Hotel

Cnr Princes and High St

Dunedin

When: 6 & 7 November 2008

Who should attend

These workshops will be valuable to anyone in a local authority who has direct contact with the public or whose role involves delivery of information and services to internal customers.

Financial Management

Venue: Hyatt Regency Auckland

Cnr Waterloo Quadrant & Princes St

Auckland

When: 28-29 April 2008

Who should attend

Anyone in local government positions

with responsibility for financial

reporting, financial and funding

policy development, rating policy

and implementation, development of

the financial content of the LTCCP,

or treasury management. Or anyone

who works alongside these people.

Leadership for Middle Tier Managers

Venue: Brentwood Hotel

16 Kemp St

Kilbirnie

Wellington

When: 5-7 May 2008

Who should attend

This course is intended for middle

tier managers who are seriously

interested in developing their

leadership competencies and

building their interpersonal skills.

Page 3 of 6


Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

From the SOLGM Opus Business SchoolStrategic Management in Local Government

Venue: Victoria University of Wellington

Wellington

When: 19-22 May 2008

Who should attend

See above outline of course and fuller article on page 35.

Introduction to Policy

Venue: Victoria University of Wellington

Wellington

When: 26-27 May 2008

Who should attend

Anyone in the local government

sector who is:

• interested in learning more about

the theory and practice of policy-

making, and its application to local

government;

• wishing to extend their policy

capabilities;

• keen to learn about policy

development in local government;

• considering further study to

develop policy analysis skills and

competencies

Local Government Communication Forum

Venue: Heritage Hotel

Queenstown

When: 12-13 June 2008

Who should attend

• All local authority communication managers and advisors.

• Communication consultants currently working with, or interested in, local government.

2008 Chief Executives’ Forum

Venue: James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel

147 The Terrace

Wellington

When: 20 June 2008

Who should attend

The Forum gives local government

chief executives the opportunity to

meet at a national level to:

• network and discuss significant

issues of common interest;

• be brought up to date on important

developments by key stakeholders;

• receive help and advice in areas of

personal development.

Committee Advisors’ Seminar

Venue: Scenic Circle Southern Cross Hotel

Cnr Princes & High Streets

Dunedin


Page 4 of 6


Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

From the SOLGM Opus Business SchoolWhen: 21-22 July 2008

Who should attend

• All committee advisors,

secretaries and managers.

• Administration officers.

• Executive secretaries and

assistants with responsibility for

committee support.

• Anyone whose responsibilities

include the organisation of elected

members and political meetings.

Negotiating and Managing Conflict

Venue: Brentwood Hotel

16 Kemp St

Kilbirnie

Wellington

When: 24 & 25 July 2008

Who should attend

This course is aimed at all staff

working in local government,

especially those involved in:

• managing individual or group

conflict;

• negotiating with internal and

external stakeholders;

• enforcing compliance to local

authority regulations and by-laws;

• negotiating resolution of issues

between departments;

• mediating conflict resolution and

agreement between groups;

• negotiating resolution to issues

with customers and colleagues.

Local Government Community Plan Conference

Venue: Christchurch

When: 11 and 12 August 2008

Who should attend

• Chief executives

• Asset managers

• Strategic planners

• Corporate planners

• Community development planners

• Consultative process staff

• Central government staff with

responsibilities for working with

local government

... and anyone else with

responsibilities in the area of

community outcomes.

Team Leaders’ Course

Venue: Wellington

When: 25-29 August 2008

Who should attend

This course is intended for all

employees in local government who

Page 5 of 6


Training




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

From the SOLGM Opus Business Schoolare beginning, or who are involved

in, supervisory/team leadership

roles.

RMA Hearings Administrators’ Course

Venue: Wellington

When: 1-2 September 2008

Who should attend

This training will be of value to

anyone who is:

• new to the role of RMA and/or

hearings administrator;

• a committee secretary/advisor;

• a specialist RMA hearings

administrator looking for an

update on current good practice;

• looking to further their own

career or encourage the career

development of others in the area

of RMA administration;

• interested in an opportunity to

All inquiries about Business School events should be directed to:

Carolyn Lampp, Event Co-ordinator, on

Ph: 04 978 1243

Fax: 04 978 1285

email: [email protected]

meet and discuss areas of common

interest with other RMA hearings

administrators;

• a general RMA planning

administrator with hearings as part

of their role.

Page 6 of 6





PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

SOLGM is an incorporated society

established on 1 January 1988.

SOLGM’s Vision is:

Professional quality leadership by

the Society’s members providing

better local government managers.

SOLGM has approximately 580

members throughout all local

authorities in New Zealand,

comprising:

• chief executives;

• second-tier managers reporting

to the chief executive;

• managers with significant

management, policy or strategic

development responsibilities;

• non managerial staff (associate

members).

These members span all disciplines

required in local government

– general management,

financial management, strategic

management, policy development,

economics, engineering,

regulatory (resource management,

building control, food licensing,

etc), community development,

recreational and cultural

management.

This membership provides SOLGM

with an extremely rich resource of

professional, technical, and practical

experience and knowledge to

draw upon in dealing with all local

government issues.

A Code of Ethics defines

the expected integrity and

professionalism of members of

SOLGM.

SOLGM is led by an Executive

Committee, comprising the

President, two Vice Presidents, and

six Executive Members.

SOLGM pursues its vision through

the following institutional

arrangements:

• SOLGM Opus Business School

training and professional

development programmes;

• Centre of Excellence – promotion

of “good practice”;

• Local Government Online

(a local government portal

website – jointly owned with the

Association of Local Government

Information Management, Local

Government New Zealand, and

Civic Assurance);

• National Office in Wellington;

• six branches (four in the North

Island and two in the South

Island).

SOLGM is funded from member

subscriptions, industry good

contributions, trading activity, and

sponsorship.

About SOLGMFind out who we are and what we can do for you




PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa Find out who we are and what we can do for you

SponsorshipSOLGM is particularly grateful to its “Family of Sponsors”.

Principal Sponsors: Civic Assurance, MWH and Simpson Grierson.

Supporting Sponsors: Infor, Audit NZ, Datamail, Deloitte, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Downer EDI Works.

SOLGM also acknowledges the sponsorship support from New Zealand Post and Opus International Consultants.

General Enquiries:

Tel: 04 978 1280

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.deloitte.com

http://www.works.co.nz





www.jlt.co.nz

http://www.simpsongrierson.com

http://geac.co.nz

http://auditnz.govt.nz

http://www.datamail.co.nz




Feedback

PulseApril 2008

Hotu Manawa

Whatever your view, please share it with us

Have your say

Read something that interests you?

Concerns you? Annoys you? Want a

chance to put your view? Want to find

out more? Whatever your view, please

share it with us.

Pulse is only as good as the

contributions it gets. It is your

newsletter, meant to reflect your

Society. Let us know if it is (or isn’t)

doing the job.

Contact Lara Sarich

Tel 04 978 1287


Pulse is published by the

New Zealand Society of

Local Government Managers.

Who’s who?President:

Steve Parry

Tel: 06 209 0300


Vice Presidents:

Ross McLeod

Tel: 09 836 8000


Athol Stephens

Tel: 03 477 4000


Chief Executive:

David Smith

Tel: 04 978 1282


Feedback




http://www.solgm.org.nz

hotu manawa the new zealand society of local government ... file&folder_id... · by michael...

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