Leading locally
Better than competent
Council has a very able Chair who brings a wealth of governance experience. Elected members seek to ensure that all projects are delivered on budget, on time, and to full potential. Providing value for money and consistent project management discipline are significant motivations for many of the current elected members.
Having created an effective decision-making body, the Chair has set out to ensure councillors deliberately engage outside their own wards and across committee functions.
Investing money well
Competent
The Council’s financial policy and finances are conservatively managed by the elected members through their ability to exercise investment and consumption decisions at their investment arm, Quayside Ltd.
The Council is generally managing its finances well, but this is due to, in no small part, the substantial income it receives as a dividend from its arms-length investment company.
Delivering what’s important
Competent
The Council’s greatest operational strength is its people; they are highly engaged, technically proficient, and instilled with a strong public service ethic. Their capability, however, needs to be better harnessed through more demanding and relevant performance measures, improved business cases and project planning, and more coherent strategies and goals for key activity areas.
The Council is transitioning its regulatory approach from incentivisation and persuasion to enforcement.
Listening and responding
Better than competent
Extensive energy and commitment to communication and engagement has delivered many positive relationships with specific stakeholder groups. However, the goals of high levels of community engagement (as distinct from passive receivers of council information) and strong understanding of the Council’s role and goals remain largely unfulfilled.
Good communication and engagement are highly important to the Council and receive significant resourcing. Engagement is very high on local initiatives, and stakeholder relationships are generally strong and improving. The Council expends particular effort in its relationships with iwi.