Community Boards to get more support
Waipā’s Community Boards will be given more support in the next electoral term.
At today’s (Tuesday) Council meeting, Waipā District Councillors unanimously agreed to five recommendations aimed at lifting the performance of both the Cambridge and the Te Awamutu/Kihikihi Community Boards.
It included a recommendation that Boards be given more support from Council staff to “re-engage with their communities and mana whenua”.
The review of Waipā’s Community Boards follows a representation review in 2021 where Councillors decided to retain both Boards in their current form. However Council directed that a review of the Boards’ performance be undertaken to improve their role and function. The review was undertaken by Dr Steven Finlay of Local Government NZ.
Finlay presented five recommendations to Council today, all of which were appproved. Deputy chief executive Ken Morris said Council staff had been directed to more actively support Boards to lift their performance.
“Council has agreed that Community Boards have an important role to play in the future, particularly on key issues in their own communities. So that means working more closely to ensure Council and Council staff support Board members and their decision-making,” he said.
“This is about us giving Boards the tools and training they need, as well as providing clearer and more community-focused delegations.”
Nominations for new Community Boards for coming three-year terms are now open, closing on August 12. As at today, no Community Board nominations had been verified.
For more information, contact: Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Waipa) 027 5077 599