Waipā District Council officially welcomed its new Chief Executive yesterday, with a rousing pōwhiri at Lake Karāpiro attended by representatives from a number of iwi across the Waikato, including Kingitanga representatives the Tumuaki, Hone Thompson and Rahui Papa.
The sound of waiata reverberated around the Sir Don Rowlands Centre as Stephanie O’Sullivan arrived flanked by her whānau, friends, iwi representatives including leaders of Ngāti Awa, and previous colleagues.
The former Whakatane District Council Chief Executive was warmly received by Mayor Susan O’Regan, councillors, mana whenua representatives and Waipā District Council’s leadership team.
O’Regan outlined a number of O’Sullivan’s attributes which helped her secure the top job.
“Steph is unashamedly a people person, and that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
At a time of crossroads for local government, Waipā had sought a Chief Executive who would embrace change at every level and embodied transformational leadership.
The most important attributes she brought were transparency, inclusivity and accountability.
“As our sector changes – and believe me, it absolutely must change, and it absolutely will – I wanted our organisation led by someone who is nimble and who thrives on and embraces innovation, someone who sees opportunity as well as risk,” O’Regan said.
“In other words, we wanted a glass-half full person, not glass-half empty.”
O’Regan paid tribute to long-serving former Chief Executive Garry Dyet, who was one of Steph’s ‘biggest fans’ and who helped the council crystallise the attributes it wanted in his replacement.
These included being a collaborative, confident decision-maker and proven leader, who shared information openly.
“Importantly, we sought a ‘servant leader’, that is, a person who focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people in the community to which they belong, serving the needs of the whole Waipā team.”
O’Sullivan thanked her family who had taught her the values of hard work and reflected on growing up on a farm in the community of Tokoroa which had taught her the appreciation of difference, diversity and its strengths.
She paid tribute to all those who had supported her on her leadership journey that had ultimately led her to Waipā, including Dyet who had been a friend and mentor as well as a colleague.
O’Sullivan also reflected on her move to the Home of Champions and its Olympic successes, citing the commonalities with Local Government, including the desire to perform, to do well by those around us, and to make the community proud.
“My role as Chief Executive is to ensure that we create and nurture a high-performance environment by making sure our organisation and culture is adaptive and focused on delivery and our purpose,” she said.
Pursuit, effort and endeavour were three words at the forefront of her mind.
“Pursuit in that we must get after those things that are important – continually moving in a positive direction, aiming higher, doing better.
“Effort to realise performance needs to be higher, with efficiency, with engagement. With creating thriving prosperous communities, pursuit needs effort to sustain it.
“And endeavour, creating communities that we can not only be proud of but living up to and maintain the brand of being the Home of Champions, and Local Government living up to, being connected to and reflecting our celebrated brand.
“That is my role and that will be my focus.”
