Governance shake-up for Waipā District Council
Decision-making around the Waipā District Council table is set to take a more strategic focus for 2025, with an overhaul of the meeting schedule and frequency underway.
It’s all part of a programme of “continuous improvement” as the council, under new Chief Executive Steph O’Sullivan, works to produce the best outcomes for the community.
“It’s a time of immense change for local government, and at the request of the Mayor and Councillors we are looking closely at our business for areas we can refresh and improve,” O’Sullivan said.
“Council is a large and complex business, and we need to have systems, capability and capacity for the busy years ahead. Our governance system has a significant organisational machine behind it – and ultimately must serve our Elected Members to make sound and robust decisions for the community.”
The first stage is a review of the meetings calendar, focusing on the strategic decisions ahead for Council and enabling committees to focus on core challenges and issues.
Full Council meetings and workshop days for elected members will still be held each month while committee meetings move to every second month. Meetings and workshops will move from Tuesdays to Wednesdays, which enables more efficient internal processes, enhances use of internal resources and gives the Councillors more time to prepare.
In an effort to streamline agendas, the number of information-only reports will be reduced, with Councillors receiving updates more regularly using different mediums. While the main committee structure is working well and will not be altered, some smaller sub-committees will meet less frequently. The Housing sub-committee has been disbanded with its business redirected to the Strategic Planning and Policy Committee, and a new Road Closure subcommittee set up.
“Our goal is to create a more focused, efficient workplace, optimise staff time and resources, and above all, ensure strategic, effective decision-making that is transparent to our communities,” says O’Sullivan.
“This is a trial, and we know that we won’t necessarily have it right the first time, so we’ll review in due course and keep a continuous improvement approach. We’re going to take another look at the calendar in June, and see how it’s working for everyone.”
The changes, discussed and approved last week at the Council’s first meeting for 2025, will take effect from March. Late last year, the calendar for January and February was approved.
Waipā District Council’s previous governance structure had been in place, mostly unchanged, for many years. Feedback from both elected members and staff as well as an environment of reform indicated that governance needs were changing.
