When a new Council is elected, people often wonder what happens next. Do we jump straight into making decisions? Start new projects right away? The reality is, getting a Council up and running takes a bit more groundwork.
Right now, our newly elected Councillors and Community Board members are taking part in an induction programme; learning about how Council works, the big challenges and opportunities ahead, and the difference between governance (the “what” and “why”) and management (the “how”). We are also shifting to better empower communities through voice, choice and control, as I talked about on the campaign trail.
A new Council is like a new team so time and care is required to understand each other’s perspectives, to build trust, and to agree on shared priorities. The early months are about listening, learning, and setting the tone for how we will work together as elected members and with our communities over the next three years; the reset to genuinely empower communities also requires review of formal delegations along with a mindset shift inside Council itself. That has been a key priority for us all.
The clear message on increasing affordability of rates is the other major focus –being as efficient as we can be, being clear on what services we deliver and moving to shared services where we can. I am also making sure we review major capital projects planned as well as those that were planned some time ago but not yet underway. We’re not rushing to any decisions but just making sure we think about rates affordability as the community were clear to say we must do. This also starts to deliver on the increasing our commitment to community choice.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’re taking another important step: confirming our new governance structure and appointing Chairs and Deputy Chairs to lead the committees that will drive much of Council’s work. These appointments help set the direction for how decisions are made and ensure each part of our organisation is focused on delivering for our communities.
We’ve got a great mix of experienced and new members this term, all passionate about their communities and bringing a wide range of skills and local insight to the table. Last week's swearing in ceremony gave councillors a chance to share a key message with their peers, whaanau and staff. The thread connecting those messages was commitment to serve our communities and to work collectively for better outcomes.
So while you might not see big changes right away, there are some small but important changes happening to signal where we are going. That means new delegations - the ability to make decisions and get on with it - for Councillors working with their community groups. In time this will also mean taking more responsibility and ownership for the delivery of smaller community projects.
And you will see a Council that’s listening and looking for new and improved ways to serve its communities – including the introduction of public forums ahead of major Council meetings along with exploring the opportunity to move our meetings around the district, if financially and technically viable. All efforts to increase transparency and accountability.
We are focused on getting the basics right, increasing rates affordability, and making sure decisions are made as close to communities as possible. It’s early days, but we’re off to a good start. Taking the time to get it right now will help us deliver better outcomes for everyone across the mighty Waikato.
