Transformation: Council to consider the case for major change

Published on 18 August 2022

Waitaki District Council has committed to an exciting Transformation Programme. This will fundamentally change the way the Council works and operates so we can deliver the best for our district, residents and customers. Next Tuesday, 23 August, Councillors will consider the next stage of the programme, the Case for Change and Ambitions. This sets out the reasons for change and where the organisation will aim to get to through the transformation process. 

Talking about the need to change, Waitaki District Council Chief Executive, Alex Parmley said,

“Our Council works in a similar way to many New Zealand councils. But the world our Council operates in is very different to the one which councils were designed for. Our communities have changed and so have their needs. We face new challenges and risks as a district and within the Council. Whilst we do not get everything right, most of what we deliver is good, but there are now new opportunities to deliver better community outcomes and services. “

“Our Councillors and staff are ambitious in what they want to deliver for Waitaki and its residents, but we are facing growing demands and increased costs. And like all councils, we face a range of reforms including Three Waters, Resource Management Act and the Future for Local Government Review and we need to respond to this onslaught of legislative change to key services we deliver.” 

“Therefore it is clear we will not meet our ambitions operating the way we are. We need to change and our Councillors and staff want us to change.” 

As well as the “drivers of change” the Council will next week consider what it will look like after successfully transforming. The overall ambition is for the council to become a leading, innovative council delivering the best for our communities. In practical terms this means:

• Delivering modern, customer focussed services that meet our residents’ and businesses’ needs
• Focusing on our role as a community organisation and community servant leader so we are closer to our communities and better able to tackle the big challenges the district faces
• Being a flexible organisation so we can respond to the inevitable changes that we and our communities face
• Working more collaboratively with the community and partner organisations, in how we deliver for Waitaki
• Becoming a leading employer so we can retain and recruit the best staff and that they will have the right skills, so that we can deliver efficiently and effectively for our district and residents
• Ensuring our systems, ways of working and culture all support an efficient and effective Council
• Working as One Team in all that we do, so our services join up, we are efficient and can deliver improved outcomes for our communities

Talking about the changes ahead, Council CEO, Alex Parmley said, “This is a big programme of change for the Council. We are not tinkering or simply restructuring the management. This is an overhaul of everything we do: our systems, processes, operating model, technology and culture so we can get a better result for our community. We are learning from what councils in other countries have done and from the business world so we can operate in a different and better way. The changes we will make were simply not imaginable until recently.”

“The changes will be made in stages, so they are well thought through and we can manage it a bit at a time. We are not a big organisation and so we do not have the capacity to change everything at once whilst also continuing to deliver services and projects. It will take time if we are to do it well. ”

“As well as drawing on my experience of leading transformation programmes in two other councils in the UK, we will draw in other expertise where required, including our partners, Maven Consulting, who have worked with many commercial, community and public service organisations to design and deliver transformational change.”

“Our Transformation Programme is an exciting opportunity, but there is much hard work ahead of us to deliver our aspirations. I look forward to working with our Elected Members, staff colleagues, partner organisations, communities and customers to deliver a Council that not only delivers for our District, but which is also valued by our communities and that we are all proud of.”   

ENDS