A members guide
to the
Waimakariri District Council

Mission:

To pursue with the community a high quality physical and social environment,safe communities and a healthy economy.

Values:

Web site: http://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/

Where we fit in – Nationally

There are two primary local government structures, regional councils and territorial authorities made up of city and district councils.

In addition, four territorial authorities, known as unitary authorities, also perform regional council functions.

Almost all of New Zealand is within the area of a territorial authority and within the region of a regional authority (or a territorial authority that exercises regional council functions). The Chatham Islands has its own Chatham Islands Council.

City and district council boundaries do not always coincide with regional council boundaries. A city or district council may therefore be located in more than one region.

The roles and functions of regional councils and territorial authorities are generally complementary. Thus, while they often carry out functions within their own particular areas of responsibility, there will also be situations where territorial authority activity must conform with regional plans and policies. Resource management and land transport planning are examples.

There are 12 regional councils and 74 territorial authorities in New Zealand.

Our Neighbours

We share boundaries with Selwyn and Hurunui District Councils and the Christchurch City Council .

In addition we formally meet with our above neighbours and Environment Canterbury (ECAN) on an annual basis.

We are joint venture partners in Transwaste Canterbury Ltd and the Tekohaka o Tuahaitara Trust. We are currently working with Hurunui to establish an Economic Development Board.

Local Government New Zealand

All 86 local authorities are members of Local Government New Zealand. (Note: Local Government New Zealand is legally entitled the New Zealand Local Government Association Inc.)

Local Government New Zealand exists to promote the national interests of all 86 local authorities in New Zealand. It does this through three core businesses:

• promoting collective policy views
• information sharing
• member development

Local Government New Zealand head office is in Wellington – Chief Executive Officer, Peter Winder, Chair Basil Morrison.

Our Council is within the zone 5 region comprising the northern part of the South Island.

Web site: http://www.lgnz.co.nz/

Our Community

There has been a steady increase in the population of Waimakariri District over the last five census periods with a gain of approximately 5,000 people per census period and a corresponding increase in dwellings of 2000. Our population is about 36400.

Vision 2020 is the key community document. From that, the Council develops a number of other plans, among the most important of these are:

• Strategic Plan
• LTFS
• AMPs
• Annual Plan
• District Plan

We have a number of Advisory Groups, residents associations, promotions associations etc, who work closely with us and play a key role in consultation which in turn helps us plan and prioritise.

Creature of Statute

The Council is known as “a Creature of Statute”. It can only do things that are provided for in New Zealand Statutes or Regulations.

Should the Council try to do anything that is outside of its permitted powers, then such actions will be ultra vires the Council, or beyond the powers of the Council and are therefore unlawful.

The main statutes or Acts of Parliament which affect the Council, are:

• Local Government
• Resource Management
• Building
• Health
• Local Government Official Information and Meetings
• Privacy
• Health and Safety in Employment
• Employment Relations
• Fencing of Swimming Pools
• Hazardous Substances and New Organisms
• New Zealand Bill of Rights
• Civil Defence
• Rating Powers
• Public Bodies Contracts
• Public Bodies Leases
• Clean Air
• Dangerous Goods
• Burial and Cremation
• Forest and Rural Fires
• Litter
• Impounding (Stock)
• Local Electoral
• Reserves
• Transit NZ
• Public Finance
• Public Audit
• Protected Disclosures.

There are many Acts of Parliament which affect the Council’s business and these can be found in the Councillor’s Lounge – Brookers Volumes 1-5.

How does the Council Currently Conduct its Business?

The elected Councillors can be viewed as being the “Board of Directors”. The Council determines policy as to the future direction of the Council. It makes decisions in respect of those matters which Council has not delegated to either a Council Committee, Subcommittee or to Council staff.

The Local Government Act provides for delegation from the Council to a wide range of committees or individuals.

Previous Councils have adopted an extensive system of delegations; these are recorded in the Council’s Delegations Manual which will be considered early in the term of this Council.

Business items requiring decisions of either a committee or the Council will be included on the meeting agenda of the committee or the Council and will be by way of a written report.

All reports are reviewed by the Management Team before being included on a committee or Council agenda.

The management team is Jane Parfitt (Chief Executive Officer), Bruce Thompson (Manager : Resource Planning and Regulation), Jim Palmer (Chief Financial Officer), and Ken Fox (Manager : Services), Donald Ellis (Information Manager), Ian Whitelaw (Employment Relations Advisor), and Kevin Lamb (Administration Manager). There is a standing invitation to the Mayor to attend all management team meetings. This team has responsibility for managing the activities of the organisation. Four members of the team have special responsibility for servicing full Council and committees.

• Chief Executive Officer – Council
• Manager Services – Services Committee and Council
• Chief Financial Officer – Audit and Council
• Manager Resource Planning and Regulation – Resource Management and Regulation Committee and Council

These positions collectively form the Management Executive Team.

Copies of the Management Team minutes are made available to all staff and Councillors on a weekly basis.

Staff reports are set out in a standard format which is:

• Summary
• Recommendation
• Background
• Options
• Statutory Implication
• Consultation
• Financial
• Strategic Links

Where a report is an “information only report” it will contain a recommendation that “the report be received” and such information reports will be circulated to you each week with your weekly Council mailing.

Information type reports are listed on the appropriate Council or committee agenda to provide you with a check list to ensure that you have received various information reports.

Reports requiring “action” will be considered by either the Council or the appropriate committee. Most of the Council’s work is carried out by the Council’s committees, or by a sub-committee or staff acting under delegation.

Kaiapoi Community Board

The Community Board is not a committee of the Council. The jurisdiction of the Board is as outlined in the Local Government Act section 101ZY.

Policy Manual

Where a committee or the Council passes policy resolutions then those resolutions will be included in the Council Policy Manual. Each Councillor is provided with a copy of the manual and the Council policies will be reviewed early in the term of this Council.

Policy and Planning Processes

Please refer to the diagram that is set out in Appendix II. The diagram sets out the relationship between Council’s Policy and Planning documents.

The Annual Plan for the year commencing 1 July is adopted early in July. The Annual Report for the year ended 30 June will be adopted by the Council in November.

Mayor’s Role

The responsibility of the Mayor is to provide leadership to encourage the Council to conduct itself in a manner consistent with its legislative mandate and its own governance policies and rules.

The Mayor is empowered to:

• Chair Council meetings with all the commonly recognised authority of that position.
• Enforce Standing Orders.
• Speak on behalf of the Council and act as an advocate for it, including taking the primary responsibility for interaction with the media and representing the council at meetings with external parties.

Committee and Sub-Committee Chairperson’s Role

The responsibility of the Chairperson of a committee or sub-committee is to provide leadership to encourage the committee to conduct itself in a manner consistent with its terms of reference.

The committee or sub-committee Chairperson is empowered to:

Chair committee meetings with all the commonly recognised authority of that position.

• Enforce Standing Orders.
• Speak on behalf of the committee or sub-committee and act as an advocate for it, including representing the committee at meetings with external parties.
• Report to the Council on the work of the committee or sub-committee.

Useful Councillor Information

Staff Structure

The staff structure that largely reflects the committee structure and enables staff and elected members to develop close working relationships and be fully appraised of all the details of given projects.

Appendix I

Workshops:

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 A workshop is a meeting held solely for information, discussion and understanding at which NO decisions or resolutions are made.

1.2 There are no standing orders for workshop meeting procedures.

1.3 Where the object of a meeting is to provide information, gather ideas, and/or understand options, the benefits of a properly organised, alternative and non-adversarial style of workshop meeting should be considered.

1.4 Workshops because of their informality and nature do not have strict rules, but the procedures in Section 2 will encourage effective workshops.

2. PROCEDURES

2.1 Agendas for workshops will be prepared and distributed prior to the workshops including supporting material.

2.2 Workshops do not follow formal rules of procedure, but should still be properly conducted. This requires careful preparation, including some of the following:

An effective facilitator (sometimes external facilitators are used),

• Defining the issues,
• Defining the objectives of the agenda item,
• Arranging appropriate speakers,
• Preparing any materials and visual aids,
• Briefing contributors, and
• Preparing the venue.

2.3 To achieve its purpose a workshop should not be limited to the presentation of only one point of view.

2.4 The purpose of a workshop may be to:

Inform participants.

• To transfer information and ideas.
• Explain options.
• Explore options.
• Test whether proposals or options are feasible, defensible, appropriate etc.
• Obtain views, information and insights.

As issues will only be resolved by subsequent Council action, workshops will not make decisions.

2.5 Details of how an issue may be brought to Council should be advised.

2.6 To ensure a workshop progresses in an orderly manner, it would be appropriate for the facilitator to advise the time available for each item, or set a closure time.

2.7 Consensus on an issue will not be sought at a workshop and it should not be an expectation that consensus will be reached on all issues.

· Council and Committee meetings provide the opportunity for formal debate and resolution.

2.8 Workshops should not be used as a mechanism to evade the spirit of legislation by determining issues prior to them eventually being referred to a decision-taking council or committee meeting.

2.9 Councillors should assist the facilitator by:

• Agreeing to timelines for the workshop items.
• Attempting to keep to these timelines.
• Expressing opinions but no debate.
• Seek clarification and understanding.
• Limiting the time taken to ask questions.
• Respecting the view of others.
• Doing preparation for the workshop such as reading any background material.

3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

3.1 The public does not have any legal right to attend workshop meetings, but the Council does have the discretion to open them to the public.

• The Chairperson of a Committee/Sub-committee has authority to approve public attendance at a Council workshop, and as a general rule workshops and agendas will be accessible to the public and media.

3.2 The discretion to allow the public to attend workshops also implies the right to not open them, or part of them, to the public.

• A motion to exclude the public, as happens at a formal meeting, does not apply to workshops.

3.3 The Council may involve outside participants and staff as part of a larger group at a workshop.

4. RECORDS

4.1 It is normal practice for notes of any workshop to be kept, distributed to participants, and lodged in the Council records system.

4.2 The notes are not usually reported back to Committees, or the Council as are the minutes of formal meetings.

Appendix II

Policy and Planning Process

Appendix III

Layout Plan of Rangiora Service Centre