Consultant Steven Finlay with Waipā governance manager Jo Gread
Waipā District Council strategy manager Kirsty Downey says enhancing how the council works with community boards remains a priority after a decision not to re-establish the control group monitoring the work.
Kirsty Downey
Councillors agreed not to re-establish the Community Board 2.0 Project Control Group at this month’s council meeting while consideration was given to how best to measure processes, successes and/or failures of operational matters of Community Boards 2.0.
Governance manager Jo Gread said the council needed to reflect on how the group worked last triennium and see what the best vehicle is going forward.
Downey told The News Community Boards 2.0, introduced in July 2022 following feedback from a representation review in 2021, considered the role of community boards.
“Since then, the project has focused on refreshing how boards work with council, improving governance confidence, and supporting stronger local participation in decision-making,” Downey said.
Charlotte FitzPatrick
“Key recommendations from the review centred on reaffirming the relationship between council and community boards, renewing delegations to better reflect community needs, and supporting boards to deepen engagement with their communities and mana whenua.
“A number of initiatives were introduced to enhance how council and community boards work together,” Downey said.
Initiatives include earlier engagement with boards on council projects, community board input on major matters, clearer strategic priorities, enhanced induction and training.
“This work is a priority and is ongoing. A project control group was established to monitor and report on the effectiveness of those initiatives and ways of working.”
“Staff recommended that time be taken to consider whether a project control group or some other mechanism is the most appropriate way to monitor and report on the effectiveness of Community Boards 2.0.”
Cambridge Community Board chair Charlotte FitzPatrick said her board welcomed ongoing feedback and evaluation “to ensure we deliver for our community, strengthen what’s working and address what’s not”.
Community board chairs Jo Davies-Colley (Cambridge), left, and Ange Holt (Te Awamutu & Kihikihi), right before last term’s meeting about their performances. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
“We want our board to be effective and responsive to community needs, and we will use metrics like the customer perception survey to gauge community satisfaction and trust levels. We’re here to do the very best we can for Cambridge.
“Mayor Mike [Petit] summed things up really well at the beginning of that meeting and his comments definitely resonated with me – we want to be in the community, work with the community, and do our very best for our community. We’re aiming high and will advocate strongly for Cambridge’s best interests.”
Ange Holt, who was re-elected Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community board chair earlier this month, declined to comment on the decision.
Holt underlined frustrations the board felt in trying to advocate for the community when she appeared before the council’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee in April.
Consultant Steven Finlay with Governance manager Jo Gread when he presented his community board recommendations to the council three years ago. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
