SP-09-606
Mayor and Councillors KĀPITI COAST DISTRICT COUNCIL 9 JULY 2009 Meeting Status : Public Purpose of Report: For Decision
TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR COUNCILLORS 2009-2010 PURPOSE OF REPORT
1 Council is asked to consider and approve a training and development programme for Councillors. This programme covers the period from October 2009 to the end of the Triennium.
SIGNIFICANCE OF DECISION
2 This report does not trigger the Council’s Significance Policy.
BACKGROUND
3 The training and development of elected members comprises two key aspects: • • That elected members, once elected, receive appropriate induction training; That they have on-going opportunities to undertake appropriate skills development and training in areas needed to assist them to carry out their role effectively.
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To date, the induction of new elected members has featured the generic LGNZ induction programme, supplemented by a series of briefings from Council staff to help elected members quickly acclimatize to the more operational aspects of their function. However, the ongoing training of elected members has been more ad hoc, centering on the two major conferences, the LGNZ Annual Conference and the biannual Community Board Conference. Recent discussions have indicated that a more structured, equitable and logical approach to elected member training and development would be desirable. In May a matrix was made available to Councillors which detailed relevant training opportunities occurring up to the end of the Triennium. Councillors were requested to indicate which opportunities they would like to undertake. This report presents those requests together with indicative costings (see Appendix 1).
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SP-09-606
CONSIDERATIONS Issues
7 The opportunities presented to Councillors for their training and development are key training events but not an exhaustive list. As the Triennium unfolds there may well be other seminars, conferences and workshops that individual Councillors wish to participate in, especially given their specific portfolio interests. These would be the subject of separate consideration at future Council meetings. A number of elected members hold certification as hearing commissioners through the RMA ‘Making Good Decisions’ training course. These certificates do not expire until 2011. Local Government New Zealand is taking a more structured approach to elected member professional development. The Professional Development Programme being developed in a partnership between LGNZ, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and SOLGM is well underway. A variety of decision-making and governance modules will be developed and made available over the next two years. The module ‘Financial Governance 101’ is the first of these.
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Financial Considerations
10 Each financial year $25,000 is allocated for elected member training and development. In its recent deliberations on the Draft Long Term Council Community Plan 2009/19 Council approved the separate allocation of $3,000 to each Community Board to enable the boards to manage their own training and development budget. 11 The total indicative cost of the programme at Appendix 1 is $12,968, based on registration costs and estimated costs for airfares, and accommodation. This would leave just over $12,000 available for the rest of the Triennium.
Legal Considerations
12 There are no legal considerations.
Delegation
13 The Council has not delegated this authority to any of its committees or subcommittees.
Other Considerations
10 There are no consultation or policy implications.
Publicity Considerations
11 There are no publicity considerations. However, Councillors will be required to provide a timely written report on their attendance at any training and development via the Elected Members’ Bulletin.
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SP-09-606
RECOMMENDATIONS
12 That Council approve the Training Programme detailed at Appendix 1 of SP-09606: a. That the Council be represented at the RMLA Conference by the Mayor and Councillors __________________________ being held in Wellington from 1-3 October 2009. b. That the Council be represented at the LGNZ KnowHow Financial Governance 101 Course by Councillor/s_____________ being held in Wellington on 21 October 2009. c. That the Council be represented at the LGNZ Conference 2010 by the Mayor and Councillors __________________ being held in Auckland in July 2010. d. That the Council be represented at the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Conference 2010 by Councillor/s_____________ being held in Gisborne late September 2010. e. That the Council be represented at the NZ Planning Institute Conference 2010 by Mayor Rowan and Councillor/s _____________being held in Christchurch from 20-23 April 2010. 13 That the Council requests all Councillors who attend training and development events to provide written reports in a timely fashion on their return via the Elected Members’ Bulletin.
Report prepared by:
Approved for submission by:
Diana Geerling Democratic Services Advisor
Gael Ferguson Group Manager, Strategy & Partnerships
ATTACHMENTS: APPENDIX 1 – TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT TO 2010 APPENDIX 2 – RMLA CONFERENCE 2009 APPENDIX 3 – LGNZ KNOWHOW FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE 101
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SP-09-606 APPENDIX 1
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO 2010
Conference
Councillors Interested
Costs ($)*
RMLA Conference 2009 “Challenges for Effective Environmental Management” 1-3 October 2009 Wellington LGNZ Knowhow Financial Governance 101 21 October 2009 Wellington NZ Planning Institute Conference “Planning Pathways to the Future” 20-23 April 2010 Christchurch LGNZ Conference July 2010 Auckland Keep New Zealand Beautiful Conference 2010 Gisborne
Mayor Rowan Councillor Patton Councillor Chapman Councillor Ammundsen Councillor Wooding Councillor Patton
6,450
300
Mayor Rowan
1,498
Mayor Rowan Councillor Ellis
3,856
Councillor Ammundsen
864 (approx)
* including registration, airfares and accommodation
TOTAL $ 12,968
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SP-09-606 APPENDIX 2
RMLA Conference 2009 Capital Leadership - in the national interest? – Challenges for Effective Environmental Management”
Date: 1-3 October 2009 Venue: Wellington Convention Centre, 111 Wakefield Street, Wellington The winds of change have gathered and calls for national responses to environmental issues are increasingly requiring decision makers to weigh the national interest against local effects. New Zealand is facing an ever increasing number of national environmental issues. Though they require a national response, this needs to be evaluated against local interests and effects to ensure that sustainable management is achieved. Decision makers are increasingly being required to grapple with this complex evaluation task. The 2009 RMLA Annual Conference explores how national and local interests can be appropriately weighed in resource management planning and decision making. Leadership from the community, Maori, industry, the Courts, local government and central government is critical to ensure that all interests are properly assessed. The conference will examine the notion of leadership and how it can be achieved. Leaders from across the resource management spectrum will discuss the need for leadership on critical resource management issues, how it can be achieved and how national and local interests should be assessed. How decision makers can evaluate national and local interests across matters such as major infrastructure projects, natural resource use and allocation, climate change and hazard management will be explored in detail. International, national and local perspectives on how to weigh the national interest against local effects will be discussed. The Wellington Conference Chair is David Allen, Buddle Findlay in Wellington.
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SP-09-606 APPENDIX 3
LGNZ KnowHow Financial Governance 101
Date: 21 October 2009 Venue: Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street, Wellington This course aims to provide local government elected members with skills and confidence in understanding local government finances and how to identify and use information to assist in providing financial governance oversight and influencing plans. It explores:
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The relationship between planning and the LTCCP process and financial information; Important accounting and asset management concepts; Balance sheet management and financing choice; and Using the lessons learnt in identifying options, considering information needs and decision-making.
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