30 November 2011

Forming a Relationship with the Institute of Public Administration NZ (IPANZ)

As the new Chief Executive, I have spent my first two months meeting with members and stakeholders to get a full picture of what SOLGM does, what is done well and what the opportunities for further development are.

I have come to appreciate the importance of our relationship with LGNZ as we work in the same context – local government.

Being a former public servant I am struck with the compatibility of the local government managers’ ‘craft’ and that of senior public servants – that of public administration in its widest form.

To this end I am happy to be able to announce that we have formed a relationship with the Institute of Public Administration NZ (IPANZ) and we will be sponsoring one of their Excellence awards in 2012 – the Working Together for Better Services category. 

The Working Together for Better Services category recognises outstanding performance and achievement of joint outcomes and other shared accountabilities across clusters of agencies.

Projects recognised under this award will enhance government’s engagement with communities and the delivery of accessible and responsive services to New Zealanders, and the diversity of ethnic and social groups in our communities.

In joining together, our collective aim is to be able to showcase the excellent work that exists already in collaborative central/local government projects up and down the country for the benefit of New Zealand communities.

Our involvement with the IPANZ awards in no way signals a move away from our own Local Government Excellence Awards, with the Supreme Award being sponsored by GHD this year. In fact it provides an additional opportunity for Councils and members to showcase the excellence that they deliver each and every day to their own communities.

For more about the IPANZ Awards visit http://ipanzawards.org.nz/

Karen Thomas
Chief Executive