It’s easy to get trapped in the daily grind of financial statements and systems. This year’s event focuses on four areas where finance professionals can add value over and above ‘keeping score’ – the impact of water reforms, value for money reviews (including section 17A), tapping the PGF and strategic funding.
- 28 Mar 2019-29 Mar 2019
- 09:00 - 17:00
- Save to my Calendar
- James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington, New Zealand
- 890.00 (plus GST) Members
- 1,010.00 (plus GST) Non Members
About this event
This forum is now sold out.
Overview
It’s easy to get trapped in the daily grind of financial statements and systems. This year’s event focuses on four areas where finance professionals can add value over and above ‘keeping score’ – the impact of water reforms, value for money reviews (including section 17A), tapping the PGF and strategic funding. We’ll look at what the 2018 LTPs told us.
And there’s all the usual updates on accounting standards, tax, law, and finance issues as well as the latest from within the Wellington beltway.
With expert presenters providing content specifically tailored to the finance function in local government our 2019 Forum will:
- highlight current and emerging financial management issues that are relevant to local authorities
- provide opportunities to identify and discuss solutions
- showcase best practice within the sector.
Who should attend:
- Local government Chief Financial Officers
- Finance managers and staff
- Appointed auditors
Accommodation
If you wish to book accommodation at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, please follow the instructions below
Please note, the entire URL must be copied and pasted for it to work properly.
The Programme
Day One: 28 March 20199.30am Welcome to the Forum 9.35am The Practical Consequences of Three Waters Reform Mark Robinson, Director, PwC The ongoing review, and likely reform, of the three waters sector has a range of potential implications for councils, as the provider of those services. Changes to regulatory requirements may necessitate additional resources, additional activities and new relationships. Any subsequent change to the delivery structure of three waters could be even more significant, with the potential for new entities to commercially engage with, impacts on existing balance sheets and staff, including resources currently shared between three waters and other activities, valuations of existing assets, and possible changes to the local rating/revenue requirement. This session will discuss the ongoing review and possible reforms, including different options and timings, and then explore the potential implications for councils. 10.25am Getting the Best from a Section 17A Review Raymond Horan, Chief Adviser, Taituarā The 17A reviews are intended to encourage local authorities to seek efficiency gains, including through collaborative approaches. Raymond will provide some pointers to getting the best from a review, from the perspective of an agency that’s undertaken reviews for a variety of local authorities. 11.10am Cellphone Clearance Break (Morning Tea) 11.30am Shortening the Odds -Tips for a Successful Provincial Growth Fund Application Portia McKenzie, Strategic Development Manager, Rotorua-Lakes Council Fraser Liggett, Dunedin City Council Niall Baker, Senior Policy Planner, Matamata-Piako District Council The Provincial Growth Fund is here to stay. Like any contestable pool of funding, making an application can be a lot of work for a limited result.Here are three quite different case studies from councils of different sizes and types that have successfully made applications in the past year. The principles and tips from these case studies are relevant for anyone applying for funding from contestable pools. 12.40pm Civic Financial Services:The State of Play Ian Brown, Chief Executive, Civic Financial Services An update from our naming rights sponsor. 1.15pm Lunch 2.00pm What’s New and Exciting in Local Government? Raymond Horan, Chief Adviser, Taituarā The latest on what’s going on within the Beltway, the latest that’s new and exciting from Taituarā and assorted other news that’s relevant for finance managers and staff. 2.30pm Marketplace of Information- Rotation One Choose from: A. Value for Money Reviews - Kevin Ramsay, General Manager, Corporate Finance and Property, Auckland Council B. Legal Update - Jonathan Salter, Partner, Simpson Grierson An update on the latest in decision-making, rating and other legal developments especially tailored for the needs of the finance manager and finance specialists. C. Taituarā’s Review of the 2018 Revenue and Financing Policies – Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā Taituarā’s Review of the 2015 Revenue and Financing policies concluded that around a third were at serious risk if legally challenged, and another third contained defects of a lesser nature.As part of the post-LTP washup Taituarā’s run the ruler over a sample of 24, Raymond will report on the findings and share his verdict. 3.20pm Marketplace of Information- Rotation Two Choose another from the topics listed under rotation one. 4.20pm Renewals Investment in the Local Government Sector Stuart Cross, Senior Consultant, Morrison Low For a number of years the Office of the Auditor General has raised concerns about the level to which councils are reinvesting in their assets. At the same time, we consistently hear of the pending renewals waves facing many New Zealand councils. So what’s happening? Is the Office right, or are there other explanations? This session explores the relationship between renewals and depreciation. It will draw on:
We’ll explore questions such as “why use depreciation as a measure of renewals investment”, “is there evidence the sector is under investing in renewals”, and “how can the sector better monitor its level of investment in renewals”. 5.30pm LGFA Networking Drinks 7.00pm Dinner Day Two: 29 March 20198.45am Welcome to Day Two 8.50am What Did We See in the 2018 LTP's – the Audit View? Andrea Reeves, Assistant Auditor-General, Local Government, Office of the Auditor-General 9.40am A Combined Financial and Infrastructure Strategy Martin Read, Wellington City Council Wellington City was one of three local authorities that prepared a combined financial and infrastructure strategy.Martin will discuss the case for the combined strategy, what Wellington gained by it, and the issues and challenges Wellington faced along the way. 10.30am Morning Tea 10.50am The Death of Fair Value: Implications for Councils David Edgerton, Director, Asset Valuer Pro IPSAS is about to replace Fair Value with a new concept. This session will highlight the changes required to methodologies and how these can be used to deliver real value to council. Do you want your valuation to delivers real value through a range of asset management outcomes or simply be nothing more than a compliance cost? 11.20am Marketplace of Information - Rotation Three Choose one from: A. What’s Current in the World of Financial Reporting- Anthony Heffernan, Director Accounting Standards, External Reporting Board B. Taituarā’s Review of the 2018 Financial and Infrastructure Strategies Raymond Horan, Chief Adviser, Taituarā In preparation for the review of Taituarā’s LTP guidance, Taituarā’s reviewed a sample of 24 financial and infrastructure strategies.This session will present the findings of the review – its just possible that there might be some thoughts in preparation for the 2021 LTP round! C. Taxation Update - Michelle Macdonald Director, PwC and Phil Fisher, Partner, PwC An update on this year’s crop of taxing issues. 12.10pm Lunch 1.00pm Marketplace of Information - Rotation Four Select another from the options listed under rotation three. 1.50pm The Economy in 2019 Ganesh Nana, Executive Director, BERL Where’s the New Zealand economy heading in the short-medium term? What are the challenges and risks local authorities should be aware of? 2.50pm Summing Up and Announcement of 2020 Seminar Venue |
Note: Claiming CPD Credits
Delegates at this Forum who are members of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) may be able to claim credits towards meeting their Continuing Professional Development requirements. Delegates wishing to pursue this should provide CA ANZ with the Forum’s outline and confirmation, which we can supply, of their attendance.
Presenters
Dr Ganesh Nana
Economist, Former Chair of the Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hui o Aotearoa Read ProfileDr Ganesh Nana
Economist, Former Chair of the Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hui o AotearoaGanesh is well known to local government having previously been the Chief Economist for BERL.
As the Former Chair of the Productivity Commission, he oversaw the Fair chance for all inquiry into reducing persistent intergenerational disadvantage in Aotearoa.
Ganesh outlined some of the findings from the inquiry, including a review into the recent progress of joined-up social services. Read the review Together alone: A review of joined-up social services or a summary here
Ian Brown
Chief Executive, Civic Financial Services Read ProfileIan Brown
Chief Executive, Civic Financial ServicesIan was appointed Chief Executive of Civic on 20 March 2017. He has worked in the insurance and superannuation industry since 1987 and most recently from 2005 to March 2017 was Superannuation Manager for Civic before taking on the role of Chief Executive.
Ian is well known to most of the Local Government fraternity. He was one of the architects that designed Civic’s SuperEasy employer and KiwiSaver scheme which most of us will know. Is there anybody out there that hasn’t seen Ian’s buckets?
Despite being born in Scotland he passionately supports the All Blacks (and Black Caps) in every game they play and is a staunch Wellingtonian. The fact that he is married and has three girls just reinforces why one “must” save for retirement.
Nicola Pinfold
Group Manager Community and Planning Read ProfileNicola Pinfold
Group Manager Community and PlanningNicola is the Group Manager of Community and Planning at Dunedin City Council (DCC). Her responsibilities include leadership of the policy, planning, community development and events teams. She is also leading the Dunedin Waterfront project for DCC.
A born and bred Dunedinite, and a graduate of Otago University, Nicola has spent the bulk of her working life in the UK. She worked for Westminster City Council in various planning roles, including the Paddington Basin Redevelopment.
In the mid 90’s she was seconded to a public private sector partnership focussed on regeneration of the South Bank of the Thames. The partnership secured government funding for the Golden Jubileeand Millennium bridges, which served as catalysts for comprehensive economic and social regeneration of the area.
Nicola relocated to NZ in 2003, with her husband and two primary school aged sons and took up a policy role at Dunedin City Council. The potential of the Dunedin waterfront was then on her radar.
Nicola is the secretary of the 45 South Branch of Taituarā. In her personal time Nicola enjoys travel and the outdoors, and is a keen silversmith.
Portia Mckenzie
Read ProfilePortia Mckenzie
By spending her first 10 professional years in the Middle East, Portia has gained extensive knowledge in a number of areas during her career resulting in Portia becoming a well-respected urban planner. The last 8 years she has spent at Rotorua Lakes Council where she has lead the inner city revitalisation, winning the programme an award at the 2017 LGNZ conference. For the last year she has led the application process to the Provincial Growth Fund for the Rotorua Lakefront which gained the single largest grant awarded to date of $19.9 million last September.
Andrea Reeves
Chief Financial Officer Read ProfileAndrea Reeves
Chief Financial OfficerAndrea heads the Office's Local Government group, which manages the Office's relationships with the local government, environment, and energy sectors, and Parliament's Local Government and Environment Committee. This group advises the Auditor-General on key matters affecting these sectors. The group also maintains direct relationships with public entities in these sectors, and a range of stakeholders.
The group carries out similar work for sectors associated with local government, such as council-controlled organisations, ports, airports, and licensing trusts.
Andrea was previously a Sector Manager in the Local Government group. Before joining the Office, she was an Audit Manager for Audit New Zealand.
Mark Robinson
Associate Director Consulting, PwC Read ProfileMark Robinson
Associate Director Consulting, PwCMark is an economist in our Consulting team. He specialises in the economics and regulation of utility and infrastructure businesses, and leads much of our Consulting work in the water sector.
Mark has over 11 years’ professional experience.He joined PwC in 2011, having previously worked at NERA Economic Consulting in London, Covec Economic Consulting in Auckland, and The Treasury in Wellington.
Mark has extensive experience analysing economic and financial issues in the water sector, advising clients in New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific, UK and Europe.He has also worked with New Zealand local government more broadly, assisting with a range of financial issues.
Phil Fisher
Tax Partner, PwC Read ProfilePhil Fisher
Tax Partner, PwC| Phil is a Partner with PwC, who leads the Public Sector specialist tax advisory team. Phil now spends the majority of his time advising the local authority sector on a diverse range of issues, including compliance, policy and transactional matters.His particular areas of expertise include tax‑structuring for better community outcomes, optimising group tax efficiency, advising on tax-efficient remuneration packages, managing IRD audits, and the development and implementation of tailored tax risk management solutions. |
Michelle Macdonald
Manager Strategy & Policy Read ProfileMichelle Macdonald
Manager Strategy & PolicyBased in Wellington, Michelle is a Director in PwC’s national Public Sector specialist tax advisory team.
Michelle spends a lot of her time advising the local authority sector on tax issues across the spectrum, including tax governance, tax risk management and everyday transactions entered into by local authorities.
Michelle recently spent 18 months working for a local authority so is acutely aware of the inner workings and pressures facing local authorities.
Michelle has recently been working on tax policy issues that affect local authorities including proposed income tax changes and the donee status of mayoral relief funds.