Discussion Groups

The Taituarā online Discussion Groups allow you to connect with your local government peers across Aotearoa. It's as easy as sending an email.

With over 8,000 active subscribers across 60 online forums you can connect, discuss and get help with issues, get policy advice, share best practice and find out what other councils are doing.

Over 7,000 interactions occur within the Discussion Group community each month.

Everyone belonging to a Discussion Group or groups also receives our LGNewsBulletin. If you have a local government email address you can sign up to any of the groups by following these easy instructions.

Please note, to be eligible to subscribe to a Taituarā Discussion Group you must be an employee of a council or council-controlled organisation.

What Discussion Groups are available?

Distribution Lists

  • WHATSNEW Sign up to receive the weekly LGNewsBulletin
  • EVENTS Receive information about events of interest to staff in local government
  • LGOLJOBS Receive the latest roles advertised on LGJobs.co.nz delivered to your inbox.

Local Government Reform

  • FFLG For updates and opportunities to discuss the Future for Local Government
  • RMREFORM For updates and opportunities to provide feedback on the government’s resource management system reform programme

Asset and Facilities Management

Building Services

  • BLDGCONTROL Building Controllers & Regulatory Group Managers
  • LIMS Forum for issues relating to Land Information Memoranda

Community Engagement and Development

  • COMDEV Community Development & Support
  • COMMSCOUNCIL Communications Managers and Media Officers
  • COMMSAFETY Community Safety
  • CUSTSERVICES Customer Services
  • ENGAGEMENT A place for staff working in any area to share and support internal and external engagement best practice.
  • YOUTH For those people who work with young people in their communities

Environmental

  • CLIMATE-CHANGE-ADAPTATION All engaged in matters related to adaptation to climate change
  • ENERGY-EFFICIENCY-SUSTAINABILITY Discussion on energy efficiency, sustainability and social programmes
  • HSNO Hazardous Substances & New Organisms
  • OSET For Planners and Compliance Officers working in the development and auditing of On Site Effluent Treatment Regional Plans
  • WASTEMIN Waste minimisation education/communications and behaviour change

Information and Communication Technology

  • CIVICA-AUTHORITY Users of Civica software solutions
  • GIS Personnel with GIS responsibilitie
  • INFOMGRS Information and Records Managers
  • INFOR-PATHWAY-SIG - Infor Pathway Special Interest Group (Was GEAUSERS)
  • NCSUSERS - For users of the NCS MagiQ
  • RECIT Senior IT personnel responsible for core strategy in regional councils and unitary authorities
  • ITMGRS For council IT Managers

Human Resources

Legal

  • BYLAWS For staff involved in bylaw-making and review
  • LGLAWYERS Legal personnel within councils
  • LGOIMA-PRIVACY - LGOIMA and privacy discussions and advice

Finance and Rating

  • ECONDEV Local Economic Development
  • FINANCE Finance Managers, Directors & Associates
  • PROCURENZ New Zealand purchasing group communication and collaborative purchasing
  • RATING Rating Officers

Policy; Planning and Governance

  • COMMITTADVRS Committee Secretaries/Advisors; Governance Professionals
  • COVID-19 Discussing shared approaches, and planning in preparing for Corona Virus COVID-19
  • LGPLANNERS Planning and Resource Management
  • MAORI-POLICY Maori Policy Discussion
  • POLICY Policy Discussion

Regulatory; Enforcement

  • ANIMALCONTROL Animal Control Officers, Contractors and members of New Zealand Institute of Animal Control Officers.
  • CESIG Regional RMA Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement Special Interest Group
  • CESIG-MGRS CESIG Managers List
  • PKGENFORCEMENT Parking Control/Enforcement officers
  • REGULATORY Regulatory Managers/Officers
  • RMAENFORCEMENT Assuring compliance under the RMA
  • RMA-PS For councils who draft plans and policy statements in accordance with the first set of national planning standards.

Miscellaneous Groups

  • CEO Council Chief Executives (restricted group)
  • EMERGMAN Emergency Managers and Civil Defence staff
  • LGLIBRARIANS Corporate Librarians and Researchers
  • PA Personal/Executive Assistants across local government
  • PMGRS For Project Managers, Contract Managers and Procurement Managers
  • RISKMANAGEMENT Risk Management in Local Government
  • RLAB Resource Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
  • RO Electoral Officers and elections issues
  • STRAT-CORPLANNING Corporate and Strategic Planners
  • WEBCOUNCIL Networking for local government Website managers
  • WOMENINLG Women working in Local Government
  • TPU Reserved for Te Pae Urungi members – local government practitioners with responsibilities for Māori responsiveness and effectiveness