We have cause for celebration!

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In this SOLGM news we extend a big congratulations to our five new life members who SOLGM members elected at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Queenstown on Tuesday 11 September. We also extend congratulations to the 15 Long Service Award recipients.

The 2019 local authority elections are looming on the horizon. Will you be ready for Vote 2019? Be sure to check out the upcoming Electoral Officers Pre-Election Training event.

A huge thank you to the nearly 300 people who attended the sold out 2018 Annual Summit in Queenstown last week! We hope you all returned home inspired to know your community, serve your community.

Life Members

SOLGM members elected five new life members last Tuesday at the AGM. This takes our total life membership to 27. We are honoured to welcome the following outstanding members as Life Members of the Society:

Phillippa Wilson - Corporate Services Group Manager, South Taranaki District Council, Branch Rep 2001-2003, Vice President 2003-2005, President 2005-2007

Steve Parry, Chief Executive - Gore District Council, Branch Rep 2005-2007, President 2007-2010, ICMA International Vice President 2012-2015

Clare Hadley - Chief Executive, Invercargill City Council, Branch Rep 2004-2010, President 2010-2012

Ross McLeod - General Manager, Waverley Council, NSW, Australia, Branch Rep 2003-2005, Vice President 2005-2012, President 2012-2014

Gary Allis - Deputy Chief Executive, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Branch Rep 2004-2018

Long Service Awards

We also celebrate a number of Long Service Award recipients. Each year, SOLGM recognises members who have been working in local government for over twenty years. This year the following members received Long Service Awards:

Mitchell James Dyer, New Plymouth District Council, 20 years
Neil Jorgensen, Waitaki District Council, 20 years
Duncan Peddie, Hauraki District Council, 20 years
Tina Rogers, Timaru District Council, 20 years
Langley Cavers, Hauraki District Council, 20 years
David Edward Paris, Masterton District Council, 25 years
Peter Thom, Hauraki District Council, 25 years
Judith Batchelor, Hurunui District Council, 30 years
Alison Geddes, Whangarei District Council, 30 years
Tim Leahy, Ruapehu District Council, 30 years
Robert Mallinson, West Coast Regional Council, 30 years
Mike Theelan, Queenstown Lakes District Council, 30 years
Steve Markham, Tasman District Council 35 years
Stewart Burns, Queenstown Lakes District Council, 35 years
Mike Manson, Palmerston North City Council, 40 years

Funding and Rating Forum

29 October – 30 October
Waipuna Hotel, Auckland

The SOLGM Funding and Rating Forum is a must attend for all those who need to know about the often overlooked, yet mission critical, area of local authority funding and rating.

As always the Forum is an exciting blend of theoretical and practical presentations that mix the policy and practice of funding and rating.

This year’s Forum takes place against the backdrop of the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Local Government Funding. This Forum will represent the first steps in SOLGM’s work to help the Commission shape its conclusions and recommendations as proactively as possible. We’ll discuss the process for the inquiry itself and for SOLGM’s work to shape the inquiry. There will be an opportunity to feed issues for our consideration.

Government Regulatory Practice Initiative (G-REG): Preparing our People Now and for the Future

The Government Regulatory Practice Initiative is having a growing impact on the quality of regulatory practice in the public sector.

Nicole Botherway, Manager Farming and Maritime Services at the Waikato Regional Council who presented at the annual G-REG conference last year says “Regulators can be from departments around New Zealand, in local or central government, but all have a common platform with G-REG, which can provide the opportunity to share and discuss ideas that have worked for other regulators, instead of reinventing the wheel”.

The G-REG initiative is a whole of Government collaboration, involving local government, central government, Skills and SOLGM. Read the full article.

Interesting in finding out more about G-REG? Last chance to register for the FREE SOLGM’s Best Kept Secrets webinar which is on this Thursday, 20 September.

Annual Summit 2018

We had a great time at Annual Summit, look out for our bumper Summit edition which will hit your inbox soon!