Kia Ora,

This week we had the results of the Budget Challenge, our unique Long Term Plan pre-engagement, presented to us. The most disappointing result was the sudden drop off in responses due to Central Government announcements on amalgamation, that hijacked people’s attention.

Having said that, the Budget Challenge was the most successful pre-engagement in living memory, for any Long Term Plan for Tararua District Council, and I wouldn’t mind betting that it was better than any other council, if you measure it as responses per ratepayer. We had a total of 445 responses across online submissions, the token stations and written forms. Also encouraging were the multitude of additional comments received, along with the diversity of ages represented, including 5 letters from students at Totara College.

A big shout out to the Communications Team for putting this together. We, the council, challenged them to come up with something new, innovative and engaging, and they nailed it. What I found really encouraging, is that they used low-cost tech to make it work.

They demoed the app to us early on, when they had invested less than a day’s effort and $0. Sure, they then spent some more time and some marketing to get it to you, but it was still considerably less than a traditional printed pre-engagement consultation, with a whole lot of time spent sitting in libraries and community centres waiting for people to not show up at public meetings.

People can view the Budget Challenge results dashboard online at: Community Engagement Results | Tararua District Council and Council is happy to provide printed copies; email Council at: info@tararuadc.govt.nz or call 06 374 4080.

On Central Government reforms; I have spoken to a number of other councillors on other councils, whom have all been amazed at the turnout we, the Tararua District had on public consultation. They were having meetings with single digit attendees. Thank you for coming out and making your voices heard.

We are now seeing staff figuring out how to generate the reports that they are legislatively required to do, using automation to reduce time and cost. As councillors we are getting better data, faster, helping us in our decision making.

As a first-time councillor the last six months have been a steep learning curve. I’ve come to understand the complexities of keeping the district thriving, the challenges, the compromises and the decisions that need to be made. I have worked in large corporate businesses previously with lots of politics and agendas, and so it is refreshing to be part of a team of people, staff, CEO, fellow councillors and a Mayor, that are all genuinely in tune with each other to do the best for the Tararua District.

As a final reflection, I salute you, the people of Tararua, for showing up and letting us know what you think. It genuinely helps us make better decisions.

Ngā mihi nui, many thanks,

Peter Naylor - South Ward Councillor.