Review of staff numbers inevitable as budget honed
Alex Parmley. Photo: ODT files
A review of Waitaki District Council staffing is inevitable as it finalises a budget for the next few years.
The council held a workshop on April 15 to begin honing department budgets for the proposed 2025-26 long-term plan (LTP).
The discussions followed a revision of all council departments under "transformation" from July last year.
Departments were cut from four to five with the respective managers now termed as "directors".
Chief executive Alex Parmley told councillors last month new department "teams" under transformation — which he emphatically said is not a restructure — were yet to fully be "stood up".
The consequent department costings were also not ready in time for the formal LTP public consultation period from February 4.
Earlier this month, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said a governance briefing on April 15 was "the first opportunity for quite sometime" to get a clearer picture.
A closed workshop to begin fleshing out individual department budgets was scheduled that afternoon.
Mr Kircher said the potential impact was "about people's jobs".
But getting a handle on comparable department costs was complex by "the transformation" with previous headings disappearing in the new structure.
"Some of the roles, the funding itself, is now made up of components more than it was before."
The council announced a 9% reduction of its 211 fulltime equivalent roles last July.
Most staff were to reapply for redefined positions, with some choosing to leave.
In February councillors were told staff costs would be over budget by $1.4 million by the end of the current financial year.
The budget for the first six months was $8.93m but the spend was $9.6m.
On February 25, Mr Parmley said the 9% staff reduction had not yet been finalised, but he expected a cost reduction down the line.
"We've got other costs going up associated with staff though.
"The 9% reduction isn't all going to come in straight away.
"I would expect we'll be looking at a reduced personnel cost."
Mr Kircher told the Oamaru Mail "transformation" was never about cutting budgets.
"One of the outcomes is we will be delivering [services] better, whether its for the same money, or more for less."
As of last week he believed "quite a number" of vacancies remained at the council after some staff chose to leave.
Acting chief executive Lisa Baillie said one FTE position at the council prior to transformation is now being filled by an external contractor "on a temporary basis".
Recruitment for that position in support services area was under way.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Steampunk Festival gets $10k boost to support growth
PHOTO: ODT FILES Promotion of Oamaru's Steampunk Festival has been given a $10,000 boost to bring in more people. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment manager of investment management performance David Talbot said to receive funding, the funding was assessed against the likelihood of the event being able to attract more out-of-region visitors and additional multi-day visitors, as well as it being able to deliver economic impact for visitors in the host region. "The Steampunk Festival is going from strength to strength each year, bringing hundreds of visitors from outside the district for the long weekend," Tourism Waitaki general manager Philippa Agnew said. "Events such as the Steampunk Festival give the industry a boost during the quiet season." Funding, awarded to Tourism Waitaki, comes from the government's Regional Event Fund. "Investing in these events has a direct impact, with visitors spending money in local cafes, businesses and accommodation providers, driving economic activity in our communities," Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement. "By growing regional tourism, our remote and rural communities can benefit from the economic opportunities it brings. "Events are excellent drawcards to get more visitors into our regions, particularly in quieter parts of the year for the tourism and hospitality sector. "New Zealand is open for business, and we encourage both Kiwis and international visitors alike to explore and enjoy what New Zealand has to offer." This year's festival, held over King's Birthday weekend sold a record 1723 tickets to paid events and attracted hundreds more who came to watch free community events.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Speeding towards a sign of the travel times
Are you on the left or right-hand side of the road on the contentious speed limit changes of 2022? The Tackling Unsafe Speeds Programme gradually introduced reductions, lowering many single-carriage roads from 100kmh to 80kmh as part of the Road to Zero goal. However, the present government reversed lots of these. For many, the slower speeds were long overdue — a practical measure to save lives. Reduced speeds decrease both the frequency and severity of crashes while also lowering emissions. Additional travel time lost would be minimal. Critics argued blanket speed reductions unfairly penalised responsible drivers for the actions of a few, reflecting nanny-state overreach. They contended lower speeds unnecessarily restricted personal freedom and driving enjoyment, particularly in rural areas where traffic was sparse. Longer travel times would disproportionately affect freight companies and rural commuters, while safety gains remain minimal. Support for reductions tends to be strongest among the educated, influential, and elite left and centre-left. Thirty-eight sections of state highways are being reinstated to the 100kmh limit, though none of these are in Otago and Southland. The deadline for implementation is the end of this month. Forty-nine other highway sections underwent public consultation in February and March, so "local communities could have their say". Ultimately, only six sections will retain their lower speed limits owing to strong public support (more than 50% in favour), including from the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. These changes are also set to take effect by the end of the month. Just as with the overuse of cones, Civis remains in the middle of the road on this issue. It's easy to become over-zealous about speed limits. After all, it's sometimes said that if we were truly determined to eliminate safety hazards, all private driving would be banned. Some highway segments, such as SH1 south of Oamaru, have had an 80kmh limit for years. Given the bends, undulations and proximity to houses and businesses near the road, this feels right. Civis also supports 80kmh for crossing the Waitaki Bridge, a matter of controversy. Traversing the bridge by bike must be daunting, as highlighted in a recent ODT letter to the editor. Waitaki Bridge residents argued the change in 2020 to 80kmh along the 2.6km strip from Glenavy to Waitaki Village should be retained. During formal consultation, of the 1200 responses, 646 strongly opposed the lower limit, while 56 slightly opposed it. Meanwhile, 480 strongly supported the 80kmh limit, with another 28 slightly supporting it. A further 26 were neutral. Tension often arises between the preferences of local residents and those from further afield. In the Waitaki consultation, of the 102 responses from the local community, 83 strongly supported the lower figure. Speed limits will, as they should, continue to be debated in the news. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In contrast, the phasing out of Limited Speed Zones (LSZ) in the early 2000s stirred little controversy. They quietly disappeared from roadsides, becoming a matter of curiosity rather than debate. Current regulations sensibly require speed signs to display specific numerical limits, rendering older open road signs – the white disc with a black diagonal stripe — also obsolete. LSZ signs allowed too much leeway. Drivers were expected to slow down in adverse conditions but could legally travel up to 100kmh when conditions permitted. A surviving LSZ sign was recently spotted in west Wanaka — the area beyond Glendhu Bay and across the Matukituki River. You're unlikely to want to drive 100kmh on that dusty road. civis@
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Call for protection zones around vineyards
The Waitaki Winegrowers Association is calling on the Waitaki District Council to urgently establish a designated winegrowing protection zone in the proposed district plan, warning that the region's internationally recognised viticulture is at risk from incompatible land use. In a statement released last week the association proposed the introduction of 1km protection zones around all vineyard perimeters in the Waitaki Valley. The zones would act as buffers to protect the area's 45 hectares of grapevines from threats such as airborne pathogens, chemical spray drift, dairy effluent, and other contaminants that could irreversibly damage vine health and fruit quality. "Millions of dollars have already been invested into vineyard development in the Waitaki Valley," Waitaki Winegrowers committee chairman and Otiake winemaker Grant Taylor said. The Waitaki region has garnered a strong reputation for producing premium cool-climate wines, grown in limestone-rich soils at the foot of the Southern Alps. According to the association, viticulture now plays a vital role in the region's rural economy and agricultural diversity, with both wine tourism and exports continuing to grow. "This is a small, localised area of highly specialised land that can — and must — be protected under the district plan. It would be short-sighted not to act now." The proposed 1km buffer zones would align Waitaki with best-practice planning standards already adopted in other leading wine regions such as Marlborough, Hastings, and Central Otago, where viticulture is recognised as a sensitive land use requiring spatial protection. "Once damage is done, it's irreversible," Mr Taylor warned. "Grapevines are long-term crops. They don't recover from exposure to incompatible neighbouring land use. That's why protection under the plan is so urgent and necessary." "Wine tourism and export markets are growing, and viticulture is a critical pillar of the region's agricultural diversity and rural economy. "Designating a winegrowing protection zone with clear 1km exclusion buffers would bring Waitaki into line with best-practice planning frameworks adopted in other New Zealand regions such as Marlborough , Hastings, and Central Otago, where viticulture is also recognised as a sensitive land use requiring buffer protection. He said various members of the Waitaki Wine Growers have all lodged submissions on the issue. "The association is encouraging the council to act decisively to secure the long-term future of the region's wine industry — one that brings jobs, tourism, international attention, and landscape-compatible development to the Waitaki." An extended time frame for public submissions closed last month. WDC heritage and planning manager David Campbell said 315 submissions had been received. "So this process will take some time and we are considering additional resource to support this important part of the process." "These were submitted just after the closing date due to the consultation period and cut off coinciding with our busiest and important three months of the season — grape harvest and vintage 2025 which fell over March/April/May for vineyards and winemakers in the valley. "WDC has receipted the applications to submit and be heard and acknowledged the reason for the late submissions. We expect our members will be heard by the planning panel." The District Plan lays out the rules for land use and development across Waitaki, and sets out what activities are permitted and what activities will need a resource consents for. An extended time frame for public submissions closed last month. "The submissions period has now closed, and the next stage is summarising the submissions, then advertising these for further submissions in the coming months," WDC heritage and planning manager David Campbell said. "We received 315 submissions, so this process will take some time and we are considering additional resource to support this important part of the process."
