12 July 2004

Waitakere's Annual Report wins
NZ Accountants' Award

Waitakere City's 2004 Annual Report has been praised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

In awarding Waitakere a commendation for Sustainable Development Reporting by a Local Authority, the Institute's judges said that Waitakere City broke new ground dealing with the philosophy of the legislation.

The Institute's Report Awards are held annually to encourage organisations to maintain a high standard of business reporting. This year's Awards attracted a record number of entries.

The judges noted that it is a "challenge for local authorities to disclose relevant sustainability in an innovative way, in addition to fulfilling statutory requirements."

They said the report "provided a clear definition of sustainability development reporting and its reporting boundaries, along with excellent coverage of the way it engaged with shareholders and identification of stakeholder information needs."

Waitakere was also a finalist in the public Sector Entities - Local Government Category.

Chair of Waitakere's Finance and Policy Committee, Councillor Janet Clews is delighted with the outcome.

She says that Waitakere is committed to producing clearly defined reports of the City's financial developments.

"We are particularly pleased with this achievement because we have produced a document which reads easily from the layperson's perspective, meeting sustainable criteria and produced on a modest budget."

The Institute introduced the awards a decade ago to lift the standard of business reporting, encourage organisations to maintain standards of technical accuracy and keep the reader's perspective in mind.

ENDS

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