Experienced and balanced elected members, competent staff motivated to serve the public, and strong iwi partnerships are three areas highlighted in the CouncilMARK™ Independent Assessment Board's (IAB) latest report on the performance of Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

CouncilMARK™ is an independent assessment programme that assesses how councils are performing and is designed to support individual councils to improve the service and value they provide. Councils receive an overall performance rating from the Independent Assessment Board, from C to AAA, as well as commentary on their performance.

In awarding the council a ‘BBB’ grade, the IAB has praised the council for their strong spirit of public service, the operation of their ‘Quayside’ investment company and diversification of investment, and their ambitious programme of environment improvement.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chief Executive Fiona McTavish says she’s valued the focus on council performance and assessing where the Council is working well and areas for improvement.

“It is nice to be recognised as having one of the strongest iwi co-governance arrangements of any council, and a cohesive culture among both councillors and staff that is driving solutions for the region’s challenges,” Ms McTavish says.

She says there are always areas the council can improve on and the IAB has highlighted those, even where the council is currently finding success.

CouncilMARK™ IAB Chair Toby Stevenson says the next step is for the council to increase their performance measurement and accountability to further show their ratepayers what they are getting for their rates.

“The other key improvement they should look at is better risk assessment. Yes they are doing well financially, but strong investment risk analysis is recommended to ensure that this continues,” he said.

“Very few councils can match Bay of Plenty’s efforts in partnering with local iwi, and they should be an example for all other councils,” continued Mr Stevenson.

ENDS

To read the full report click here

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