KEY POINTS:
Far North Mayor Wayne Brown is making no apologies for the speed of changes he's leading on the Kaikohe-based Far North District Council, which this week forecast an average rate rise of 4 per cent in the coming financial year _ likely to be one of the lowest increases in the country.
Already, the council expects to have nearly $2 million extra available this year for investment in capital projects because of its efficiencies and reduced spending.
Mr Brown, former Auckland District Health Board chairman and also chairman of national grid operator Transpower, was elected mayor in October last year with a 10,000-plus majority in a district with a total population of 56,000.
He had urged radical changes to the council and the way it operated to improve efficiency, cut costs and make it more responsive to ratepayers.
Five months later, some big changes have been made, and others are in the process of being introduced or have been announced.
"In fact, a number of issues identified at the time of the elections would have been progressed even faster but for limitations imposed by legislation," Mr Brown says.
Standing council committees have been all but abolished, a pool of independent commissioners has been set up to replace a council committee in hearing resource consent applications, the number of meetings has been slashed, council agendas have been simplified and extra responsibilities given to the district's three community boards.
The council is withdrawing from "non-productive involvement in external organisations" such as Local Government NZ.
Between 50 and 60 building, planning, consent and monitoring staff are being moved from Kaikohe to Kerikeri and Kaitaia.
About 85 per cent of building permit, inspection, planning and development consent activity occurs in the greater Kerikeri and Kaitaia areas. The move has caused some concern in Kaikohe, which will retain about 200 council staff.
After severe storms and flooding in the Far North in March and July last year, the council has joined the Government and the Northland Regional Council to work on short- and long-term flood reduction measures in Kaeo and Kaitaia.
A review of the council-owned asset holding and commercial trading company, Far North Holdings, to achieve a better return on investment is well advanced.
Involvement in pensioner housing is to be reviewed, and a new open spaces policy, with an emphasis on coastal access, begun.
The council is also talking to NZ Post and Kiwibank to see if agencies like these, as well as grocery and dairy operations, can be "co-located" at the council's smaller service centres in Kaeo, Rawene and Kawakawa.
The move comes after a staff report suggesting staff numbers at the centres should be reduced and customer services there joined part time with council libraries.
"I'm not opposed to using rates to subsidise costs if it means these communities will gain services," Mr Brown said.
"I'm pretty sure we can come up with something a lot better than these communities are receiving now."
SO FAR
* Standing council committees all but abolished.
* Pool of independent commissioners set up to hear resource consent applications.
* Number of meetings slashed.
* 50 to 60 building, planning, consent and monitoring staff being moved from Kaikohe to Kerikeri and Kaitaia, where 85 per cent of applications come from.
* Involvement in pensioner housing to be reviewed.
