Job hunting? Get on to the council

By ALICE SHOPLAND

Maximus Smitheram is one satisfied senior environmental policy planner: in his work for Manukau City Council he's concerned with bigger things than the revenue targets that might be the focus in a private consultancy.

"My job is to achieve outcomes for the environment and the community. It's very meaningful work for me. For example, I've been party to negotiations which have led to significant areas of bush coming into public ownership."

Being with the council also allows him to be involved in an unusual array of projects (including the restoration of the former Mangere wastewater treatment ponds to beach and wetland) and to manage very large contracts.

Smitheram, who has an MSc (with honours) in natural resource management, has been with Manukau for more than five years and is positive about the political arm of the council. "Together we've been able to achieve very good outcomes for the people and the environment."

According to Local Government New Zealand (www.lgnz.co.nz), local government employs 40,000 people. But forget the cliche of council staff leaning on shovels - very few of them have shovels to lean on.

Three grave diggers are the only employees among the 900-plus staff at North Shore City Council who do manual labour, says human resources manager Glenn Harris. The rest is contracted out.

Trevor Bruce, manager of the Birkenhead Leisure Centre, has worked for North Shore City for more than a decade.

"I have looked at leaving several times, but I realised it would be hard to find such good conditions anywhere else."

He appreciates the training the council provides, and the fact that it has encouraged him to do his bachelor of business studies part-time.

He also appreciates that the centre is accountable for both financial and community-oriented outcomes - despite the frustrations that dual focus brings.

"We have to target groups the council has identified as in need of facilities, like youth, unemployed people, and people who don't usually do any kind of physical recreation. Those groups are very difficult to attract and retain, no matter how good your programmes and your marketing."

The politics can be frustrating too, he says.

"There's a measure of uncertainty because you don't know what approach the next council will take ... You love it, hate it or leave it, but you have to accept it's a council and there can be a lot of bureaucracy."

Emily Flynn agrees that the politics can be challenging. But the buzz she gets out of being involved with more than 40 events each year in her role as events promotion manager for Auckland City more than compensates.

Rather than being involved with council-initiated events such as Pasifika, her job is to plan, manage and administer Auckland City's event and conference sponsorship programme.

That means deciding (or recommending) which of the 80 or so groups that apply for council help with events each year will receive funding.

The budget of $500,000 is usually shared between about 40 different events, this year including the Propecia Rally of New Zealand and L'Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week.

Flynn worked as a travel agent before training in communications and PR. She says that working for the council, which she has done for five years, allows her to be involved in a bigger range of events than she would otherwise, with a high level of autonomy.

She also works with a wide cross-section of politicians, council departments and groups and the council is supporting her (with time off) to do a post-graduate diploma in business.