Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Council keeping up

Otara Markets, South Auckland, which Merepeka has got to know this year. Photo / File

Time to press the pause button and reflect on the year just gone. And where did it go? I'm convinced as I've got older each year seems to fly by faster than the last. Maybe we're just so busy with the hustle and bustle of daily living we're not paying attention to time marching on.

No person is allotted more than 24 hours a day but some people appear to pack so much into those hours. Good for them, I say. Time waits for no one, so we have to make every day count.

Work-wise it's been a busy year. I've been involved with two organisations, one a new business start-up and one that has undergone a couple of major reviews. This last one has to act on the review's recommendations if it is to survive. I believe it is worth the effort and has a future, but it does highlight the role of boards of trustees in remaining vigilant and keeping good oversight of management performance. I spend a day a week in Auckland and enjoy working with bright young professionals who keep you on your toes. I have a whole new appreciation for economists now too. I work alongside two and I admire their sharp intellect.

I have rediscovered West Auckland and more recently got to know South Auckland. The needs of families in these large regions are quite similar and the disparity in health, income and living standards, compared to rest of the country, is stark. There is no doubt the old silo way of delivering social services with each agency working on their own and without a whole-of-family approach hasn't worked. Thank goodness the Government is seriously looking at better outcomes across a range of services.

The Productivity Commission is due to report back to government early in 2015 about the effectiveness, or otherwise, of the current social welfare spend. By meeting with various groups around the country and through their submissions process that closed this month, the commission must be getting the message that it's not always lack of money to fix complex problems that's the issue. It may well be who is providing the social service support. Just because an organisation has been around for years, doesn't necessarily mean they are the best service provider. They will often have the staff that can put together flash requests for proposals but outcomes remain pretty much the same. Dismal.

And my Rotorua Lakes Council work ... Well, I thought Steve Chadwick would be a good mayor. She isn't. She's very, very good. She has set a cracking pace and at times it appears there are so many balls in the air. But it's what I'm used to in a high-performing work environment, so I am really enjoying the change of pace. I was only two years on council before Steve became mayor but there is no comparison between those and this past year. It's a pleasure to work with the mayor and the councillors, who are future focused and positive about the city's potential. But adjusting to a new path and a new direction does require new qualities and strengths. With the introduction of councillor portfolios, we can now bring on board members of the community who have specialist skills or a special interest in certain areas, to give advice and work on projects. It is definitely no longer business as usual.

Our mayor never misses a beat in talking up the potential of Rotorua. She is fortunate that, with the amendments last year to the Local Government Act, all mayors now have far wider powers. And she is using them. I know the mayor and I will not always see eye to eye. She didn't hesitate to tell me what she thought of how I voted on one occasion. I respect that. Talk to me, not about me, if there's an issue. The mayor has promised us to expect another full-on year coming up. I had better rest up well over the Christmas and New Year break in readiness. Otherwise before, you know it, that'll be another year gone.

-Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.