Sweeping changes loom at Rotorua council

The Rotorua District Council has begun a major reorganisation process which could lead to sweeping changes.

Among proposals put to councillors by chief executive Geoff Williams were the creation of four new council-controlled organisations (CCOs) and three new operational groups which were aligned to the council's 2030 vision and 2016 short-term priorities.

However, when asked by the Rotorua Daily Post if this could lead to job losses, the paper was told it was far too early to say.

As part of the realignment process, the council had already completed a stocktake of all its activities to identify functions that were consistent with its 2030 vision and those that were not.

Mr Williams said council staff would play a major role in shaping the final structure and councillors had agreed to go ahead with the process.

"We have quality and experienced staff whose input will help us make the most of this opportunity to realign the organisation to deliver on the future direction made clear by the council and our community," Mr Williams said.

The four proposed CCOs are:

A new service delivery organisation comprising Castlecorp, the nursery and landfill.

A new tourism, venues, events and economic development organisation comprising the I-Site, Events and Venues, Grow Rotorua, the Tourism Committee, Destination Rotorua Marketing, The Redwoods & Information Centre and the airport.

An infrastructure organisation providing roading services for multiple councils.

An infrastructure organisation providing water services for multiple councils.

The last two CCOs would rely on uptake by other councils in the region and beyond.

Mr Williams has also proposed to form three new operational groups to deliver the council's core services.

They are:

Strategy and Relationships, which would set the foundation for all council activities.

Performance and Delivery, which would focus on the provision of agreed services.

Finance and Capability, which would provide support to enable the organisation to focus on strategy and service delivery.

"We propose a nimble, future-orientated organisation that meets the district's needs, supports a strong partnership with Te Arawa and functions well both internally and externally. It also needs to be responsive, get results, follow best practice and deliver efficiently and cost effectively on expectations," Mr Williams said.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said organisational changes would build on the many significant successes of the organisation and continue to support the high standard of services being delivered.

Mr Williams said expectations for CCOs were set by councils, but they were more commercial and flexible than within a council structure, allowing the council to focus on its core activities.

The realignment proposal timeline calls for staff and stakeholder feedback by midday February 17. Feedback would be evaluated and considered ahead of further and final presentations, including public consultation on implementation plans and timelines for all structures on Wednesday, April 30.