TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2024
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OCTOBER 31, 2024
What consultants cost
By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā spent more than $14 million on consultants in the financial year ended June 30 – up from $13.7 million the previous year. The council provided the figure to Cambridge Chamber chief executive Kelly Bouzaid – treating it as a Local Government Official Information Act request - but drilling down even further would have cost the chamber $6000. “I’ve got no issue with the role of consultants,” she told members who attended an address by new Waipā chief executive Steph O’Sullivan
last week in the Town Hall. The chamber asked for descriptions of projects’ scope, objectives and key deliverables to understand the ‘value impact’ consultants played on council projects. “We asked to understand performance and evaluation and we were, I’ll be honest, very interested around the consultant costs for Cambridge Connections which we all know was a train wreck.” The chamber also wanted to know the rationale behind the use of consultants to which the council responded it could not be made available without substantial
collation and research and estimated the cost at $6000 because it would “unreasonably interfere with the operations of council.” Bouzaid said she hoped O’Sullivan would create a culture offering the chamber the opportunity to have good, robust conversations, “with a sprinkle of tension”. “That is a great example of that relationship transparency and it’s an enquiry which is entirely justified,” said O’Sullivan. “Consultants do form an important part of our business, and I can probably guarantee there will be some consultants who are working
for us in the room tonight.” They could be consulting on swimming pool facilities, parks, transport or large infrastructure projects. “They are large complex projects and we could either have those people on staff which will hit your rating base every year and increase my opex (operating expenditure) costs or they could be specialist consultants that are working on large and significant projects that are multi year and sophisticated projects where you require specialist skills that I cannot keep in our organisation the whole time.”
The council would continue to use consultants, but councillors had asked her to look at Waipā’s business. She will do a review soon of the organisation to look for efficiency and effectiveness gains. “In my experience, we run a pretty lean shop most of the time and we will continue to run that lean shop while we deliver outcomes to the community,” she said because the council was a public service and needed to be transparent. O’Sullivan told The News she would discuss Bouzaid’s questions with the council team and respond as best she
Steph O’Sullivan
could because the business community was wanting to understand the use of consultants by Waipā District Council. • See - New CEO on first two months, Page 5
Ka Whawhai Tonu costumes go on show
Waipā will share a touch of movie magic when costumes from the recent New Zealand film Ka Whawhai Tonu go on show at the Te Awamutu Museum from tomorrow. It’s the first time costumes from the historical drama, which stars Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison and retells the 1864 battle of Ōrākau Pā, will be showcased to the public. Museums and heritage director Anne Blyth said it’s an honour to be the first museum to display the costumes and tell an important part of the history of Waipā. Museum visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the story and events leading up to the siege at Ōrākau, one of the most infamous conflicts of the New Zealand Land Wars, through
costumes and images from the film. The battle site is east of Kihikihi on Arapuni Rd. The Crown forces invaded Rangiaowhia and fought defenders of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement), led by Ngāti Maniapoto chief Rewi Maniapoto, who is played by Morrison in the film. It was the final battle of the Crown’s invasion of the Waikato. “The story is set in the 1860s and it inspires, confronts and challenges people’s historical knowledge around Aotearoa New Zealand Land Wars,” said Blyth. The film was directed by Michael Jonathan and has centres on two teenagers whose lives are caught up in war and colonisation. The exhibition will run until April 30, 2025.
The exhibit opens tomorrow
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