Charles Fairbairn

Author's Posts

Long Road Ahead 3 Waters

Long Road Ahead

Shaping future water and roads services Local authorities need to manage the challenges of delivering future water and roads services, says the OAG's Bruce Robertson. I’ve been heartened by the reaction that we’ve had to our report Water and roads: Funding and management challenges. As you’ll know if you’ve seen the report,...
On track Features

On track

A group of local government geospatial experts is building a national dataset of our country’s walking and cycling tracks. Gill Lawrence explains what they’ve achieved so far and what they’ve learnt along the way. “We want your tracks data!” was the cry that went out into geospatial inboxes up and down the country. A group of...
Tapping into the science 3 Waters

Tapping into the science

Water NZ has released a new code of practice for water fluoridation plants built or upgraded after January 1 this year. And new CE John Pfahlert says fluoride opponents may choose their opinions but they can’t pick their science. Nothing seems to ignite public debate in a community as fast as a proposal by a territorial authority to...
White Nights Lighting

White Nights

How better street lighting is stimulating Melbourne’s economy Melbourne has successfully revitalised its CBD and developed a strong night economy. Yet few people realise the city’s street lighting has been a vital part of the plan over the past 25 years. Ian Dryden, the City of Melbourne’s team leader industrial design, says...
Social media: NZ councils lag behind UK Social Media

Social media: NZ councils lag behind UK

New Zealand local authorities are not as quick as their UK counterparts to utilise social media in delivering services, according to a new report. In its third annual survey on social media use in UK local government, BDO business advisory and accountancy firm has for the first time compared social media use by UK local authorities with...
Sue Bidrose: On developing a fraud-resistant council My View

Sue Bidrose: On developing a fraud-resistant council

Chief executive Sue Bidrose manages with gusto as she helps steer Dunedin City Council through troubled waters. By Ruth Le Pla Sue Bidrose reminds me of my favourite sister-in-law. I’ve got eight of them so it’s more than my life’s worth to let the other seven know who tops the list. Suffice it to say, Sue’s the one with the...
The way we work Features

The way we work

Auckland Council has an enormous opportunity to change the way it handles employment relations in the next five to 10 years. Chief executive Stephen Town details the plan. What do council employees really, really want? Not certificates for good performance, that’s for sure. Morning teas don’t cut it either. No. As in most other...
Growing grassroots local government Features

Growing grassroots local government

Mick Lester is on a mission to nurture the next generation of people willing to enter local government. He tells Ruth Le Pla how it’s going. Catching up with Mick Lester is a bit like trying to pin down a kangaroo. I’d lucked a meeting with him in Wellington a while back and since then he’s been bouncing round the country doing...
Hand in hand: two plans - one story Features

Hand in hand: two plans - one story

An award-winning project in Rolleston shows the benefit of joined-up planning, says David Allan. Selwyn District Council, Boffa Miskell and Global Leisure Group recently won the New Zealand Planning Institute’s Best Practice Award for Excellence in Strategic Planning and Guidance for their work on masterplans for the Rolleston town...
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