Kāpiti Coast District Council water and wastewater asset manager Martyn Cole has been awarded an overseas manager exchange to Australia by the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM).
The exchange, sponsored by AskYourTeam, provides a hosted visit to New South Wales and a reciprocal visit to New Zealand.
The aim of the exchange is to provide a leadership and development experience for a local government professional.
Cole's career in delivering water services spans more than 25 years, and the judges were impressed with his experience in leading professionals to deliver projects that improve the lives of communities.
"Martyn is particularly interested in approaches to embedding indigenous values into his work," SOLGM workforce leadership manager Jenny Spencer said.
"This exchange will provide a significant opportunity for Martyn to learn about innovative approaches to the challenges of water management, along with relationship building that can benefit his council and the sector as a whole."
Cole said, "I'm very excited to have secured a place in this year's Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM) Overseas Manager Exchange to Australia.
"The programme provides the opportunity to tailor an exchange to investigate and explore another country's approach to the challenges we all face in providing services to our communities.
"The learnings that are gained, shared and applied across an international exchange bring alternative frameworks and solutions, refreshed thinking, innovation for both parties and ultimately provide improved outcomes and greater value for our communities.
"I'm truly grateful to AskYourTeam for sponsoring this exchange and making this leadership and development experience possible.
"And Kāpiti Coast District Council for supporting my application and recognising the benefits to our community.
"I look forward to magnifying the value of this both in New Zealand and for our counterparts in Australia."
SOLGM chief executive Karen Thomas said the exchange provided a valuable opportunity to learn about local government in another country and congratulated Cole.
"Martyn is an excellent candidate for this exchange.
"Not only will he gain from it, but he will also provide a rich learning experience for his exchange partner.
"At a time when local government professionals are working tirelessly to provide services and support to their communities, it is great to be able to announce this news."
Cole was due to travel this year but next year is more likely.
