Kaitaia has two of the best

NATIONAL ACCOLADES: Punawai Posinkovich (second left) and Nina Gobie (second right), officially the best in their fields.

Two Far North District Council staff members, both based in Kaitaia, have received national customer service awards at the Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) conference in Hamilton.

Nina Gobie was named Local Government Customer Service Manager of the Year, and Kaitaia Library assistant Punawai Posinkovich the Local Government Customer Service Representative of the Year, beating a nominee from the Wellington City Council.

Community and customer services manager Jacine Warmington said the council aimed at being a customer-focused organisation, so it was gratifying to see it receive two of the six customer service awards at this year's conference.

"Our team at Te Ahu was runner-up for the title of Local Government Customer Service Team of the Year Award last year, so we are pleased to see them distinguish themselves again," she said, adding that Ms Gobie had worked hard to establish a cohesive customer service team at Te Ahu since the council opened its multi-service centre there in 2012.

"She has coped with the usual 'settling in' problems of a new building, she is consistently friendly and cheerful, regardless of the challenges she is faced with, and she works tirelessly to ensure the environment is always welcoming and inviting," she said.

She was also passionate about Te Ahu and the community, and promoted the centre with vigour and enthusiasm, encouraging new groups to use its amenities.

"Nina lives and breathes Te Ahu's vision of bringing people together, and we are fortunate to have a person of her calibre managing our customer services at this wonderful facility,"

Mrs Warmington said.

Meanwhile the council regularly received positive feedback from library customers about Ms Posinkovich, who had worked there for three years.

"She greets customers as they enter the library, often by name, and always has a moment for those who need a chat," Mrs Warmington said.

"The children love her, and she takes time to talk to them so they will see the library as a friendly, positive place.

"She also goes the extra mile to help customers, carrying books to the carpark for our elderly patrons, helping foreign tourists who are struggling to pay road tolls online, lending her phone to people in need and helping patrons understand or solve problems with their IT devices."