LGNZ director of partnerships and advocacy, Ranjani Ponnuchetty said the workshop was designed to help councillors and community board members “hit the ground running”.
LGNZ director of partnerships and advocacy, Ranjani Ponnuchetty said the workshop was designed to help councillors and community board members “hit the ground running”.
First-time and returning councillors received a crash course or timely refresher on their duties at a Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) induction training session on Monday.
New Rotorua Lakes councillors Ben Sandford and Te Rika Temara-Benfell were among attendees, alongside several returning councillors and the mayor at the Rydges hotelin Whakarewarewa.
The full-day workshop covered topics such as understanding an elected member’s role, upcoming government reforms, building iwi relationships, effective decision-making, personal safety, risk management, and working with the media – including social media.
After previous bids for mayor and Rotorua MP, former Olympian Sandford has some experience as a public figure on social media.
“Social media is incredibly important, but it can also be incredibly toxic,” he said.
“If you go back 20 years, if someone was threatening you, you’d go to the police. But if someone’s threatening you online, what do you do?”
Dr Mike Reid speaks at the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) induction training session for first-time and returning elected officials on Monday. Photo / Mathew Nash
He said hearing from others about how they are handling social media issues was a helpful part of the day.
Members from Kawerau, Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne, South Waikato and Hauraki councils, as well as Bay of Plenty and Waikato regional councils, were also present.
Temara-Benfell, the youngest member of Rotorua’s council following his election to the Māori ward last month, said he would take some “golden insights” from the day into his debut term.
“Being able to share resources through strong relationships will be huge,” he said.
“Building those connections, hearing their ideas, and learning from them has been my key takeaway and I’ve really enjoyed it for that reason.”
A Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) induction training session for first-time and returning elected officials was held on Monday.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, returning to the council table after a one-term absence, said this was a vital “refresher”.
“I love hearing how somebody has addressed an issue we’ve either had or might face in the future,” she said. “There’s no substitute for experience.”
Rotorua Lakes Community Board member Peter MacMillan said the day was “really helpful” to realise how connected Rotorua is with other councils.
LGNZ director of partnerships and advocacy, Ranjani Ponnuchetty said the workshop was designed to help councillors and community board members “hit the ground running” in their first 100 days.
Returning councillors Robert Lee, Don Paterson and Fisher Wang were also present, alongside New Zealand’s longest-serving councillor, Trevor Maxwell.
Ponnuchetty said there were benefits for all members, regardless of experience levels.
“You can be an absolute expert in something and still sit down and hear a different perspective that clicks in your brain.”
Rotorua’s new council will have its first full meeting on November 26.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
