Latest results from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) shows that decision-makers at Auckland Council are now receiving better quality advice than ever before.
Councillor Desley Simpson, who has chaired the council’s Quality Advice Political Advisory Group, comments:
“This year we’ve received our best-ever score from NZIER which is a great result for the council and a great result for Aucklanders.
“Elected members rely on good quality reporting and advice in order to make the best decisions for our communities and residents in Auckland. Accurate, clear and balanced information looking at financial implications and risks, is key to us getting it right. It’s a huge credit to our staff that the agenda items we receive have been independently validated at such a high level.”
Quality advice
Each year NZIER assess a selection of around 50 reports that have been submitted to local boards and councillor based committees from departments and divisions across the organisation. The reports are then scored and benchmarked with other organisations across New Zealand.
This year, council highlights include:
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Overall average score of 7.45 |
Up from 7.38 last year (ratings are: 5=poor; 6=borderline; 7=adequate; 8= good; 9.5 = excellent |
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40 per cent of the reports achieved a rating of 8 or above |
One report achieved an almost unheard of 9.5 |
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Placed third when benchmarked |
Last year we achieved sixth position and the year before sixteenth out of eighteen agencies that were assessed |
Councillor Simpson went on to say, “This year’s great result is the achievement of staff across the business engaging and acknowledging that we still wanted to improve on last year’s good result. And they’ve delivered.
“To encourage and assist the process, the council introduced a formal Quality Advice Programme, independently assessed by NZIER in 2018 as ‘one of the best they had seen’.
"The programme is well planned and has had strong governance support, including from the political advisory group which is made up of local board members and councillors. This approach has improved the advice received by all elected members, which ultimately impacts positively on outcomes for Auckland.
“Well done to everyone.”
