Consultant spend questioned
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton's council spent $1,118,973 on consultants in the past financial year.
But while councils can be accused of wasting money on consultants, the question should be around what an acceptable figure is when the work needs to be done, Ashburton's council chief executive says.
Ashburton District councillor Carolyn Cameron recently questioned how much the council was spending on consultants.
Chief executive Hamish Riach said people should think about the work as opposed to whether staff or consultants were the ones doing it.
"That’s just an input to get the job done.
“It’s just simply a way of getting the work done that council has approved.”
The council spent $1,118,973 on consultants in the 2022-23 financial year, down from the $1,124,084 in 2021-22.
The figures supplied by the council do not include multi-year projects.
The council also tendered a $3.67 million three-year three waters professional services contract that was awarded to Beca last year.
“We did that to try and speed up the delivery of projects,” Riach said.
“When we come to do a project, we know we are using Beca rather than having to tender the professional services [each time].”
Consultants are used throughout many areas of the council business, including engineering design and property services, to provide specific information for the council to make informed decisions.
But it is ultimately the council’s decision as to how any project proceeds, Riach said.
Consultants are used for a set fee and piece of work when the technical expertise sits outside the council’s workforce capability or capacity, Riach said.
“When there are the staff shortages that New Zealand is currently experiencing, or there are specialist skills needed that don’t sit within our staff group, or workload for staff means we cannot deliver outcomes without additional resources, consultants can help plug some of the gaps to ensure work is still delivered in a timely manner."
Tendered projects are made public, due to their higher dollar value or significance, as per the council’s procurement policy.
**Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.6% Yes
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49.4% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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