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Champions of the Council By: Scott Simôn, Friday 2 July 2010

Staff of the councils, and there are many, are facing a very uncertain future with the advent of the "Super City".

Pah! You say, or, who really cares anyway! Or something along those lines. Well, I do!

I have been to all of the councils in Auckland and about 15 councils outside Auckland. All I have ever been met by was courtesy, and mainly very happy people who have been providing customer service for many years.

Service you ask? What kind of service? This is a valid question because it is probably only 1 out of every 100 people who have probably ever set foot into a council building whereas most people probably have no idea of their actual function.

Councils, over the last 10 years have really only come to the publics attention due to leaky building scandals, or whenever you get to vote in a Mayor. Maybe you went in to register your dog or pay the rates which you could have done online.

Today, I spoke to a lovely gentleman at Auckland City Council, and he explained how he is close to retirement and is very unsettled about his future when it becomes the Super City we are all being told of. There is no positive information for the existing staff, and it is only months away. I stepped into his shoes for this conversation. He also mentioned how disappointing it is that the public disagree with the rate-payers shelling out for a xmas do which would cost around $40 per head.

There are people who work for these local authorities (Councils), all over New Zealand, who are loyal, officious and responsible, and reliably produce work in the format decided for them by the management, day in day out for many many years.

Why then, should these same people cop a pile of "flak" from us, when, if you repeated those values just listed, to any other prospective employer, they would get that job hands down. Instead, these people are feeling like they are not valued, by the same people who ultimately pay their salaries - us, the rate payers - when the skills they can bring to the table are as good if not better than somebody you may currently employ.

Go to your local council TODAY, and wish them well for their uncertain future - they will appreciate it.

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