Council agrees on new Strategic Framework

Published on 02 May 2023

At a meeting on 26 April, Waitaki District Council agreed its updated Strategic Framework for the current triennium, setting out the outcomes and strategic priorities the Council is seeking to achieve over this term.  

The Strategic Framework will be used to guide decision making as well as providing a focus for staff and Elected members and all that Council delivers. 

Mayor for Waitaki Gary Kircher said Elected Members had put lot of thought and deliberation into getting to the essence of what they want to achieve for the district. “When we are planning our work for the year ahead, our vision will be at the heart of everything we do: ‘Waitaki the best place to be – Empowering our people and place to thrive’. Our four community outcomes are the pillars that we strive to deliver on to support our communities to flourish, and to make Waitaki a place where people are proud to live and work in, a destination that is welcoming, offering something for everyone.” 

The Community Outcomes are: 

• Strong Communities 
  • Enabling safe, healthy communities 
  • Connected, inclusive communities 
  • Promoting a greater voice for Waitaki  
  • Celebrating our community identity  
• Valued Environment 
  • Protecting our diverse landscapes and water bodies 
  • Meeting environmental and climate change challenges 
• Prosperous District  
  • Attracting new opportunities 
  • Supporting local businesses 
  • Fostering a diverse and resilient economy 
• Quality Services 
  • Robust core infrastructure and services 
  • Community facilities and services we are proud of 

Delivering on these outcomes will be a key consideration in any work Council does. All projects that progress to the 2023-24 Annual Plan will need to align to at least one of the community outcomes. 

The agreed Strategic Priorities for the triennium are to:  

• Strengthen the community development role of Council 
• Develop our people and attract skills, for the benefit of our communities  
• Facilitate strategic relationships 
• Establish the Economic Development Agency (currently under consultation) 
• Finish the District Plan 
• Deliver the Transformation Programme 
  
  

Council’s Chief Executive Alex Parmley said “Our Strategic Priorities reflect the focus of our work for the next three years, to realise our ambitions for the district and deliver our community outcomes. These are objectives that we’ve determined to be essential to achieve, where we need to target and align our work and resources.”