Locality model puts people first

Published on 25 September 2025

Locality, Capital and Contractors Inspectors and Area Leads for your area

We’ve introduced our locality officers in the past few months, but did you know they’re part of a wider Locality Team – serving Waihemo, Ahuriri and Oamaru & Corriedale?

You’re most likely to meet our Locality Officers out and about in the District. They all live in the communities they serve, and are focused on working with Community Boards and other groups to get the best for their areas.

Meet Jane, our Locality Officer for Waihemo.

In the few months they’ve been in place, they’ve been working on; asset data logging (so Council knows what it owns, where it is, and what condition it’s in), water meter readings, parking issues, abandoned vehicles, illegally dumped waste, environmental and noise nuisances, supporting Case Officers when they need someone on the ground and assisting the other officers in their Locality.

Those other officers include our Capital and Contracts Inspectors and Area Leads. This is a big change for our communities.

Before there were different infrastructure teams with a whole District view, from Ōhau to Flag Swamp. Now there’s a local team for Waihemo, Ahuriri, Oamaru & Corriedale.

Area Leads are responsible for the delivery and maintenance of infrastructure in their area. That’s water, roads, reserves, recreation – the works.

A Capital and Contract Inspector will be out there making sure that the work being delivered – from road repairs, pipe replacement, reserve planting, upgrades and graffiti removal – is done right, meets what we expect for our communities.

They’ll be working with our Locality Officers, Case Officers and Customer Liaison Officers to try and solve problems quickly – or get the engineers and contractors in when needed.

Local focus, local knowledge, local team – delivering better value for money for local communities.

ENDS

media@waitaki.govt.nz