An outline of outcomes and priorities the council wants to achieve over the next three years has been set.

The Waitaki District Council updated its Strategic Framework for the next triennium at a meeting held at the end of April, which will help guide decision making, and provide a focus for staff and elected members around the services the council delivers.

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said the 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,” he said.

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 the council does, Gary said.

All projects which progress to the 2023-24 Annual Plan will need to align with at least one of the community outcomes.

The agreed Strategic Priorities for the triennium aim to strengthen the community development role of the council, help local people thrive, attract skills for the benefit of local communities, and facilitate strategic relationships, establish the Economic Development Agency (currently under consultation), finish the District Plan, and deliver the Transformation Programme.

Council chief executive Alex Parmley said the strategic priorities reflect the focus of council work for the next three years, to realise its ambitions for the district and deliver the desired 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.”