Waikato District Council’s 2020 partnership focus launched at Hampton Downs event

Waikato District Council’s staff spent last Wednesday 15 January with a number of its closest partner organisations to focus on the importance of working together. 

The choice of theme for Waikato District Council’s second consecutive Team Up event was an acknowledgement that Council cannot deal with the challenges of rapid community growth, nor can it create the district our communities want, all on its own.

The event, for all of its 350 staff, was an opportunity to build better relationships with our partners, and gain a deeper understanding of each other, so that we can deliver on our vision of creating liveable, thriving and connected communities.

Team Up 2020 keynote speaker Tipa Mahuta, Waikato Regional Councillor, shared her personal journey and leadership wisdom and talked of the importance of multicultural partnerships and the need to respect and understand people’s differences and strengths.

Brad Norris from Synergy Health focused on the importance of personal health and well-being, and ensuring that individuals understand their own values.   

Team Up 2020 was also an opportunity for Waikato District Council to celebrate its people and its successes in 2019. The event was hosted by Hamiltonian MC Shelly Davies who fired up participants with moving stories from her own lifetime.

Chief Executive Gavin Ion said “the last 18 months have seen considerable positive change for our organisation, as we’ve reshaped ourselves - making many improvements to our culture - to be in a position to respond to the rapid community growth we face in the Waikato.”

Ion said the cost – at under $64 per person, represented good value for money. “We are investing in our people because they matter. We’re proud of that. We want our staff fired up, aligned and engaged so they come to work every day able to deliver on our ambitious promises to our customer, the community. This was an opportunity to get everyone on the same page, excited and focused on the priorities for the year ahead.”

The total cost of the event was $22,204 at a cost of $63.44 per head (for 350 attendees). Lunch was provided by Eat My Lunch, where every purchased means another lunch is provided for a child in need - the cost was $4,108. Venue hire at Hampton Downs was $7,425. Transport to and from the event was by bus at a cost of $5,084.

ENDS

For more information please contact:
Jacob Quinn
Communications Manager
Waikato District Council
027 509 8907
communications@waidc.govt.nz