Politics

Why does Rotorua Lakes Council need seven deputy CEOs?

17:46 pm on 14 June 2021

Rotorua Lakes Council has named not one, but seven new deputy chief executives. 

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Council chief executive Geoff Williams said the district was facing critical challenges - social, economic and environmental - and the new structure would make the council more responsive, and help to manage outcomes. 

"Those are the things our organisation must respond to. Our change is really a change from managing the normal business of council to actually leading outcomes."

Williams said council had done away with second tier titles like general manager and simply given all staff at a certain level of seniority the title of deputy chief executive.

"That denotes the fact they're responsible for leading outcomes ... we need more resilience, we need to have a clear plan forward."

He said the staff with the title, who were previously employed at the council, have not had a salary increase except for two people who moved up salary bands when they accepted the title.

"It's all about leadership, it's all about going outside our organisation, recruiting partnerships with iwi, recruiting partnerships with central government, getting people around the table and developing clear strategies and pathways that will deliver clear results."