Christchurch team flies flag for NZ in Aussie council clash
21 May 2003
A Christchurch City Council staff team will represent New Zealand this
weekend in an Australasian local government competition.
The Local
Government Managers Australia (LGMA) Management Challenge has
been running since 1994. It aims to foster individual, team,
and organisational development. Teams are set a range of challenges
related to the kinds of
issues council staff might face. Teams must deal with them in
a set time.
The CCC team which won the New Zealand title was Allan Johnson,
Angela Abel, Ian McKenzie, John de Zwart, Christine Byrch and Jaime
Heywood. Two changes have been made to the team which is to travel
to Adelaide for
the two-day battle against the top teams from each of Australia’s
states. Steve Bensberg and Julie Burgess, who acted as team mentor
for the qualifying round, replace Ms Byrch and Mr McKenzie.
This
year’s competition targeted financial skills, planning and presentation.
The Christchurch City Council team was judged best among 21 from
around the country, including one other from the CCC. In Australia,
74 teams entered.
Allan Johnson says the team put in plenty of practice and
preparation
for the event. The members’ wide range of backgrounds meant the team
was able to deal with an array of issues. Another decision that
paid off, he says, was to go into the competition with up-to-date technology
- laptop
computers, printers and a projector - which allowed the team to
deliver strong presentations of the work it had done.
“
The local challenge was quite demanding and we expect the Australian
final to be even more so,” Mr Johnson says. “On the other hand
we enjoyed it and expect to have even more fun in Adelaide.”
- The Australasian
Finals of the LGMA Management Challenge are being held in Adelaide
on 24 and 25 May. More information about the New
Zealand finals can be found on the web at www.solgm.org.nz
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