Webinar: First time at Local Elections? Meet the Panel, get the intel

Mali has a 10 plus year career local government, governance. In her current role she leads two teams, Democracy Services and Tai-ranga-whenua with a focus on all processes related to democracy, supporting council’s co-management arrangements with local iwi and leading policy and strategy work aimed at growing capacity to engage with Māori. Co-governance at Waikato Regional Council has been in effect for almost 10 years now. The introduction of Waikato River treaty settlement legislation was the catalyst for forging long term partnerships with iwi in the Waikato. And with more treaty settlements on the horizon the drivers for change will continue to emerge from this space.

Michael is the Manager –Governance and Legal at Invercargill City Council since November 2021 and the Deputy Electoral Officer since 2018. Michael led the elections team during the 2019 Elections as well as two recent by-elections. He joined Council in 2014 as in house Counsel having spent 9 years working in private practice in both Invercargill and Queenstown with experience in local Government law, Resource Management as well as Family Court and Crown prosecutions.

Devorah held a variety of business management roles before moving to the public sector, first with Biosecurity New Zealand then moving to local government in 2010.

Her work has centred around governance, official information and privacy, developing and implementing business processes, and projects. Each role has reinforced her strong belief in the importance of good process, informed decision making and facilitating people’s ability to have their say on their things that really matter to them.

She was ‘baptised by fire’ into the world of elections in 2016 with a race that demonstrated the power that just a few votes can have.

In 2020 she moved to Te Tau Ihu and is currently the Manager Governance and Support Services with Nelson City Council.

Warwick has worked in local government for 32 years, firstly as Administration Manager at Papakura District in 1986 and Central Hawkes Bay DC, then as Returning Officer for electionz.com since 2000.

Warwick is Electoral Officer for 19 councils and 6 DHBs, and numerous public and private sector organisations. Warwick and his team carry out approx 200 elections in NZ each year, most of which use online voting.

Warwick has considerable experience in candidate management and electioneering/campaigning practices, particularly the use of social media by candidates.

Dale Ofsoske is Managing Director of Election Services, providing electoral services, including assistance with democratic reviews, to a large number of local authorities.

He is an experienced electoral officer (since 1985), foundation member and deputy chair to the former Taituarā Electoral Working Party, current member of the Taituarā Electoral Sub-Committee and honorary Taituarā member. Dale is electoral officer for a number of councils, including Auckland Council, and brings his expertise and widespread knowledge on electoral matters to this forum.

Susan is a Senior Advisor with nine years’ experience in local government. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington, and her expertise lies in democracy, governance, and regulation which she has honed through working at Taituarā and Hutt City Council.

Susan is known for being open to new ideas which she uses to provide high quality analysis and advice on issues affecting local communities and local authorities. Currently, she is working in Sector Performance, where she is dedicated to improving elections, democracy, and regulatory matters by providing best practice advice and advocacy to support local government staff.

Susan worked as a Registered Nurse in her previous career which shaped her professional journey for collaborative problem-solving and the ability to draw on a range of expertise to achieve shared goals.

In her free time, Susan enjoys biking and playing her guitar which she finds fun, plus they have the added bonuses of keeping her fitness up and being creative.