The annual professional development event for those who are responsible for, or who work in, the mission-critical rating function.
- 27 Oct 2022-28 Oct 2022
- 09:30 - 15:00
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- Wharewaka Function Centre, Odlins Square, 2 Taranaki Street, Wellington, New Zealand
- 835.00 (plus GST) Members
- 960.00 (plus GST) Non Members
About this event
This forum is for those who work in, or need to know about, the mission critical field of funding and rating.
As always, the Forum is an exciting blend of theoretical and practical presentations that mix the policy and practice of funding and rating.
This year’s Forum has been timed to occur very shortly after the Future for Local Government Review Panel issues its draft report. This is an opportunity to hear how the Review Panel proposes that the system of local government changes, with an emphasis on changes to funding, asking questions, and helping Taituarā assess these parts of the report.
And as always there are the usual updates on legal issues, valuation issues, the rates rebates scheme and Taituarā matters. And with the mix of information sharing sessions, you can customise the Forum to your needs, position and interests.
Who should attend:
- Finance managers
- Revenue managers and team leaders
- Rating staff
- Legal staff
- Anyone with an interest in funding and rating issues
Note: Claiming CPD Credits
Delegates at this Forum who are members of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) may be able to claim credits towards meeting their Continuing Professional Development requirements. Delegates wishing to pursue this should provide CA ANZ with the forum’s outline and confirmation – which we can supply, of their attendance.
Day one: Thursday 27 October 2022
9.15 am Mihi Whakatau
9.30 am Welcome
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
9.35 am Legal update
Jonathan Salter, Special Counsel, and Matthew Hill, Senior Associate, Simpson Grierson
The annual update on statute and case law, and on dealing with the more ‘out there’ claims and challenges to the lawfulness of rates.
10.35 am Rating of forestry: A case study
Gary Borg, Chief Financial Officer, Wairoa District Council
A session drawing on one outcome of Wairoa’s last review of its revenue and financing policy – the change to its differentials and the legal challenge to those decisions.
11.15 am Morning tea
11.40 am The Audit Office and rates
Jonathan Keate, Sector Manager, Office of the Auditor-General
The audit process and rates, what the auditors do and do not do, and what the office has picked up in reviews.
12.10 pm The rate-setting process – A group exercise
Discussion led by Raymond Horan, Chief Adviser, Taituarā
An exercise in quality assurance. Participants will review a set of documents for the fictitious Kiwi District Council and pick out the errors and discontinuities.
Note: Documents will be sent to delegates 10 days before the forum to enable participants to prepare. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure they get full value from this session by preparing and bringing their copies with them.
1.10 pm Lunch
1.50 pm The sector update
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
The annual update on all that’s happening in the legal and policy environments, Taituarā, and its good work for and on behalf of the sector.
2.20 pm Marketplace – session one
Choose from:
- Future for Local Government and funding
Dr Mike Reid, Principal Policy Advisor, LGNZ
An opportunity to toss funding related ideas in the LGNZ and Taituara hoppers. - Targeted rates and SUIP issues
Jamie Cunningham, Management Accountant, Gore District Council - WTF! (Way to fee-set)
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
Key messages from the newly revamped Taituarā guidance on fee-setting.
3.20 pm Afternoon tea
3.40 pm Marketplace – session two
Choose another session from the ones above.
4.40 pm Report back from the marketplace sessions
Marketplace leaders
4.55 pm A word from our sponsor: Ibis Information Systems
Jordan Hughes, Product Manager, and Ian Butler, Sales and Commercial Manager, Ibis Information Systems
5.25 pm Networking drinks
7.00 pm Dinner - brought to you by Ibis Information Systems
Day two: Friday 28 October 2022
8.40 am Welcome back
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
8.45 am Valuation/land information update
Neill Sullivan, Valuer-General, Land Information New Zealand
The annual update on developments in our tax base.
9.40 am Marketplace - session three
Choose from:
- Valuation and land information issues
Jim Taylor, Manager Transaction Services, Tauranga City Council - Collection and enforcement issues
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā - Non-rateability and remission issues
Jamie Cunningham, Management Accountant, Gore District Council
10.40 am Morning tea
11.00 am A word from our sponsor – Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA)
Andrew Michl, Senior Manager, Credit and Client Relations, LGFA
11.10 am Marketplace - session four
Choose another session from the ones above.
12.10 pm Report back from marketplace sessions
Marketplace leaders
12.25 pm Lunch
1.15 pm The Future for Local Government Panel’s draft report
Jim Palmer, Chair of the Future for Local Government Panel, Department of Internal Affairs
The panel will release its draft report today. It has previously identified a shift in funding “from beneficiary-based funding principles to ones that equitably support communities to thrive”. This appears to preface both a significant change in the way the sector thinks about funding policy as well as a change in the funding toolbox itself.
2.00 pm The FfLG draft report ‘On the Ground’- A panel discussion
Dr Mike Reid, Principal Policy Advisor, LGNZ
Stephen Halliwell, Managing Director, Workingsmarter
Philip Jones, Managing Director, PJ and Associates
Three sector experts give their verdict on the proposals and provide some areas to think about as you and your council prepare your responses.
3.00 pm Wrap up and announcement of 2023 location
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
3.15 pm Forum closes
Presenters
Raymond Horan
Chief Advisor, Taituarā Read ProfileRaymond Horan
Chief Advisor, Taituarā- raymond.horan@taituara.org.nz
Raymond re-joined Taituarā in June 2014 as Sector Improvement Manager, before commencing his current role as Chief Advisor at Taituarā. He has spent most of the last 20 years in local government related roles, most recently with the Department of Internal Affairs.
He describes his job as two-thirds providing assistance to the local government sector and one-third providing advice to central government on local government matters. His ambition is to help develop a Local Government Act that doesn’t require changes every 18 months. He asks that you wish him well with this task.
Jonathan Salter
Special Counsel , Simpson Grierson Read ProfileJonathan Salter
Special Counsel , Simpson GriersonJonathan is a member of Simpson Grierson’s environment and planning group, specialising in public law and local government in particular. He is one of New Zealand's leading experts on the structures, processes, and funding of local government, with significant experience in council’s rating functions and associated decision-making.
Mike Reid
Principal Advisor, Local Government New Zealand Read ProfileMike Reid
Principal Advisor, Local Government New ZealandDr Mike Reid, Principal Policy Advisor, LGNZ. After starting his local government career at Christchurch City council Mike has been with LGNZ since 1996, during which time he has worked in a diverse range of policy areas ranging from local governance and social policy to legislative change and local democracy. He currently leads LGNZ’s localism programme. Mike completed his PhD on the topic of strengthening local governance and local government in in 2011 and is currently on the board of the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies. He speaks regularly on local government matters and has published widely.
Jamie Cunningham
Systems and Implementation Consultant Ibis Information Systems Read ProfileJamie Cunningham
Systems and Implementation Consultant Ibis Information SystemsOriginally a debt collector from Glasgow, Jamie pursued a career in credit management and business analysis in London between 1999 and 2004. After London he moved to New Zealand and spent three years in Auckland working as a commercial manager in the newspaper advertising industry. Since then Jamie has worked for Environment Southland, Southland District Council and Central Otago District Council providing support for rating teams as well as detailed financial modelling and analysis for targeted rates and financial plans.
Jordan Hughes
Product Manager, Ibis Information Systems Read ProfileJordan Hughes
Product Manager, Ibis Information SystemsJordan Hughes joined Ibis in 2009 as an Implementation consultant/trainer, and moved into the Product Manager role during 2014, responsible for the financial modelling products in the Ibis suite of software.
Through his time consulting across Australia and New Zealand Jordan has gained extensive experience personally working with over 100 Councils. With a good level of knowledge of the rating legislation for all the different territories Jordan has also expanded his knowledge of local government rating complexities through working on such projects as Amalgamation impact studies, legislation review projects, Special Rates Variations and many other Rating review projects.
Neill Sullivan
Valuer-General, Land Information New Zealand Read ProfileNeill Sullivan
Valuer-General, Land Information New ZealandNeill Sullivan has been the Valuer-General in New Zealand since 2004 and is responsible for regulation and stewardship of the rating valuations system including certification of all revaluations. He is primarily responsible for ensuring Ratepayer confidence in the accuracy of the values assessed for taxing purposes. The current rating valuation system is now 20 years old and has been the subject of some high level review in recent times. Neill will speak today about some of the challenges facing the system and other topical rating valuation issues.
Jim Taylor
Transactional Services Manager Read ProfileJim Taylor
Transactional Services ManagerJim Taylor Revenue Manager Tauranga City Council. Jim has worked in local government for 15 years. Prior to this, he was 3 years in Telecoms wholesale market and 7 years with TrustPower as billing Manager. Jim is passionate about customer service and collaborating with central/ local government, and external organisations, to provide the services that our customers expect. Jim recently led a rating amendment review in Tauranga, introducing new differentials and targeted rates.
Andrew Michl
Manager, Credit & Client Relations Read ProfileAndrew Michl
Manager, Credit & Client RelationsJim Palmer
Chair of Future for Local Government Review Panel Read ProfileJim Palmer
Chair of Future for Local Government Review PanelJim Palmer chaired the panel that undertook a two-year review into the Future for Local Government, which delivered its report in June 2023. In 2021, he retired as chief executive of Waimakariri District Council after 17 years. Currently, Mr Palmer is the independent chair of the Greater Christchurch Partnership. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, with experience as an audit director for Audit New Zealand and the Audit Office. Mr Palmer’s governance experience includes Chair of Riskpool, Chair of the Kaikōura Earthquake Recovery Steering Group and Chair of the Canterbury Chief Executives Forum.
Stephen Halliwell
Principal, Workingsmarter Ltd Read ProfileStephen Halliwell
Principal, Workingsmarter LtdStephen Halliwell has worked for many councils across the Motu, specialising in local government financial and risk management. He has worked in local and central government, licensing trusts, electricity and health sectors, bringing more than 30 years’ experience of much change. Currently Stephen chairs Clutha’s Risk and Assurance Committee and is providing leadership to Hamilton on its three waters reform journey.
Stephen is a leader experienced in dealing with complex situations, with many stakeholders, in highly visible community and political environments
Philip Jones
Principal PJ & Associates - Chartered Accountant Read ProfilePhilip Jones
Principal PJ & Associates - Chartered AccountantPhilip has been consulting to a variety of Local Government related organizations since June 2007 in financial management and strategy, risk and asset management, financial policies and financial governance, and is a facilitator for Local Government New Zealand.
He has been the independent member on a number of Audit & risk committees and is currently the chair for three committees.
Between 1993–2007 Philip was the Chief Financial Officer and Group Manager Revenue and Finance for WBOPDC.Prior to joining WBOPDC he was a Business Services & Audit Manager with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Tauranga, London and Hamilton.
Jonathan Keate
Senior Solicitor/Sector Manager Read ProfileJonathan Keate
Senior Solicitor/Sector ManagerJonathan joined the Office of the Auditor-General in November 1995. He spends half of his time as a Sector Manager in the Local Government team with responsibility for city, district, regional councils, and related entities in the lower South Island, the Ministry for the Environment, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Jonathan spends the other half of his time as a Senior Solicitor in the Legal team.
Jonathan represents the Auditor-General on an international group of audit offices that conduct environmental audits, and leads the Office's work on environmental auditing and sustainability in New Zealand and in the Pacific region.
Before coming to the OAG, Jonathan worked for the Department of Internal Affairs as a Senior Policy Analyst.
Linda Edwards
Read ProfileLinda Edwards
Linda is a Senior Solicitor in the Legal team in the Office of the Auditor-General. She joined the Office in August 2017.