The new Government has indicated their intention to utilise the CCO model for future water entities. Join us to look at the way we can work effectively to establish and work with CCOs.
- 08 May 2024-09 May 2024
- 09:00 - 17:00
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- Rydges Hotel, 75 Featherston St, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, New Zealand
- 950.00 (plus GST) Members
- 1,100.00 (plus GST) Non Members
About this event
The new Government has indicated their intention to utilise the CCO model for future water entities. Join us to look at the way we can effectively in establish and work with CCOs.
Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) come in a range of shapes and sizes. They operate between the local political world of Council and the specific, often commercial, imperative of the CCO. Working effectively with CCOs is crucial to ensuring good alignment, good outcomes and reducing the potential for friction and divergence.
As the Government looks to utilise the model of CCOs for future water entities, the way we can work effectively in establishing CCOs, and ensuring clear and agreed outcomes, will be more important than ever.
This Forum will cover:
- CCO processes
- Statements of Intent and Director Appointments
- the roles of Councillors and Directors
- an update on legal and taxation matters
- real world examples and learnings from established CCOs
- working with a water CCO
- real-world ways to bring together multiple councils into a CCO entity
If you only attend one CCO event this year, make sure this is it!
Day One - 08 May 2024
9.00am Registration opens
Tea and coffee from 9.00 am
9.30am Mihi Whakatau
9.45am Welcome to the Forum
Seán Mahoney, General Manager, Sector Performance Taituarā
10.00am Recent developments with CCOs
Mike Wakefield, Partner, Simpson Grierson
11.00am Taxation & CCOs
Phil Fisher, Partner PWC & Antonia Robertson, Partner, PWC
12.00pm Lunch
1.00pm CCO challenges and opportunities
Nick Davis, Partner, Martin Jenkins
1.45pm Governance and CCOs - The ability of directors to influence
Nick Leggett, Chief Executive Infrastructure New Zealand & Chair of Wellington Water.
2.30pm The future for CCOs – a panel discussion
Nick Davis, Nick Leggett, TBC
With the Government now looking at options for Water services to be delivered by CCOs do they provide the benefits we think and what role might they play in the future? What are the implications on councils and communities.
3.00pm Afternoon Tea
3.15pm Three Waters Service Delivery Options – lessons, learnings and opportunities from the Hawkes Bay Business Case
Louise Miller, Chief Executive, Napier City Council & Dan Bonifant, Managing Director, Morrison Low
In 2019, the Hawke’s Bay Councils worked together to review the current and potential three waters service delivery options for Hawke’s Bay, Te Matau-a-Māui.
This session will cover some of the learnings and journey around establishing a joint entity that may be of value as we construct new water entities.
4.00pm Te Manawataki o Te Papa – establishing two new CCOs to support Tauranga’s city centre transformation.
Phil Kai Fong, Team Leader: Strategic Property Tauranga City Council and Anne Blakeway, Manager: City Partnerships Tauranga City Council.
4.50pm Summing up Day One followed by Networking drinks
Day Two - 09 May 2024
9.00am Welcome to Day Two
9.05am Statements of Intent
Sarah Johnstone-Smith and Rachel Wilson, Auckland Council
How Statements of Intent (SOI) fit into the accountability cycle, what makes a good SOI. How Letters of Expectation work and what to do when CCOs don’t meet their expectations?
10.00am Governance and accountability for CCOs
Mark Maloney, Assistant Auditor General, Office of the Auditor General
Mark will outline some principles for good governance of council subsidiaries and cover the issues relevant to CCO governance.
10.45am Morning Tea
11.00am Role of elected members in CCO governance - Panel Session & Q&A
TBC
How do Councillors ensure there is effective governance of CCOs without challenging Director's responsibilities? And the vexed question of Councillors as Directors.
11.45am Auckland Council and Watercare
Alastair Cameron, Auckland Council
The CCO model is not new to Water services. This session will provide an overview of Watercare, the benefits it has provided, and the challenges of water services at arm’s length.
12.30pm Lunch
1.15pm Insurance and CCOs
Matt Meacham, Principal, Marsh LTD
1.35pm What CCOs need from Councils
David Perks
2.05pm CCO Director Appointments
James Stephens, Auckland Council
The Directors role is crucial for a successful CCO. This session will focus on understanding the legal requirements and accountability for directors, and how to get and retain the best candidates.
2.50pm Final wrap up and closing comments
Presenters
Mike Wakefield
Partner, Simpson Grierson Read ProfileMike Wakefield
Partner, Simpson GriersonMike is a partner in Simpson Grierson’s environment and planning group, based in Wellington. He specialises in local government and environmental law, with a particular focus on the regulatory functions and processes of local government (including under the RMA), and decision-making and governance obligations and requirements. He regularly represents local authorities in relation to RMA matters (including before the higher courts) and has appeared before many other specialist tribunals and council hearings on specific strategic and regulatory matters.
Phil Fisher
Tax Partner, PwC Read ProfilePhil Fisher
Tax Partner, PwC| Phil is a Partner with PwC, who leads the Public Sector specialist tax advisory team. Phil now spends the majority of his time advising the local authority sector on a diverse range of issues, including compliance, policy and transactional matters.His particular areas of expertise include tax‑structuring for better community outcomes, optimising group tax efficiency, advising on tax-efficient remuneration packages, managing IRD audits, and the development and implementation of tailored tax risk management solutions. |
Antonia Robertson
Partner – Infrastructure Advisory, PwC Read ProfileAntonia Robertson
Partner – Infrastructure Advisory, PwCAntonia has extensive experience in funding, governance and strategy on complex projects. She has provided a broad range of commercial, funding & financing, structuring and strategic advice for public and private sector clients in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and continental Europe. She has recently worked on commercial and governance aspects in the water, transport, housing, CCO and utilities sectors.
She has a naturally collaborative style and is known for her ability to bring stakeholders together in sensitive situations. This includes helping to bridge the gap between central and local government drivers as well as support Council groups to and operate efficiently to deliver lasting community outcomes.
Nick Leggett
Chief Executive, Infrastructure New Zealand Read ProfileNick Leggett
Chief Executive, Infrastructure New ZealandLouise Miller
Chief Executive at Napier City Council Read ProfileLouise Miller
Chief Executive at Napier City CouncilLouise has worked across a number or public service entities from Utilities, Police, Audit Commission to Local Government during her career. She was lucky enough to work with the Civil Service College in UK to support national and international programmes on EFQM (European Foundation Quality Model) and the balanced scorecard. In all her roles she seeks out areas and organisations that need a bit of focus to become their best; implementing successful change and improvement is what gets her out of bed. Louise is the Chief Executive at Napier City Council, having taken up her role immediately after Cyclone Gabrielle, and prior to this was the Chief Executive at Kaipara District Council.
Anne Blakeway
Manager: City Partnerships Read ProfileAnne Blakeway
Manager: City PartnershipsWith a background in hospitality and tourism, Anne joined Tauranga City Council seven years ago as Manager: CCO Relationships and Governance. Anne took the CCO portfolio with her when she moved into the newly created Manager: Community Partnerships role in 2020, and again into the recently established Manager: City Partnerships role in 2022. She is now tasked with fundraising for our new civic precinct development, Te Manawataki o Te Papa, and a range of other community facilities and amenities. This has included establishing two new council-controlled organisations, one focused on the land ownership of Te Manawataki o Te Papa, and the other on the governance of the delivery of this significant capital project.
Mark Maloney
Assistant Auditor-General, Local Government Read ProfileMark Maloney
Assistant Auditor-General, Local GovernmentMatthew Meacham
Principal, Corporate, Marsh New Zealand Read ProfileSarah Johnstone-Smith
Read ProfileSarah Johnstone-Smith
Sarah is a senior governance, policy and strategy public sector professional. She has over twenty years experience working with or for local authorities, central government agencies, District Health Boards and council-controlled organisations.
In her current role at Auckland Council, she is responsible for providing strategic policy and governance advice to the Governing Body on CCOs and external partnerships. Her portfolios (current and former) include Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland International Airport Limited, Port of Auckland, Eden Park Trust and MOTAT. Her role requires significant engagement and relationship-building with senior managers from across the council group, CCO/external partner board members and executives, the Mayor’s Office and elected members.
Sarah is highly experienced in Statement of Intent negotiations, board appointment processes and advising on major transactions. Sarah has a proven track record in delivering strategic advice on high profile public policy projects, as well as driving effective performance monitoring and reporting.
Dan Bonifant
Managing Director Read ProfileDan Bonifant
Managing DirectorDan is an experienced public sector lawyer who spent a decade working in central and local government in Australia, NZ and the UK before joining Morrison Low in 2009. Dan's role as Managing Director and return to NZ in 2016 followed a period of four years leading the NSW office of Morrison Low where he was involved in advising over 40 NSW Councils through the 'fit for the future' council merger programme. He has advised on a number of multi-Council projects involving the use of shared services and alternative service delivery options. Dan has recently led the Morrison Low team that has advised over 75% of the Councils during the three waters reform process and has been advising the Hawke's Bay Councils on water service delivery since 2019.
Alastair Cameron
CCO Governance & External Partnerships, Auckland Council Read ProfileAlastair Cameron
CCO Governance & External Partnerships, Auckland CouncilAlastair has led Auckland Council’s CCO Governance team for 8 years. During that time he has provided advice on a wide range of CCO related issues, including the establishment, disestablishment, and merger of CCOs. In addition he has been part of numerous reviews of CCO structures and accountability arrangements. He was part of a joint local/central government working group providing advice on water reform issues, as well as supporting an advisory group looking at the governance and accountability arrangements of the water entities proposed by the previous 3 waters reform programme. A reformed lawyer, Alastair has 18 years’ experience in local government covering a range of areas from property development to the funding of arts and cultural organisations.