Glen Young
Glenn Young of Manawatū District Council reports on his Overseas Manager Exchange to Vancouver, Canada sponsored by JLT.
Wow!!! Awesome people, awesome place. I was met by the LGMA Board for the pre-conference dinner where Matt (my BC host) and I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the Board over some of the finest fresh salmon I have ever tasted. The dinner coincided with game seven of the NBA conference, and unfortunately the Toronto Raptors lost that one by one point (more on that later) so the evening was one of mixed emotions for my new Canadian friends.
My first impression of BC/LGMA was very much of New Zealand on steroids, everything bigger, brighter, richer and unfortunately, poorer as well. The venue for the conference was the Westin Bayshore located on the Waterfront/Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver surrounded by multi-million dollar apartments, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bugattis in the carpark, classic Porsche in the lobby and street beggars on the corners and ‘homeless’ camped up in the parks.
Just like Vancouver being a city of extremes, the LGMA face all the same issues of Taituarā and local government in New Zealand only on a bigger scale. I was fortunate that my exchange coincided with the 100-year anniversary of LGMA. It is a real testament to the membership and successive Boards that despite a century of change in local government they have managed to keep their organisation relevant and applicable. British Colombia, at 4.6 million people, has a similar population to New Zealand, but at 922,000 km² is over three times the size, with over twice as many councils, at 162 municipalities. I think the really strong support network they provide is the basis for their longevity. The celebration included multiple 30, 40 and 50-year service awards.
It was ironically affirming to meet so many really committed LGMA members dedicated to local government much like Taituarā – we are not alone!!! which was cool. My observation (not statistical proven) was that local government in BC is often an actual career path chosen and studied for at university, with many lifelong members. My observation in New Zealand is many of us find ourselves in local government through an often convoluted path from varied professional backgrounds. Local government in New Zealand is not generally thought of as an exciting career path for students leaving high school. It is not until you become part of the local government/Taituarā family that you realise what a challenging, rewarding and exciting environment it is to work in. Like the opportunity to go and meet and work with your contemporaries in Canada.