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Shortage of RMA Practitioners Workshop

Welcome

  • 9 - 9:30 Welcome and scene setting
  • 9:30 - 10 Recruitment and retention
  • 10 - 10:20 Morning tea
  • 10:20 - 11:20 R&R continued
  • 11:20 - 12:30 Reducing demand
  • 12:30 - 1:15 Lunch
  • 1:15 - 1:40 Reducing demand continued
  • 1:40 - 3:20 Training and Education
  • 3:20 - 3:45 Afternoon tea
  • 3:45 - 5:00 Wrap up and where to from here...

Sue Powell

Group Manager
Working with Local Government
Ministry for the Environment

Cheryl Cleary

President, New Zealand Planning Institute

Irene Clarke

Senior Policy Analyst
Local Government New Zealand

Scene setting

Iain Haggarty and Gina McDonald
Ministry for the Environment

Recruitment and retention

  • Good employer
  • Tips & techniques

Reducing Demand

  • Structure
  • Plans
  • Processes

Training and Education

  • Conversion
  • Post graduate
  • Selling the professions

Recruitment and rentention

Shaun Bowler
Managing Director
Bluefin Ltd

Work in progress

Society of Local Government Managers
Jim Harland, Dunedin City Council

Reducing Demand

Graeme McCarrison
Director
Papakura District Council

Case studies

  • Western Bay of Plenty District Council
    • Steve Hill and Brian Croad
  • Rodney District Council
    • Lloyd Barton and Hester Gerber

Training and education

Chris Kimpton
Environment and Planning Manager
Opotiki District Council

Case studies

  • Hamilton City Council
    • Gulab Bilimoria
  • Massey University
    • Dr Caroline Miller

Where to from here...

What can you do now?

  • Co-ordinate with universities over information and training already available
    • Tertiary - Caroline to take the lead
  • Feedback ideas to management and colleagues - particularly HR departments
    • Hit up SOLGM to send a letter to CEO’s on today’s proceedings and findings
    • Raising importance of the shortage of RMA practitioners

What you can do now?

  • Articles in Institute / organisation journals / company newsletters
    • Presidents / editors / consultants
  • Promote RMA industry within your organisation
    • You can do this in what you do every day
  • Let your own people know of how good they’ve already got it where they are
    • Sell yourselves

What can you do now?

  • Promote profession through the local secondary schools
    • Share some common information on RMA and what it is - MfE can provide an over-arching information
    • Caroline to provide information on Geography syllabus

What can we do now?

  • Letter to Vice-Chancellors of Universities and CEOs of polytechs on RMA practitioner shortage
    • Who?????(Iain to follow up)
  • Getting tougher with rejecting inadequate applications - putting the ball back into their court
    • Discuss with your manager first - business case
    • Provide advice to customers of intended change in practice.
  • Network - talk with our neighbours - let people know of what we’ve discussed and learnt today
    • You - spread the word and the ideas
    • Quality Planning Website - What’s New
  • Use Urban Design signatories as an avenue for addressing shortage
    • MfE to follow up
  • Improving public understanding of the RMA
    • Provide brochures, etc (MfE has ones avaialble that you can use and adapt for your own purposes - email Gina)
    • Encourage people to attend the MfE roadshow (mid October)
  • Get RMA practitioner types on the occupational skills shortage list
    • NZPI / MfE / LGNZ to follow up
  • Special Planning Quarterly and other professional bodies journal issue / articles on planning heroes
    • Julie and Gina
  • Mentoring and buddying - share ideas and experiences, support networks for immigrants
    • Lloyd, Julie; Caroline & Gina to put together information following NZPI workshop and upcoming research
  • Offer wider training to your staff - life training
    • You
  • Check out the adequacy of your performance management system - make sure it’s working, don’t be complacent - reward the performers... ensure those who aren’t performing are suitably addressed
    • You and your HR person
  • Share information on senior specialist / technical positions
    • QP listserve / LGplanners listserve
  • Get the QP listserve up and running
    • Gina
  • Secondments / sharing of staff resources
    • Within organisations / between organisations

What can be done to achieve medium term outcomes?

What can be done to achieve long term outcomes?

Initiative 1:

  • Description of Initiative:
  • Who will be involved:
  • Timescale: (Short / medium / long)
  • First Step:

Initiative 2:

  • Description of Initiative:
  • Who will be involved:
  • Timescale: (Short / medium / long)
  • First Step:

Initiative 3:

  • Description of Initiative:
  • Who will be involved:
  • Timescale: (Short / medium / long)
  • First Step:

Last updated: 16 January 2009