Health and safety: Staff identified recent accidents and hazards and gave an update on Council’s Dare 2 Care team report. Council’s recently appointed Senior Health, Safety and Wellness advisor, was introduced to the Committee.
Major projects: Staff spoke to the status of several current and future projects, noting that current global matters may impact directly on both cost and timing of some projects – and on several activities.
Legislative reforms: Staff provided an update on the Government’s reforms and proposed legislative changes and its impacts on Council activities. They assessed the risks and implications and provided mitigation strategies for the committee’s consideration.
Policy status: The committee referred to several expired policies and requested staff to give this priority status. Staff will report back to the committee at the next meeting.
Risk register: The Committee reviewed the risk register, noting global events may affect Council’s future priorities, and agreed to continue quarterly reporting; minor policy amendments were proposed, with disaster management and business continuity plans added to the next agenda. Staff were asked to prepare a human‑resources deep dive, and the Committee discussed the risk appetite categories, noting no changes have been made since the policy’s adoption in 2022.
Audit matters: Several audit matters were discussed with Audit NZ’s Associate Audit Director present, agreeing to accept the Audit NZ proposal and 2026 audit fee while noting reduced budgeted hours. They recommended the Mayor sign the Audit Engagement Letter; noting the 2026 Audit Plan timelines and focus areas including fair value of assets, Local Water Done Well, Alpine Energy, and the risk of management override. Staff were asked for an update on the progress against prior audit recommendations.
