Policy, Corporate and Operations Forums identify issues affecting Canterbury, investigate opportunities for collaboration and joint advocacy and co-ordinate the effective delivery of local government services.
Policy Forum
The Mayoral Forum established a Policy Forum in 2013 to:
- identify issues affecting Canterbury and investigate whether they can benefit from collaboration and/or joint advocacy
- reduce duplication of policy effort and work more effectively and efficiently together
- provide support to smaller councils when assessing national and regional policy initiatives
- facilitate communication and engagement with Ngāi Tahu
- practise working together in ways that support innovation, collaboration and joint initiatives.
Canterbury Corporate and Operations Forums
In 2017, the Chief Executives Forum also established a Canterbury Corporate Forum and a Canterbury Operations Forum. All three forums:
- harness the expertise of technical working groups to inform advice to the Mayoral Forum
- provide a mechanism to co-ordinate and align local government activity in ways that ‘stand together for Canterbury’ and support the effective and efficient delivery of local government services.
Working groups reporting to regional forums include planning managers, finance managers, chief information officers, records and information managers, engineering managers, regulatory managers, working groups on climate change and natural hazards and the Canterbury stormwater forum.
The Policy Forum is chaired by David Ward (Selwyn District Council Chief Executive), the Corporate Forum by Bede Carran (Timaru District Council Chief Executive), and the Operations Forum by Hamish Dobbie (Hurunui District Council Chief Executive).
Related pages
Agenda, papers and minutes from Forum meetings
News from the Canterbury Policy, Corporate and Operations Forum
Mayoral Forum
Chief Executives Forum
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Latest updates from the Canterbury Policy, Corporate and Operations Forums

March update: Policy Forum
The Policy Forum met at Selwyn District Council on 17 March. View the full…

December update: Policy Forum
The Policy Forum met online on 16 December. View the full agenda (PDF file,…

October update: Policy Forum
The Policy Forum met at Selwyn District Council on 1 October. View the full…