[Missing Credit][object Object] A refresh of Dunedin City Council organisational values that cost almost $36,000 in consultancy fees has been called “wasteful” — but also defended as inclusive and worthwhile. The staff-driven project was carried out last year and the upshot was the council settled on commitment, wellbeing, accountability and collaboration as the organisation’s core values. Council chief executive Sandy Graham said the values had been developed through extensive consultation with staff and they offered “practical and values-driven guidance on our work — from organisational strategy and decision-making to recruitment, collaboration and the way we deliver services and outcomes for our community”. “We’re proud of the results and we’re now working to embed these values across the organisation in everything we do,” she said. Cr Jo Galer said her experience was that work on organisational values was not usually required if the culture was strong. “I believe this was a wasteful spend and unnecessary use of consultants,” she said. “Ratepayers are wanting this council to go back to basics.” The council said the consultants commissioned to facilitate staff workshops cost $35,986.25. “This funding came from existing budgets and all other work was done within normal staff time,” the council said. Cr Galer noted staff time in workshops and feedback loops were not counted, so she expected the true cost to ratepayers would be significantly higher. [Missing Credit]Dunedin City Council chief executive Sandy Graham. Photo: ODT files Ms Graham said the refresh was part of wider organisational development — the city could feel confident the comprehensive approach was “already showing results” and the costs involved paled in comparison to the benefits both inside the organisation and across Ōtepoti Dunedin. She believed the refresh costs compared favourably with spending on similar initiatives in other large organisations. The DCC organisational values were collectively described in a leadership presentation last September as: “the beliefs that unite us and are visible in all our mahi”. [Missing Credit][object Object] At October’s launch, the text was “commitment — we love our city and look after it (we care for our people and place, now and into the future); wellbeing — we care for each other (we look out for one another, treating each other with kindness and respect); accountability — we deliver with purpose and integrity (we own our actions, honour our promises, continuously improve and innovate); and collaboration — we work together (we work in ways that uphold mana and lead to meaningful, shared outcomes)”. The project was approved in February 2024, but did not get under way fully until a year later. At the time, the council’s stated values were to serve Dunedin by being “outstanding — we strive to be excellent; upstanding — we are always trustworthy; upfront — we are open and honest; and upbeat — our approach is positive”. Ms Graham said feedback received post-Covid was staff wanted clearer direction and a set of values that reflected the organisation and its people. Cr Lee Vandervis said he believed organisational values should be refreshed, in the first instance, by elected representatives. “In my long DCC experience, consultants are often selected to bypass local representation and local interest groups to bolster predetermined conclusions,” he said. “Any benefits of this $36,000 spend, other than to the consultant, appear to me to be simple embedding of existing high-level niceties, while ignoring the real challenges of DCC purpose and organisational bloat.” A quick AI set of questions and prompts could have yielded similar results at almost no cost, he said. Ms Graham said the organisational development work was entirely operational — “developed by staff for staff, and not something that should become a political football, in the media or elsewhere”. Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said organisational development was not a “nice-to-have”. “It’s a key part of any large, modern, successful entity, and I applaud this initiative. “It should be celebrated, not denigrated.” Staff had chosen the values well and they reflected a strong public service ethic, she said. “Around 100 staff were involved in the process, which would have required careful facilitation and co-ordination. “Creating a positive workplace culture supports productivity, retention, lower sick leave and stronger engagement — all of which help us deliver better for Dunedin.”
