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Plans to enjoy her 'LTCCP-free life'

Outgoing Central Otago District Council corporate services manager Heather Kinsey is pleased to...
Outgoing Central Otago District Council corporate services manager Heather Kinsey is pleased to be leaving local-body politics behind, as she embarks on a three-month holiday around Europe. Photo by Rosie Manins.
Englishwoman Heather Kinsey never thought she would leave the peaceful Central Otago community of Lauder, but a life free of local-body politics beckons.

For the past eight years, she has been the brains behind the Central Otago District Council's long-term council community plan (LTCCP) process - and now she wants nothing more do to with it.

"In all seriousness, it was the second LTCCP that made me review my life, and I decided my life was too precious to spend time doing any more LTCCPs.

You reach the stage where there's more to life than the stresses and strains of the LTCCP, and I never want to work at that level again," she said.

When applying for the newly formed position of council corporate services manager in 2001, Mrs Kinsey (57) thought she was leaving an almost round-the-clock job at Telford Rural Polytechnic for a more manageable nine-to-five existence.

However, changes to the Local Government Act in 2002 meant her workload intensified.

The job included planning, drafting, and presenting the council's three LTCCP documents.

While Mrs Kinsey thought the concept of the long-term plan was good in theory, she said it did not translate in practice.

"The total futility and absolute waste of time and money which is put into the LTCCP is unbelievable. We try to make it as user-friendly as possible but there are so few people who actually read it."

All LTCCPs were started 18 months in advance and when adopted were not legally binding, she said.

"You spend all that time and money and it can be ignored or changed anyway."

Mrs Kinsey spent 17 years with the District Audit Service in England before moving to New Zealand in 1997.

She had experience auditing local authorities but had never worked for one, and the Central Otago District Council vacancy had been an opportunity to use and advance her skills.

"Corporate services is what I call the glue that holds a place together.

We look after finances, rating, administration, computing, and provide support to councillors and community board members," she said.

Despite her having project-managed all LTCCP documents the council had ever produced, Mrs Kinsey said the staff left behind would easily carry on with the work.

"All the methodology is in place now and most of the team I worked with are still there."

Another highlight of working at the council was helping to train staff.

The success of Mrs Kinsey's training programme for casual administration staff saw many employed by the council in various departments.

Mrs Kinsey's information technology knowledge was also useful to the council, where computer systems would crash "four times a day every day" before she arrived.

"Everyone would just shrug their shoulders and accept it but it wasn't good enough.

I asked the council for loads of money and promised to stabilise the IT system.

"We went from people not wanting to use computers to staff being agitated if they did stop working," she said.

In the eight years Mrs Kinsey had lived in Central Otago, she said, the area had become busier but retained its "special" quality.

"People have time for you; they care. I love it here."

Mrs Kinsey was attracted to Lauder for its sense of community and the lifestyle it offered.

"Lauder has given me the opportunity for a quality of life which I couldn't have afforded in the UK.

I have a 1920s house on five acres (2ha) and can work full-time as well as have a great lifestyle," she said.

The rise in popularity of the Otago Central Rail Trail had been a mixed blessing for the small settlement, however.

With increased tourism came a lack of space for residents and consequently a decline in community morale.

"I love Central Otago but the rail trail has destroyed Lauder. It's not a community any more. Nobody lives there, and in the whole village only three houses are still occupied although we have about 55 tourist beds.

"When I moved there, Friday nights at the pub rocked, there was a sense of community and people pulled together. The rail trail has brought tourists in but pushed locals out and there's no feeling of community there any more."

Regardless of what her future held, it would be within New Zealand, she said.

Mrs Kinsey missed England's Sunday newspapers, football, and sense of humour, although the crowds, violence, traffic and dirtiness meant she would not return to live.

She will spend the next three months travelling in Europe with friends and family, and wants to walk the rail trail on her return to New Zealand.Other than playing darts and attending classical concerts, Mrs Kinsey's future plans are vague.

"My to-do list is: to enjoy the rest of my LTCCP-free life,'' she said.

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