About us

Whangārei District Council is passionate about supporting you to grow your career, continuously develop your capabilities and really connect with your community. We take pride in setting ourselves apart and know the importance of interacting and supporting our district to grow and thrive. Our district has so much to offer including a stunning natural environment, great schools and short commutes.

Our RMA team are a close-knit group who are highly supportive and passionate about improving the way we do things. We also offer awesome employment opportunities, do our best to help team members succeed, we provide flexible working arrangements, support for ongoing learning and/or professional development as well as Life and Health Insurances. We are also thrilled to be moving into our new, purpose built Civic Centre in 2023!

About the Role

Due to an internal promotion, our RMA Consents Department is on the hunt for an RMA Planning Specialist to provide high level technical expertise and advice on Resource Consent and associated RMA Planning matters.

In this role, you will be responsible for the following;

• Technically supporting the team and wider council to enable a consistency in approach to District Plan interpretation
• Staying abreast of legislative changes that effect the work of the RMA consents team
• Developing tools and processes to support efficient working in the RMA consents team
• Driving customer focused improvement projects relating to the work of the District Plan team
• Managing and updating templates that support the work of the RMA consents team
• Reviewing District Plan changes from a ‘user' perspective
• Cross department training on RMA and District Plan

About You

To be successful in this role, you'll need to be able to demonstrate the following;

• Expert knowledge of the Resource Management Act and significant experience in resource consent processing in New Zealand within a territorial authority,
• Proven reasonable understanding of legal processes and interpretation and application,
• Ability to effectively influence others through development of strong working relationships and provision of clear well thought out advice,
• Environment Court experience,
• Demonstrated ability to effectively facilitate successful win-win outcomes and strong focus on issue resolution,
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure,
• Excellent oral and written communication skills,
• Excellent ability to assess and proactively manage risk,
• A full NZPI membership, or commitment to pursuing full membership, is preferred,
• BPlan or BREP or similar degree level qualification related to Planning.

How to apply?
There's a lot that'll make you 'Love it Here!' and we are eager to hear from people who would like to know more about this exciting opportunity. We encourage people from all walks of life to apply - your attitude and passion are as important to us as your experience and capabilities.

To apply for this position go to http://careers.wdc.govt.nz or click the apply now button.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact People and Capability team on: (09) 430 4200 or 0800 932 463.

Applications close: 12 April 2023.