Annual report gets thumbs up from auditors
On Tuesday 17 November 2020, Ōpōtiki District Council adopted their annual report for the 2019/2020 year.
Ōpōtiki Mayor, Lyn Riesterer, said that the process of drafting, reviewing, auditing and adopting the annual report was “not generally the most glamorous aspect of council’s work” but that the report this year had some great highlights including high praise in the draft report from the auditors.
“The Annual Report provides an overview of council activities and is a good chance for ratepayers to review how council has performed in the past year and look into the financial engine room of the Council.
“The Report is a little later this year because Audit New Zealand has been under a lot of pressure with COVID-19 and lockdowns and border closures and we really appreciate their work to get this completed.
“I’d also like to acknowledge outstanding work from council staff this year, led by Aileen [Lawrie, Chief Executive] and Bevan [Gray, Finance & Corporate Services Group Manager]. The team working on the report have done an excellent job and the auditors went as far as to call the council work “exemplary”, so that is certainly something to be very proud of,” Mayor Riesterer said.
The Mayor also recognised that this year’s report was an important demonstration of council’s ability to manage public funds, particularly as the past financial year has seen more than $130m invested in the district from central government. Almost all of that funding is specifically allocated for projects such as the harbour entrance, Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi, town centre revitalisation, bike and horse trails.
The summary report highlights the role of rates funding for business-as-usual activities such as infrastructure, waste and water and some successful projects this year such as the new home for the heritage roses, new LED street lighting, water supply to Te Kaha, and improvements to public amenities at Te Ahiaua / Pipi Beds.
“Auditors are primarily concerned with making sure that we are trusted with public funds and are financially sound in our processes and procedures.
“What this illustrates to me is that many years of hard work making sure we had robust and rigorous systems in place is paying off. As a council we are always working to ensure the best outcomes for ratepayer money. This shows that not only are we managing our day-to-day council expenditure on rubbish, roads, water and sewerage, but for a very small council, we have been trusted with the purse strings for some significant projects. We have shown that the confidence in us has been well-placed,” Mayor Riesterer said.
Ends
The Council’s Annual Report is available on this website and the Summary Annual Report will be uploaded in the coming days when the final audit opinion has been received. You can view the Annual Report here www.odc.govt.nz/annualreport. Hard copies will also be available in Council’s reception area or at the library. You can also request a copy of the summary be sent to you when it is available by emailing info@odc.govt.nz or phoning 07 3153030.
