The GoShift team would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout 2016. We hope you all have a chance to have a break from work during the Christmas and New Year period and enjoy some time with family and friends. We look forward to working with you again in 2017. 

 

Remember, you can keep up to date with what’s happening in GoShift by checking our news page regularly. 

We are excited to report that we have chosen a company to supply the online service. We will be spending the next month or so nutting out the details with them and expect to have a contract signed at the end of January ready for the pilot to start in early in 2017. 

The online service is a key tool to GoShift's success and once up and running in July next year, it will enable many of the initiative's benefits including sharing resource and expertise across participating councils.  

 

Nine councils are taking part in the pilot and Stephanie Lay, who is leading this piece of work, has been out meeting them during the last few weeks. 

It's been great to see the level of commitment and enthusiasm from these councils who are looking forward to the pilot starting. 

 

More and more GoShift councils are starting to use the new standardised application forms. Wellington, Palmerston North City Council and Manawatu District Councils being the latest to adopt the forms. If you are yet to implement the forms and need additional help, please contact us.  

 

In response to your feedback, we will continue to improve the forms. The most up to date forms are available on the GoShift web page Apply Online and the easiest way to make sure you have the latest version is to link directly to the forms from this page. 

 

We are continuing to work on the checklists and this will become an area of greater focus in the New Year. 

 

Ross McCarthy, GoShift's Strategic and Engagement Manager, regularly meets with Go Shift councils and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE). 

 

Ross' work with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, is focused on the strategic direction of the project and how GoShift can harness the work that other clusters are doing to improve the building consents process. 

 

At our most recent Programme Control Group meeting, Leigh Sage, Head of Building Services at Palmerston North City Council, shared how they are working with UCOL to help resolve the shortage of building consents staff in their council. The arrangement, which sees second year students, studying while also working for the council, is an innovative way to address this nationwide issue. It’s exciting to be able to share these types of initiatives across the GoShift group. 

  

The project is looking for additional resources, such as business analysts and technical expertise, to help us with our work. Ross will send out a separate communication about this but if you’d like to be involved please contact him. 

Please share these monthly updates with anyone who might be interested in the work we are doing.

 

Contact us if you have any questions. And feel free to check out the GoShift website too.