POSITION DESCRIPTION
NEW ZEALAND WALKING ACCESS COMMISSION

Position: Policy and Partnerships advisor

Location:Wellington

Reporting to:Chief executive

Date:August2016

BACKGROUND

The New Zealand Walking Access Commission is an independent Crown Entity established by the Walking Access Act 2008. The role of the Commission is to enhance and extend access to New Zealand’s great outdoors.

POSITION SUMMARY

This role is about influence and partnership. Reporting to the Chief Executive, the Policy and Partnerships Advisor will develop and guide the strategy to increase the Commission’s influence on policy development and partnerships across a range of areas and with a number of organisations. The strategy will consistently articulate the Commission’s missionas the leading agency on access to the outdoors.

When the Commission was established it was mainly focused on two main stakeholder groups; recreationalists who were mostly trampers and hunters, and the farming sector in a “back country” setting.

Since 2008 the context within which the Commission operates has evolved considerably. The range of stakeholders has expanded to now include health, urban, “front country” and urban trail development groups, the cycling fraternity, the tourism sector, district councils, Land Information New Zealand, Maori etc.

The core issues of access to the back country remain, and a range of new issues have come onto the agenda, driven by issues such as tourism (domestic and international), sustainable urban development and improving the health and wellbeing of people.

Access is a key part of some legislation, national policies, council policies and organisations’ activities. For example, in the Resource Management Act access to rivers, lakes and the coast is a matter of national importance; the Auckland Council is developing a “Trails Strategy”. For many agencies access is one small part of their overall functions.

The Commission is a small organisation that operates in fourmain ways:

  • Core Activities, such as running the Walking Access Mapping System and resolving access disputes.
  • Partnerships, such as working with organisations to develop and deliver shared outcomes.
  • Influence, such as influencing policies of government departments, and territorial authorities (regional/local government).
  • Connections, such as connecting groups that are working on creating access, trails etc.

MAIN TASKS

  • Identify priority policy processes and engage with these to ensure that access to the outdoors is included in policy development.
  • Initiate specific projects in partnership with government agencies (mostly central government but in some case with regional/local government).
  • Establish and manage a network of access stakeholders across central and local government.
  • Prepare submissions for local government planning processes.
  • Work closely with and provide effective policy support to the Commission’s operations team.
  • Present in a range of government settings; central, regional and local.
  • Develop an excellent network of contacts across the natural resource and transport sectors; public and private.

KEY RESULT AREAS / HOW ACHIEVED
Raising the profile of access in national level policy. / Working with relevant departments, government agencies or councils to promote public access in:
  • Any revisions to the national policy documents, such as the national policy statement for freshwater.
  • Overseas Investment Office (OIO) policies and processes relating to access, the sale of sensitive land and policy around monitoring access conditions in land sales.
  • Policy developed by Sport New Zealand relating to active recreation.
  • Policy developed by the Ministry of Health in relation to encouraging healthier lifestyles.
  • Initiatives developed by the Department of Conservation (DoC), particularly in relation to DoC’s role as a Controlling Authority for a number of walkways.
  • Development of policies relating to the property and title system managed by LINZ.
  • Development of policies relation to public land, such as Crown Pastoral Leases.
  • State of the environment reporting.

Raising the profile of access in local government plans and policies. /
  • Submissions to councils.
  • Encouraging and supporting councils to develop trails strategies.
  • Working with councils and the New Zealand Transport Agency on policies for access associated with road developments and realignments especially with councils facing significant urban development.

Review of the Walking Access Act /
  • Support the review of the Walking Access Act which is due in 2018.

Networks, relationship management and partnerships /
  • Establish and maintain an access network across central and local government, and their consultants.
  • Establish and maintain a set of partnerships across central government, local government, Maori, land owners, community groups and recreationalists.

General /
  • Contribute to strategic and operational business planning.
  • Develop and prepare reports for the management team, Chief Executive and Board, as required.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS/CONTACTS

Within the Organisation / Outside the organisation
Chief Executive / Central and local government agencies
Operations Manager / Regional and district authorities
Operations Aisor / National recreation groups
GIS Analyst / Local communities
Regional Field Advisors / Members of the public
Corporate Services Manager / Stakeholders represented in the Walking Access Act 2008
Corporate Services Advisor
Communications Manager
Chair and Board members

DIMENSIONS OF THE POSITION

Staff

Number of direct reports / Nil

Financial

Nil

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education, skill, general knowledge and experience

  • A relevant tertiary level qualification
  • A minimum of 5 year’s experience in policy development and implementation
  • Superior communications skills (written and verbal)
  • Excellent relationship management skills
  • Experience working in the state sector or local or regional government

Desirable

  • Experience in and a basic understanding of land law and related statutes
  • Familiarity with the use and application of GIS systems
  • Negotiation skills.

COMPETENCIES

Presentation skills:

  • Is effective in a variety of formal presentation settings: one on one, small and large groups, with peers, senior managers, inside and outside the organisation.
  • Commands attention and can manage group process during the presentation.
  • Can change tactics mid-stream when something isn’t working.

Interpersonal savvy:

  • Relates well to all kinds of people – vertically, and horizontally, inside and outside the organisation.
  • Builds appropriate rapport as well as constructive and effective relationships.
  • Uses diplomacy and tact, and can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
  • Flexible and open to new ideas; persists in changing circumstances; acknowledges new information.

Perseverance

  • Pursues everything with energy, drive and a need to finish.Seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.

Peer Relationships

  • Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all.
  • Is seen as a team player and is cooperative; easily gains trust and support of peers
  • Encourages collaboration
  • Can be candid with peers

Innovation

  • Can facilitate effective brainstorming
  • Can project how potential ideas may play out
  • Has good judgement

Priority setting

  • Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s important
  • Quickly zeroes in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside
  • Can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal
  • Eliminates roadblocks
  • Creates focus

Organizational agility

  • Knowledgeable about how organisations work; knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network
  • Understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices and procedures
  • Understands the cultures of organisations