Karen Upston

Corporate Projects Manager
Horowhenua District Council

“I like the fact that what I do at local government level improves the community which I live in”

Making project happen

As Corporate Projects Manager for Horowhenua District Council I work on various projects throughout the organisation, my current project list includes, working on two significant District Plan Changes, running a request for proposal process for the Councils Corporate Operating Systems, increasing staff understanding and uptake of our electronic records management system, Business Continuity Plan updates, and basically I have an involvement with any Council internal projects.

Skills needed in my job

The skills I bring to the role is my ability to listen to the various stakeholders to understand their requirements, then using project management methodology I plan and implement their various projects. It is also important to have good delegation and time management skills as I am the only Corporate Project Manager in this organisation. I need to call on other staff for their assistance to make these projects happen. Strong influencing skills also come in handy.

Improving the community I live in

It was a lifestyle decision to move an hour up the coast and get out of the fast lane that brought Karen to Horowhenua and work in the local government sector.
I didn't think my skills could be of use in Horowhenua and I would never have considered local government.

I'm now really pleased I did. I like the fact that what I do at local government level improves the community which I live in and decisions have no overseas management input like in the Wellington firm I worked for. All my stakeholders in local government are easily accessible.

In my experience, what I really like is that people in local government tend to be local and care about their community. They have a mindset that we are here to do our best for our residents.

Flat structure in local government

My skills are valued as there is a skill shortage in rural New Zealand. Local government is not as bureaucratic as you would expect. It's a very flat structure.
I work in a team of one and I can approach the Chief Executive at any time, whereas in Wellington I worked in a team of 12 who reported to three tiers of management above, and an overseas hierarchy.

Working at Horowhenua District Council

My husband and I decided to sell up everything in Wellington and come to another life, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I did not choose to come and work in Horowhenua. We chose to change our lifestyle and I expected after a bit of a break that I would be commuting to Wellington.
Our new lifestyle means living in a beach community, with no traffic jams, and enjoying a 10-minute picturesque drive to the office.

I found that by being employed by a small District Council, my work is diverse and interesting and the skills I acquired from the corporate world gave me opportunities to work in various parts of the Council organisation.