The New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM) 2019 Annual Summit was held on 26-27 September in Napier, New Zealand. The conference is an international event with guests from not only New Zealand but also the USA, UK and Australia.
The conference featured discussions about several challenges faced by local governments in New Zealand. Ms Julie Gardyne, an alumna of this year’s CLAIR’s Local Government Exchange & Cooperation Seminar, gave a presentation as a panel member about crisis response and recovery.
We attended this SOLGM Annual Summit for the first time at the kind invitation of the SOLGM, with whom we networked during the LG Professionals Australia National Congress & Business Expo held in Darwin 31 July to 2 August this year.
At the Summit, CLAIR Sydney provided information about our recent activities, opportunities such as the Local Government Exchange and Cooperation Seminar, upcoming notable sports events (in particular the Rugby World Cup 2019, 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and World Masters Games 2021 KANSAI) and Japanese tourism destinations. CLAIR Sydney was also able to strengthen our relationship with alumni of the CLAIR Local Government Exchange and Cooperation Seminar and local government managers in New Zealand.
We aim to continue to learn and research about the current challenges and best practices of New Zealand local governments, strengthen our relationship with New Zealand local governments, and support Japanese local governments.
From the 3rd to the 13th of December, eight selected swimmers from the Fukuoka Swimming Association visited NSW, where they participated in joint training sessions with a local school and competed in the 2024-25 Speedo NSW Senior State Age Championships.
