Careers

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Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Environment Canterbury

Marlborough District Council

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

Horizons – Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council

Taranaki Regional Council

Tasman District Council

Greater Wellington Regional Council

Working for a regional council

Regional councils work with communities to protect and manage the precious taonga of rivers, lakes, soils, air, coast and biodiversity for health, wellbeing and connectivity. Our organisations cover a broad range of work and require a diverse mix of professional skills and experience. Work that is varied and interesting, actively contributing to the betterment of our natural environment.

Working for a regional council offers a rewarding career pathway. It involves working with our river and drainage schemes to enhance the river environment ensuring appropriate flood protection, land drainage and erosion control are in place, keeping our communities safe.

This exciting, diverse and often challenging work will allow you to be a key contributor to our regional council teams and to be involved in dynamic and innovative solutions to environmental issues.

There is a wide variety of opportunities in this space, here is just some of these:

• Ecology – plants, animals, fish, biodiversity, interconnectedness, mahinga kai
• Engineering – design, management, procurement, construction supervision, communication
• Hydrology – rainfall, runoff, water flow statistics, floodplain modelling
• Asset management – planning and successfully maintaining multi-million-dollar public infrastructure on a ‘whole of life’ basis
• Data science – coding/ management and processing of data – flow recording, flow predictions
• Water quality – testing, investigations, ensuring our work does not impact water quality
• Management / Leadership – team leadership, executive leadership, environmental stewardship
• Field work – survey, damage identification, soil and water sampling, construction supervision, helicopter, and drone aerial reconnaissance
• Climate change science – all our work will be impacted by a changing climate
• Meteorology – weather interactions, rainfall, and flow forecasting
• Engineering – designing complex environmental projects to protect our natural resources. Working with flood control and drainage design, stopbank earthworks and modelling
• Science – improving air quality, land management, and the health of our waterways and marine environments
• IT and tech – building and managing the IT systems that support our work at Council. Teaching and supporting staff with IT questions and queries
• Finance – managing our financial assets and systems, and performance reporting. Supporting managers with budgets and forecasting
• Consents and Compliance – protecting our environment and responding to pollution incidents. Educating members of the public on how their actions impact our environment and how they be more environmentally conscious
• Land use (Catchment Advisors)– working with farmers and other stakeholders to reduce erosion risk and improve biodiversity. Help connect them with the right funding and knowledge to improve their practices
• Policy and planning – developing plans and policies to enhance our environment, working with members of our community, collaborating with our Māori partners
• Governance – ensuring the information provided to our Councillors supports good decision making

Why you should forge your career within regional councils

There are plenty opportunities for all types of people, from construction jobs to planners, scientists, and engineers we need talented people.

• There is a breadth of opportunities at regional councils, everything from problem identification to design and project delivery
• During times of natural disaster (flood or otherwise) we're involved in the civil defence and emergency management response because we know the river systems best
• You will get the chance to work with and learn from committed, passionate people
• There is a great mix of field-based and office-based work
• You will be directly connected and engaged with members of the public and landowners, contributing to positive outcomes for the community
• You get to see the results of your work in real time
• You can make a meaningful impact in flood resilience
• The sector needs to grow by 3000-6000 people over next ten years! So, there is no shortage of work to do
• You will be doing meaningful work that supports positive outcomes for communities while enhancing our natural environment
• The work you do will be culturally relevant and consider aspects such as climate change, which means we expect that bigger floods are going to happen more often, so the ways in which we mitigate this risk is critical
• You will be part of creating change for the future
• You get direct feedback when things are going well, and when they’re not in a supportive working environment that is committed to your learning and development.
• There are good career progression options available both internally and externally – regional councils and consultants work closely with each other. 
• As a regional council staff member, you are in control of the project from start to finish  
• People are passionate about their work
• Competitive starting rate
• Flexible working options
• Access to mentors and coaches who are subject matter experts

We're looking for people who want to make a difference - broad-minded, creative thinkers, who enjoy working with others to get things done. When you join us you'll be getting personally involved in shaping our environment. You’ll find more than just a day job with regional council!

What is the pathway for these jobs?

Bachelors qualifications in environmental science, geography, geology, ecology, or an engineering degree (civil or natural resources engineering) for the engineering/management roles.

There are lots of pathways into other roles; we have planners, parks specialists, ecologists, health & safety, accounting, human resources, project managers…the list goes on! Council is a diverse working environment that needs a range of skills to successfully undertake the work we do for our communities. Ask us how you can be a part of this if you are unsure.

Regional councils have opportunities for students studying relevant degrees who would like to gain experience working in local government. An interest in learning more about protecting our environment and the work we do in the community is essential! Placements cover the peak summer season from November to February and are aligned to when you are on your university break. These are paid employment opportunities. 

Summer placements at councils are a great way to gain insight to the industry and a ‘foot in the door’ for future opportunities.

Salary range: 
Entry level physical works staff may be around $50,000 per year depending on hours. 
The indicative salary range for a River Engineer is $71,000 – $100,000 depending on skills and experience.
The indicative salary range for a Senior River Engineer is $81,000 - $119,000 depending on skills and experience.

River manager responsibilities include the planning, designing, consenting, constructing, and monitoring of flood protection, land drainage and erosion control schemes. Activities include maintenance activities; capital works programmes and special project works in and adjacent to waterways all the while looking to incorporate biodiversity and natural character enhancement opportunities into each and every worksite.

About You (Engineering roles)                          

Ideally, you’ll have a degree in Natural Resources or Civil Engineering (or a similar tertiary qualification), preferably with an emphasis on river engineering, hydraulics, or hydrology alongside years of practical experience, and a strong interest in river management.

You’ll be a confident communicator, capable of building relationships across all levels of the organisation, understanding their needs, and providing fit-for-purpose and timely leadership. 

You’re innovative, and solutions focussed with an agile mindset applying sound engineering judgement to deliver quality service and outcomes.

What’s important is:

• Your ability to apply sound engineering judgement to deliver quality service and outcomes
• Your ability to prioritise your work during busy times
• Your ability to proactively look for opportunities to deliver great results
• A ‘can-do’ positive attitude
• Your desire and ability to apply mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori principles into your work and nurture mana whenua relationships