Why is CME so under-valued!

Throughout my time working in local government, one thing I have consistently noticed is how compliance and enforcement work is valued less than the other council work, and is chronically under-resourced. The most obvious sign of this is that compliance officers are often paid less than planners and building inspectors. This much too often results in good compliance officers moving to other departments and certainly doesn’t help in recruiting people with the right skills.

One reason we hear for the lower pay for compliance officers is that they don’t need a formal qualification. Government Regulatory Practice Initiative (G-Reg) has been working on developing compliance qualifications for some years and many compliance officers in both local and central government have completed four of the qualifications. There was a pilot programme of a diploma level investigation course but this has not continued. Perhaps we should all be lobbying for a diploma programme that covers all aspects of compliance, and which can be recognised as a qualification when pay bands are being set.

Some councils have no compliance officers at all or have just one or two carrying out multiple compliance roles. One compliance officer who works for quite a large council told me that she had to do Resource Management, Building Act, parking, and litter compliance and help with animal control. No wonder she felt overwhelmed!

So what can you do about this? Keep reminding everyone that there is no point writing district and regional plans, bylaws, or resource consent conditions if no-one is there to check compliance or to enforce them. They just end up being pretty well meaningless and a waste of time. The general public may initially comply with the rules and conditions but once the word gets out that the council is not enforcing them, the level of compliance rapidly drops away. 

Let everyone at work (and at home) know about your successes and ask your council to issue press releases every time compliance or enforcement ends up with a great result for the environment or a real improvement in the living conditions of those living in your district, city or region. And keep reminding yourself just how important your work is. If it wasn’t for all the local government compliance officers, the natural and built environment would be in a pretty dire state.

Janet Whiteside – November 2023