Waimakariri boss enjoys filling role

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Jeff Millward is no stranger to filling in for Waimakariri’s top job.

A familiar face at the Waimakariri District Council, Millward joined the then Rangiora Borough Council in 1985.

He was appointed acting chief executive in July, following the departure of Jim Harland, until a new appointment is made early next year.

It is the third time Millward has stepped into the role and he said he was enjoying his temporary assignment.

‘‘There is a lot of pressure. You have a number of roles to fill, with reporting to the mayor and councillors and the community boards, looking after ratepayers, the business community, community groups, support groups and staff.

‘‘It is a busy environment with a lot of stakeholders and keeping them all happy is not always easy.

‘‘Getting a win, win solution is difficult when there’s different views. But it is an enjoyable - it is a great profession.’’

Millward came to Rangiora in 1985, after working for the Department of Internal Affairs, to take up the role of swimming pool manager at Dudley Park.

It was the days before the indoor aquatic centre, so in the off season Mr Millward worked in the council building.

‘‘I was looking for a change from central government, where I was working in accounts.

‘‘I had a background looking after club pools as the club captain at Papanui Swimming Club.

‘‘Council life is certainly very rewarding. Every day there will be challenges, but with local government you find people are here because they have an interest in their communities.’’

He was no stranger to the Dudley Park pool.

‘‘Ever since I was a little kid, I used to come out for swimming at Dudley Park.’’

As a competitive swimmer, Mr Millward represented New Zealand at one swim meet just prior to the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

He also represented Canterbury in swimming, water polo, athletics and school boys rugby league.

In 1986, the Rangiora Borough and County Councils amalgamated to become the Rangiora District Council and Millward worked on the project to introduce the RAPID numbering system.

Following amalgamation in 1989, Millward transferred over to the Waimakariri District Council.

He became an assistant accountant, then a financial accountant and eventually chief financial officer.

‘‘I never imagined I would be in the top job. It has had its challenges over the years, but it is a good community to work with and it has got its characters.’’

When he first joined the council staff, Millward was commuting out each day from Christchurch.

After raising his children in Kaiapoi and Rangiora, he has moved back into the city since remarrying.

‘‘In the mid-1980s I was only sharing the road with two cars and now there’s a lot more cars on the road, and we are still going through substantial growth.’’

During his time at the council the district has faced some major challenges, including flooding, fires, storm events, snow events, the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes and Covid-19.

‘‘This council has not sat on its laurels. Being a growth council, we need to prepare for the future.

‘‘And we need to prepare for AF8 (an alpine faultline magnitude 8 earthquake) and that’s something we as chief executives in Canterbury are working on.’’

In the meantime, Millward was busy trying to keep next year’s rates rise as low as possible, amid rising inflation.

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