Introducing Rachel Reese
Mayor of Nelson Rachel Reese is a bit of an enigma.
She's been labelled a National Party candidate, which she's never been.
Recently a Nelson resident declared she was in the pocket of the Labour party.
And we’ve even seen her labelled a greenie for her work on climate change and public transport!
But Rachel’s always had an emphasis on partnerships and she's always embraced going beyond just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ discussions about important issues.
In this episode, we explore her journey into becoming a mayor and her involvement in local and national issues, like the controversial Three Waters working group.
Rachel tells us about what she calls ‘The Office of Good Ideas’, which moves local government to more of an enabling role and creates more permission and space for failure.
For any of you who are involved in politics, I'm sure you will nod your head along to some of the challenges that Rachel shares. And if you're not involved in politics, it's so valuable to understand what the reality is like for those people that you might be reporting to.
In today’s episode you’ll learn:
The value of knowing the why in your strategy work, so you can adapt in line with that
How local government can create space for communities to take the lead
The importance of listening in politics, even when you don’t like the message.
Resources mentioned in this episode
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