Introducing Kathryn Ogilvie
A day in the life of a Planning Department BSO
Kathryn Ogilvie is a Planning Department Business Support Officer. She has a varied and busy role providing administrative support to the Planning Team. This includes entering new consent applications, generating invoices, and issuing letters, decision documents and certificates.
“I also have projects centred around improving the productivity and efficiency of the planning team. This varies from digitising of paper records for ease of access, to ensuring our processes are up to date and keeping the website updated.
My favourite part of my job is working with others who share the same vision, goals and love for our region and its environment. It is great being part of a supportive team and in a positive work environment. The role is not without its challenges – each application for a Resource Consent can vary immensely and we often spend time finding and implementing solutions to complex or unusual applications that we receive.
On a day-to-day basis, I will often spend time answering common calls about when resource consent is required. This is most commonly in relation to vegetation clearance, additions to or new dwellings, subdivisions or other such activities.
I feel this career path chose me. Being a stay-at-home mum kicked my confidence. I thought I would never have a career as I was raising a family. When the Business Support Officer role was advertised, I loved the idea of supporting the planning team working under the district plan to do what is best for the development of our beautiful Westland District and community. While no formal tertiary qualification is required to fill a business support officer role within the planning department, proven administration or assistant experience and knowledge of office management systems and procedures is preferred.
A common misconception is that I just answer phones and do data entry. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what my role encompasses. Providing administrative and business support to the department requires a basic understanding of planning rules and answering questions from the public; the ability to work under statutory timeframes required by the RMA – so excellent time management skills are essential; multitasking, attention to detail and problem-solving skills. The Administration officers are held to a high standard and work with strict time frames to issue documents, letters, and invoices on behalf of the Planners. It is a demanding job and not for the faint-hearted!”
Text and photo: Westland District Council and Kathryn Ogilvie
