Ep 48 - The Office of Good Ideas, with Mayor Rachel Reese

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 Rachel’s LinkedIn profile The Reframe Programme by Business Lab Ep 40 - The Southern Initiative and The Power of Community-Led, with Gael Surgenor Ep 47 - Using Your Power For Good, with Tracey Bridges Sign up for the Movement Makers newsletter Sign up to our fortnightly newsletter and get the insights, tools and powerful whakaaro from people transforming the collaboration space.