Re: information relating to staff information (Our ref. 879).
We have decided to release the information you have requested; - please see our answers below.
Response:
1) What is the percentage of staff turnover annually for the last three years?
Note: FTE stands for full time equivalent and refers to the number of hours considered full time – 40 hours per week. For example, a full time employee equals 1 FTE while a part time employee is less than 1 FTE e.g. someone contracted for 24 per week equals 0.6 of an FTE. For the headcount metric, each employee is counted as one.
The following sets out the staff numbers for the last three years. Note that during that time the Council replaced external contractors with staff in two areas – Public Facilities, Parks, and Places (three staff replaced contractors) and Building Control (two staff replaced contractors) i.e. staff FTE and headcount increased by five as a result.
YEAR ENDING | TOTAL FTE | TOTAL HEADCOUNT |
|---|---|---|
30th June 2023 | 45.15 | 51 |
30th June 2024 | 48.38 | 55 |
30th June 2025 | 57.97 | 62 |
Employee Turnover rates:
Employee turnover rates are based on the total number of permanent employees who left the Council over the period divided by FTE for current month. This matches the way employee turnover is measured by other organisations.
YEAR ENDING | EMPLOYEE TURNOVER BASED ON FTE | EMPLOYEE TURNOVER BASED ON HEADCOUNT |
|---|---|---|
30th June 2023 | 24.4% | 21.5% |
30th June 2024 | 20.7% | 18.0% |
30th June 2025 | 15.5% | 14.5% |
The reasons for the resignations over the past three years has included being offered a higher salary elsewhere, time needed with family / the need to move closer to family and health reasons. The average employee turnover rate for New Zealand in both public and private sector combined for 1st July 2024 – 30th June 2025 was 21.4% (Lawson Williams report), whilst the turnover rate for Councils was 15.3% (Capability Group Report).
2) How many staff members live in the Mackenzie district and how many staff members live in the south canterbury region?
As at 30th June 2025 the Mackenzie District Council had 40 employees (65% of employees) living within the Mackenzie district and 56 employees (91% of employees) living with South Canterbury. A lack of suitable and affordable housing within the district does have a significant impact on employees being able to live closer to where they work and their family / partner.
3) How many vehicles does MDC have?
The Council has 22 vehicles, including 5 vehicles that had to be purchased from Whitestone Ltd when they ceased operations in the Mackenzie District, and the Council decided to bring the water operations staff and vehicles into the Council.