Across New Zealand, councils are navigating a period of rapid change. Ratepayers expect faster, more seamless interactions, while compliance obligations grow tighter and budgets remain stretched. For many councils, the weight of legacy systems, manual processes, and paper-based workflows continues to slow down progress.

So how can councils deliver more with less? One of the most powerful strategies is to adopt a digital workplace approach,underpinned by process mapping. Together, these tools provide a practical pathway toward smarter, more efficient services.

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What is a Digital Workplace in Local Government?

The term “digital workplace” can mean different things to different organisations. In a local government context, it’s not simply about remote work or cloud storage. A true digital workplace is an ecosystem of tools, workflows, and systems that allow council staff to work smarter, automate repetitive tasks, and focus on delivering real value to their communities.

For example, instead of staff manually re-keying data from paper forms, a digital workplace might enable automated data capture and validation — freeing up staff to focus on service delivery.

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The Role of Process Mapping

Before a council can truly transform, it needs to understand what its current processes look like. That’s where process mapping comes in.

• Current-State Analysis: Mapping helps identify bottlenecks, duplications, and pain points in existing workflows (e.g. processing applications, managing records)
• Future-State Design: Once councils see where the inefficiencies lie, they can redesign processes for automation, digitisation, and compliance
• Bridge Between Policy and Practice: Process maps make it easier for staff, IT teams, and leadership to stay aligned on “how things actually work” versus “how things should work.”

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For example, a council that previously required residents to submit paper-based rates rebate forms could map the end-to-end process, highlight pain points (manual data entry, long turn around times), and design a future-state workflow powered by AI-driven automation.

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Why it Matters for Councils

• ‍Faster Service Delivery: Automated workflows cut processing times and reduce backlogs.
• ‍Improved  Compliance: Digital workflows provide an audit trail and reduce the risk of errors.
• ‍Better Employee Experience: Staff spend less time on admin and more time on meaningful work.
• ‍Enhanced Customer Experience: Customers benefit from faster, simpler, more transparent services.

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Where to Start

For councils beginning their digital transformation journey, start with one process, map it, redesign it, and digitise it. The results often speak for themselves, building momentum for wider transformation. Our digital workplace consultants work with councils across Aotearoa to design digital workplaces that deliver measurable outcomes. From process mapping workshops to end-to-end workflow automation tools, we help councils move from paper-heavy administration to smart, customer-focused services.