Governance Advisor

About the role

As Governance Advisor, you'll play a key role in delivering high-quality governance services to elected members, senior leaders and staff. You'll advise on governance processes, legislative requirements, meeting procedures and decision‑making obligations, while helping to improve the systems, frameworks and practices that support effective local government.

You’ll work closely with the Governance Lead, elected members, the Executive Leadership Team and Council officers to support Council, committee, community board, workshop and hearing processes. This includes providing advice on Standing Orders, the Local Government Act 2002, LGOIMA and related governance requirements.

You’ll be a confident governance, compliance or risk professional with strong judgement, excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across a complex environment. You’ll be comfortable working with confidential information, reviewing reports, interpreting legislation and providing clear advice in a public‑sector or similarly regulated setting.

• Governance, compliance, risk or related experience in a coordinator, advisor or similar role is essential
• Demonstrated experience compiling agendas and taking formal minutes, ideally in local government or a comparable environment
• Strong writing, editing, organisation and time‑management skills
• High digital literacy, including confidence using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point
• An understanding of local government, political processes and relevant legislation such as the Local Government Act 2002 and LGOIMA would be an advantage

• Great work‑life balance with flexibility
• Career coaching and development
• Life insurance
• Wellbeing and volunteer leave
• Three days paid leave between Christmas and New Year
• Two weeks paid Partners Leave
• Sick leave from day one
• Continued Kiwi Saver contributions during savings suspension
• Discounts with local and national businesses

Selwyn is one of the fastest‑growing districts in New Zealand. We have a fantastic quality of life, great communities, and a thriving economy. Our Council works actively with residents to provide the services and facilities that help our communities to thrive and grow.

Our head office is based in Rolleston (only 25km from Christchurch), which offers an enviable family lifestyle, outstanding local facilities and an easy drive to the ski fields, rivers and hills that make up Canterbury's stunning landscape.

Our values are important to us and represent the way we work:

• Be a good human
• Be brave - Think differently
• Better together
  - Make it happen for Selwyn.

We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and we are committed to working with our Treaty partner to deliver on our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

If you're ready to bring your governance expertise to a role where your advice will support transparent, effective decision‑making for a growing district, we'd love to hear from you.

Applications close 28 August 2026