Knock Knock: Confessions of a Kiwi Interviewer by Trish Palmer

Author:Trish Palmer [Palmer, Trish]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781990003271
Google: q3V3zgEACAAJ
Publisher: Upstart Press
Published: 2021-07-15T20:23:12.022047+00:00

11

Consents

Some local bodies audit their consent and licensing processes by getting feedback from folk who have received such a thing in the previous 12 months. These can range from food premises licences, dog registrations, building consents, resource consents, and manager’s licences for bars, to commercial vessel licences. The interviewer phones named people to ask how they found the process, and if they think anything about it could have been done better.

Unfortunately, anything to do with local bodies can polarise people. One man I phoned hated council with a vengeance and was incredibly vocal about it, calling them all sorts of names. Naturally, I assumed he’d had a bad experience, yet when it came to the specific questions about the process, it was all fine, with no problems. However, he said quite clearly that one good experience was not going to change his view that they were all a dreadful lot in there and ‘should be got rid of’.

Older folk often assume I am ‘from the council’ even though I state quite clearly that I am calling on behalf of the council. This can lead to their telling me things that are outside my scope, but worse is when they ask me to resolve an issue for them. It’s quite common for them to ask about what things can go into their recycling, or even what day the recycling is! As part of my preparation, I usually look up the council’s phone number prior to starting interviewing, so that I can pass the number on. It costs nothing to be kind.

Dog registration queries can be fraught. Many folk are quite vocal that all they get for their money is a plastic tag, and they believe that registration penalises the good owners. It’s not unusual to hear that the wandering and aggressive dogs are not registered anyway, so good owners believe they are paying for services that their dogs will never need. In these situations, the interview can turn from a five-minute call to double that when one of these owners really lets me have it, and it’s hard to interrupt without causing further ill-feeling, as they want their grievance heard.

One lady who had got resource consent for a project had absolutely no memory of it, and she was very concerned that I had her name and contact details. Upon hearing that it was for a new shed, she was adamant that she had not got a new shed. I was becoming as perplexed as she was but persevered with trying to get to the bottom of the problem, mostly in an attempt to reassure her that I was legit. I asked her if she had undertaken any projects on her place recently, and she said no. This was sounding very odd, and I was getting desperate; there had to be an explanation. Then I asked her if there had been any building activity on her property recently, and she said no. I was about to give up, when she suddenly exclaimed, ‘Oh, sorry dear, I’ve just seen it .

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