POSITION DESCRIPTION – HARBOURMASTER
Purpose of Role
To effectively lead the Harbourmaster Services to ensure maritime safety in the
Buller region.
Reports to
Chief Financial Officer
Hours of work
Full time Permanent – 40 hours per week, worked across 7 days – when these hours are
worked will depend on requirements to service our clients with a degree of autonomy for
the role holder
Key Relationships
Internal: Chief Executive, Dredge master and crew, other council staff as appropriate staff.
External: Councillors, port users, maritime authorities, other local authorities,
contractors, community.
Direct Reports
2 – Harbour maintenance officer, Harbour administrator
Indirect Reports
Nil
Financial Delegation
Date
July 2023
The Buller District Council is the territorial authority for the northern West Coast. Our goal is to promote the well-
being of our local communities. We have a wide range of responsibilities under the Local Government Act.
Our mission is – ‘To serve the residents of the Buller district, conscious of their needs, by providing facilities and
services and creating an appropriate environment for progress and development while preserving the distinctive
natural environment, as well as the cultural and historical environments.’
The Buller District Council strives to be responsive to different needs and values and works with employees to
maximise their potential. We are committed to continually improving its recruitment and selection processes to
ensure that quality decisions are made which help the Council meet its objectives.
Local government affects you daily. We encourage you to get to know us and to find out more about how you can
participate in local decision-making.
ORGANISATIONAL AND POSITION INFORMATION
Civil Defence and
o Actively participate in civil defence training, roles and duties within Council
Health & Safety
o Actively participate in Health & Safety training, roles and duties within Council
Organisational KPI’s
o
Statutory Compliance
Positively Support and influence compliance with the statutory and Westport harbour
compliance requirements for the various harbour and wharf structures/assets and the
geographical areas of responsibility for the harbour master
o
Financial Prudence
Ensure effective operating (opex) and capital (capex) cost management compared to
budget
o
Customer Satisfaction
Provide an outstanding experience and level of service
o
Staff Satisfaction
Be a rewarding team member to work with
o
Strategic Areas of Focus
Achieve specific single and multi-year objectives set by Council
Result Areas
o
Capabilities
Apply and share knowledge, experience and skills whilst pursuing continuous
improvement and professional growth
o
Social
Represent Council in a positive and respectful manner
o
Compliance
Work ethically within the local government framework
o
Client Satisfaction
Recognise and value Council stakeholders
Probation
o Not Applicable
Prerequisites
o A current motor vehicle drivers’ licence is mandatory for this position.
o Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand
o
Diversity
o Council proudly promotes the principles of Equal Employment
Opportunities and fosters a culture of diversity to represent the
communities of our district.
Mission
o To serve the residents of the Buller District, conscious of their needs, by
providing facilities and services and creating an appropriate environment
for progress and development while preserving the distinctive natural
environment, as well as the cultural and historical environments
RESPONSIBILITIES
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
Leadership
•
• Clearly communicates
As the Harbourmaster you are responsible
and commits to
for maritime safety for all water users.
ensuring maritime
You lead by example always advocating
safety in a manner
for maritime safety on behalf of the
that is aligned to
Council.
Council’s vision and
strategies.
•
• The team are happy
As a Team Leader, you are responsible for
and high-performing.
setting and delivering strategy and leading
They know what is
your team to deliver on shared goals.
expected of them and
are recognised as
technical experts,
providing a high
standard of service
internally and
externally.
• Align the team around a shared vision,
• Processes are fit for
robust KPIs and processes, high service
purpose, up to date,
standards, sound decision-making, open
accepted internally
and honest communication and team
and followed.
work.
• Build team capability through professional
• Effective one to ones
development, mentoring and motivation.
and development
conversations are
carried out regularly.
Team member
strengths are
recognised and areas
for development are
addressed.
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
•
• Staff survey results
Role model professional, considered, and
indicate effective
empathetic values and bring others with
leadership and a
you.
positive team culture.
• Co-ordinate the on-call roster and ensure
• Participates in on-call
fit for purpose
roster. Supports the
team to safely manage
risk and minimise
fatigue.
• Design and develop maritime/harbour
related Policies, Procedures and Practices;
ensuring they are effectively implemented
within your business area.
Maritime service
• Ensure safe vessel movements within
• Risks and hazards to
delivery
Westport river, harbour and the area
maritime safety are
outside the river mouth which is the
identified, minimised,
jurisdiction of harbour master. Of specific
and regularly
interest will be assisting with the safe
reviewed. Maritime
crossing of the Westport river bar by port
activities are co-
users and the regular soundings of the bar.
ordinated safely. The
Conduct patrols to educate and enforce
harbour master is
maritime safety provisions.
expected to have the
appropriate skills to
undertake the bar
soundings from either
a harbour owned boat
or a contracted boat
• Administer the Navigation Safety Bylaw
• The Bylaw is fit for
and contribute to the review and
purpose and water
improvement of the Bylaw.
users comply with the
requirements.
• Meet reporting
• Produce regular reports for
timelines for
council/committee meeting agendas,
committee/council
attend council/committee meetings to
meeting agenda issue.
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
speak to those reports and answer
questions
• Issue regular media/communications for
• Council uses
port/harbour activities in conjunction with
written/verbal and
the council communications team
social media to
communicate its
messages
• Oversee pilot training, proficiency, and
• Training, proficiency,
exemption certification.
and exemption training
plans are developed
and approved by
Maritime New Zealand
(MNZ). Pilots/ship’s
masters are sufficiently
trained for local
navigation safety
conditions to the
standards approved by
MNZ.
• Assess annual commercial licence
• Commercial operators
applications.
conduct operations
safely.
• Provide advice for resource consent
• Applications can be
applications in the coastal marine area.
appropriately assessed
based on the nautical
advice provided.
•
Provide leadership to similar
• Based on the value of
compliance/service based activities of the
“One team – shared
council where appropriate
direction, shared
effort”, council looks
for opportunities to
spread skills and
expertise widely over
the organisation
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
• Maintain aids to navigation and review the
• The AtoN network is
adequacy of the AtoN network at least
effective in ensuring
annually.
maritime safety.
• Develop and implement maritime
• Positive relationships
emergency procedures.
with other emergency
response organisations
are established and
maintained. Exercise
programmes are
developed and
delivered.
• Aid and support to the council dredge
• Positive relationships
master and crew as is required.
with the dredge crew.
• Ensure the harbourmaster’s vessel is fit for
• Continuous
purpose, regularly maintained and
improvement occurs
compliant with legislative requirements.
and regular reviews
are conducted to
enhance effective and
efficient operations.
• Ensure the ports wharfs and other harbour
• Develop programmes
structures are safe and fit for purpose,
of maintenance and
regularly maintained and compliant with
capital improvement
legislative requirements.
that ensure the port
and harbour assets are
able to deliver an
acceptable level of
service, while
maintaining a safe
working and
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
recreational
environment.
•
•
Lead and/or contribute to the
Regularly review
development and review of systems
systems and
(including the Westport Port and Harbour
implement
Safety Management System), and
improvements as
procedures and best practices across
appropriate. Respond
relevant teams within Council involved
promptly and
with the coastal marine area.
implement resolution
to any safety concerns
that arise.
• Monitor compliance with marine related
• Ensure compliance
statutes and bylaws
with statutes and
bylaws and take
appropriate action to
address non-
compliance where is
arises.
• Respond to emergency events such as
• Update and maintain
environmental management issues (oil
appropriate responses
spills, earthquake response etc) and other
to each likely
maritime emergency events
emergency event
either as a lead or
support agency
•
Customer
•
Positive relationships
Establish relationships with key harbour
engagement
are established and
stakeholders.
maintained.
•
• On shore and on water
Maintain a visible and educational
patrols are conducted
presence with water users, commercial
in accordance with
users and recreational user groups.
Council’s Compliance
Strategy to enhance
the level of
• Identify and manage initiatives and
understanding of
programmes to increase the education
maritime safety. The
Key
Expected Results
Means
Responsibilities
and understanding of maritime safety of
number of avoidable
all water users.
incidents decrease,
and the safety
compliance levels
increase.
•
Business and
•
All business planning,
Provide updates to long term and annual
management and
Financial
plan processes.
reporting standards
Management
and requirements are
• Ensure that income and expenditure is
met within required
monitored, remains within budget and
timeframes.
variances are reported.
Team Leadership
• Whilst personal leadership and being a
• Leading a team means
role model is core to every role in Council,
inspiring your team
as a team leader you have a specific role
members to achieving
to lead your team and projects within
the harbour and
your work area to deliver on shared goals.
Council's common
vision in an effective
and efficient manner.
Health Safety and
• At Council we all take responsibility for a
• We are each
Wellbeing
work environment where hazards and
responsible for
risks can be openly raised, discussed and
actively contributing
addressed. We take a holistic approach to
to Council's Zero Harm
employee wellbeing, celebrate health and
workplace by
safety successes, and challenge
participating in
behaviours that don’t support our health,
Council's health and
safety and wellbeing culture.
safety management
system, including
reporting incidents
and hazards,
contractor
management and
meeting all training
requirements.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
Highly
Selection Criteria
Criteria
Desirable
Experience, skills
• Proven experience with crossings of river bar
√
& knowledge
• Proven experience as a harbourmaster in an
equivalent port/region
√
•
Significant experience (15-20 years ) in a
maritime environment
√
•
Significant experience of managing employees,
within a maritime environment.
√
√
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of
maritime rules and regulations.
√
• Experience of developing and maintaining
maritime related Policies, Procedures and
Practices.
√
•
Experience of working in a highly regulatory
environment and ensuring compliance with
relevant legislation (Maritime New Zealand
√
rules, New Zealand Port and Harbour Safety
Code)
√
• Command experience of blue ware vessels
√
• Pilotage experience and knowledge
•
Emergency response and incident control
experience
Key
• People leadership – Acts professionally; self-
√
Competencies
starter; risk assessor; good listener.
• Judgement – Considers long-term impacts of
√
decisions, knows when to consult others.
• Strong customer service ethic – can de-escalate
√
situations if needed.
• Collaboration – Council and external
√
stakeholders work together in achieving
Essential
Highly
Selection Criteria
Criteria
Desirable
common goals for the benefit of the
community.
• Continuous improvement – Supports positive
√
change; activity promotes personal
improvement; a strategic and innovative
thinker.
•
√
Relationships – Established and maintains solid
relationships with colleagues and external
parties.
Qualifications
• A minimum qualification of a Skipper Restricted
√
Limits (SRL)
• Commercial and recreational certification (ie
√
Standards of Training and Certification of
Watchkeepers (STCW), Royal Yachting
Association (RYA) (Powerboat and Commercial
Endorsement)
• First Aid Certificate
√
POSITION DESCRIPTION SIGN-OFF
From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the position description in response to the
changing nature of our work environment – including technological requirements or statutory changes. This
position description may be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual
performance cycle or as required.
Position Holder
Date
Manager
Date
Human Resources
Date
