City contact centres on the rise

networking, mentoring and discussing emerging trends and issues.

Palmerston North City Council contact services business manager Peter Roberts said the centres were not limited to one sector or one contact channel.

‘‘We’ve got Government call centres, we’ve got local government call centres, insurance companies, taxi companies, the DHBs and car companies – a big crosssection.

‘‘The only thing we have in common is that we are all contact centres.’’

Despite varied subject matter, the centres worked together through collaboration meetings.

‘‘The issues that we share are common, therefore the solutions are consistent as well,’’ Roberts said.

The NZ Transport Agency has about 185 staff at its Palmerston North centre, established more than 10 years ago.

Manager Michelle Charlton ratedthe city highly.

‘‘It’s a really good place to have a contact centre because it’s got a good labour market.’’

Many applicants already had good customer service experience and skills. Although most were local, some applications from bigger centres like Wellington and Auckland, she said. What started as a fun summer hobby for David Clarke soon turned into an addiction.

Now, Clarke’s skills have evolved to see him regarded as the country’s best lifeguard.

Clarke, from Palmerston North Surf Life Saving Club, was named Lifeguard of the Year at the Surf Life Saving NZ Awards of Excellence in Wellington on Saturday.

It’s the second award for the surf lifesaver, who was also deemed to be the best at the Capital and Coast Awards of Excellence in May.

Now club and patrol captain, the Bulls resident began lifesaving after being invited to get involved by a workmate at the air force. His first rescue was after patrolling season, when a young boy struggled in the Himatangi surf.

On Wellington Anniversary weekend in 2013, Clarke and his team of lifesavers were forced to close a beach because of the rough conditions.

‘‘There were a lot of people in and around the water, getting out. I thought we had it sorted.’’

But about 1 kilometre down the beach, a surfer and some swimmers were attempting to save someone from drowning.

‘‘We got him to the beach. But there were three other people that had gone out to help. Everyone was OK, but we had to doublecheck.’’

They were not the only rescues. . That day, they had 26, more than most entire seasons worth, a mammoth effort which would later in the culb rescue of the year.

‘‘It was very, very intense,’’ he said.

Clarke is particularly fond of the IRB, or inflatable dinghy. His first time sealed his love for lifesaving, he said.

Not only are IRBs used to pick up patients, but also in competitions. The team he coaches recently made the semifinals at the IRB nationals.

Reaching speeds of up to 45kmh, it took a lot of training for him to become the skilled operator he is now.

Clarke has almost completed every qualification possible and has been teaching others, about 35 in the past year, how to do the same.

Recently appointed as a new mentor for the National Lifeguard School, Clarke has also helped senior lifeguards attain the highest lifesaving qualification, leading and instructing some of the advanced IRB skills and helicopter operations.

Outside of the club, Clarke is a strong advocate for beach safety, encouraging the Himatangi community to stop long-line fishing in flagged areas. On one of its rare appearances here, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra presented a programme of works that would surely make the top 10 of everyone’s popular classical charts.

Characterised by some marvellous ebbs and flows that brought Rossini’s popular William Tell Overture to life, and the unforgettable magic of the opening bars of Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz, these works were matched by the rich orchestrations of Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo. This was a programme of much appeal chosen to entertain family audiences.

It’s easy to criticise such a programme as being lightweight, but this is to deny the marvellous energy and insightful sympathy that the orchestra brought, ensuring that each work came off the page as a delight to the ear.

Internationally renowned conductor, James Judd, is obviously passionate in performance, providing thoughtfully expressive interpretations, the orchestra responding with enthusiasm.

Although receiving generous acclaim, a disappointingly small audience greeted this marvellous programme. It is sad that this dazzling performance should have suffered such an unfortunate response, perhaps encouraging the orchestra to make even rarer appearances in the city.