Testimonials
“Jerry, you have proven to be an excellent choice as regional manager of WREMO. The Jeremy we see in action is exactly the Jeremy we were presented with during the recruitment process, with no surprises; this is unusual in my experience!
You have exceeded the expectation of the role. Feedback from others is universally positive.
You have risen to the challenge of delivering a step change in performance as we move towards a second generation of WREMO. A huge amount of work has been done successfully. Even though there is still a mountain of change coming, the region is well placed with your leadership to manage it well.”
— Tony Stallinger, Council Chief Executive and Coordinating Executive (CEG) Chair
“In times of crisis, both large and small, Jeremy and his team proactively reach out and offer support and assistance immediately.
I continue to be impressed by Jeremy’s leadership and the qualities he brings to the role. He sets a fine example for his team in modelling the right behaviors and values. The team has grown in capability and confidence over his tenure, and the region is in a much stronger position to respond to crises because of his leadership.”
— Peter Kelly, Council Chief Executive and Coordinating Executive Group (CEG) Chair
“We had a fantastic session in our Senior Leadership Programme last week on Crisis and Emergency Management.
A big thank you to Jeremy Holmes for leading such a practical and thought provoking session.
This topic couldn’t be timelier - given the scale and frequency of weather events and other crises we are seeing across Aotearoa New Zealand, building capability in crisis and emergency management is critical for local government leaders.
Participants took away a huge amount, from the importance of clear leadership under pressure, to decision-making in uncertainty, communication, coordination, and staying grounded when stakes are high.
Really valuable learning, reflection and discussion.”
— Joy Doran, Manager Workforce Capability, Taituarā (Local Government Professionals Aotearoa)
“Outstanding work by Jerry and the team to bring our operating model, supporting 7S audit, operating toolkit (enterprise map) and maturity model into alignment and create a very robust way for members of EGLT (the Environment Group Leadership Team) to monitor progress of the operating model towards a specific target state.
This work will enable EGLT to better target specific pieces of work to be commissioned, see all the critical components of the operating model and how they all work together. It is an exciting step forward.”
— Lian Butcher, Environment Group Manager, Greater Wellington Regional Council
“What I appreciated about Jeremy was his approachable, engaging, and highly supportive manner. He took the time to genuinely listen to understand out needs, ensuring the training was practical, relevant, and fit for purpose. He was responsive and adaptable, working collaboratively with us to shape solutions that suited our organisation.
The outcomes have been significant. Our staff are more confident in emergency preparedness and response, have a clearer understanding of how to work together under pressure, and we have begun developing shared agreements with our partners.
Importantly, the impact extends beyond our workplace. The capability built through this training and planning process is supporting stronger resilience at a whānau and household level, as staff apply their knowledge in their own communities.
We strongly support the continued delivery of this work and recommend it to any organisations seeking to strengthen both their emergency preparedness capability and their collaborative planning with partners.”
— Erika Hunt, Quality and Risk Manager, Te Kupenga Hauora Ahuriri
“Over a six-month period after Cyclone Gabrielle, Jerry produced three post event recommendation reports for Greater Wellington Regional Council (GW) and the wider region.
In all three reports Jerry provided a clear set of recommendations to make improvements going forward. He provided draft reports to recipients and sought feedback on the content before finalising it. As a result, when the reports were released, the recommendations were easier to adopt as part of GW and the wider CDEM Group’s work programme going forward.
All work was delivered on time, with Jerry continuing to deliver despite others asking for delays due to workloads (this aspect was very well managed by Jerry). His level of technical leadership was strong and he showed exceptional drive. He navigated the ‘direction v advice’ aspects well.
Overall, Jerry did a great job in what was quite a challenging area. The nature of this work seemed to be a good fit for both his skillset and his personality/mana.”
— David Hipkins, Director Knowledge and Insights, Greater Wellington Regional Council