The corporate plan sets out a council’s broad strategies and vision for all aspects of its operation for that period. The operational plan on the other hand sets out more specifically how the council will apply its resources to achieve the corporate plan strategies in a specific year.

The corporate plan must be prepared to allow enough time for preparation of a budget before the start of its first financial year. Under the Local Government Act 1993 a local government may, by resolution, amend its corporate plan at any time, while the specified period for a corporate plan must be at least four years.

A local government's annual report must contain an assessment of council's performance in implementing its corporate and operational plans. Local governments have considerable discretion as to how they develop such plans and consult with their communities.

Members of the public can contact their local council to access a copy of the council’s corporate plan, or access council’s website via the local government directory.

Inter-relationship between local government plans, processes and reporting mechanisms

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