Kerry Fabrie
Communications Manager
South Waikato District Council
"I love the challenge of working in an environment that moves with the ever-adapting needs and aspirations of our communities."
Hi, my name is Kerry Fabrie and I work for the South Waikato District Council as the Communications Manager. I’ve worked here for five years and have loved every minute of it. It is the first time I’ve worked for a Council and really enjoy the challenges of the local government environment.
Variety in my role as a Communications Manager
My role focuses on external communication, internal communication and media liaison.
I am the Council’s Media Spokesperson and an important part of my job is to manage and grow relationships with media personnel, especially our local media since we are a small predominantly rural Council that lies outside the main metropolitan centres. I generate all Council media statements, advertisements, publicity material, like posters, flyers, brochures and pamphlets.
I also manage Council’s consultation processes.
A second focus is internal communication and during the past five years I have introduced a number of good internal communication mechanisms that are now viewed by most as essential. I produce a monthly in-house newsletter and manage our Organisational Development Forum, the monthly Council Staff Updates, Chief Executive Quarterly Briefs, Quarterly Section Heads/Management Team Meetings, to name a few.
Essential skills for my job include:
- excellent communication skills
- good writing ability
- graphic design capabilities
- the ability to think strategically
- the ability to build sound working relationships both with internal staff and external players
- a sound knowledge of local government
- a good understanding of consultation in local government
- knowledge of how the media works
- empathy for other people
- an understanding of the local and national issues as seen through the eyes of our communities
- the ability to persuade
- the ability to engage with a wide variety of people, differing in age, cultural, gender and socio-economic level.
My passion is in design work
I thoroughly enjoy my job, well 99% of it anyway! There’s always the odd thing that doesn’t sit well, but 99% is pretty good. I love writing and so I find compiling press statements, speeches, web content, text for publicity material and the like very enjoyable. And it’s a big part of my job, so I get to come to work and do what I like doing.
My real passion is design work and I am able to put this to good use during the routine development of standard Council adverts and more so during larger more comprehensive promotion, consultation and education campaigns.
Our Council will soon be kicking off a huge littering/recycling education campaign and I am very much looking forward to working through the marketing campaign and the associated activities, alongside our various partners.
Living in South Waikato
I am happy living in the South Waikato for a variety of reasons and I get to talk about, promote and sell those reasons in my day to day work... which is really great. I love the challenge of working in an environment that moves with changing Elected Members, shifts in global thinking and the ever-adapting needs and aspirations of our communities.
What do I like most about the South Waikato District Council?
Easy. The people. We have the best people. It is a caring organisation. It is a fun organisation. It is an organisation that offers staff the opportunity to grow. I enjoy coming to work every day.