Randal Beal - Returning to family roots

Randal Beal moved back to Southland in May, following a 17 year stint on the West Coast, where his last role was director of operations with the West Coast Regional Council. In that position he worked across teams responsible for biosecurity, catchment river engineers, quarries, and a business team that helped keep rates as low as possible.

“Fostering collaborative approaches to catchment management is critical, both within and across an organisation and for communities,” says Randal.

“My Dad's family were from Southland. I first relocated here from Taupo to take up a biosecurity role for Environment Southland in 2002; it was the perfect opportunity to move to one of New Zealand's special regions. It’s great to be back.”

Randal's cooperative nature and relationship skills make him an ideal fit as Catchment Operations Manager for Environment Southland in Murihiku Southland. “This role has evolved in recent years as the Council delivers on a commitment to work across functions and specialities and provide a more integrated and holistic approach to catchment management,” says Randal.

There are positives about the West Coast that Randal will miss, like easy access to the mountains and sea for hunting, diving and fishing. “And no traffic lights!”

But those benefits came with the enormous challenge of finding affordable solutions to providing community resilience in his role. “The West Coast has a small rating base to fund resilience from natural hazards, which is essential to encourage and support further economic investment into the region.”

Those same challenges motivate Randal today. He is equally passionate about the south and wants to help improve community resilience to current and future natural hazards and protect Southland's contribution to New Zealand's GDP.

“As an organisation, Council has positioned its internal team structure to best meet the holistic needs of the current and future communities of Southland. We are reviewing the current services and assessing them against the future requirements of the forecasted effects of climate change. We're committed to ensuring Southland communities are well prepared and continue to be protected from the natural hazards facing our region.”