Overseer's a screwdriver, not a hammer!

Jill Gower has just taken over the role as chief executive of the team that is responsible for maintaining and developing the tool, which in the past has attracted criticism. She says one of the challenges with Overseer is the perception of what it can and can't do. One of the criticisms has been that some regional councils are using it as a regulatory tool to enforce environmental standards

"As a small organisation we have struggled with that for years and ironically the press and conversations that we have had following the recent review of Overseer has helped to stimulate some good conversations," Gower told Rural News.

"People are starting to understand what Overseer can be used for and its real value."

Gower admits some of the criticism has been difficult to deal with but reckons when you look into what people are criticising, it's about its use in specific situations.

"Think of Overseer as a screwdriver and it is a very good screwdriver. But if you use it like a hammer there's a problem, because in those instances it's not fit for purpose," she says.

Gower says one of the positives is the way that regional councils are using Overseer. She says her organisation is more comfortable with what's happening now. Gower believes for the councils it has been a learning journey and now Overseer is being used more appropriately and is being folded in with other environmental tools.

At present, the Overseer organisation is running a series of projects aimed at making the tool much more fit-for-purpose for a range of situations.

"The model always has its limitations it has more limitations for certain purposes than others," Gower adds.

"In the case of dairy, people in that sector are a lot more comfortable using it that in horticulture.

"We have a way to go yet and part of the redevelopment programme is looking at our crop model and what we can do to improve it."

Overseer's New Overseer

Before stepping into the chief executive role recently, Jill Gower served as the organisation's manager finance, governance & reporting and earlier as its company secretary. She doesn't have an agricultural or science background but is a qualified accountant with a careeer in business and commerce.

Gower hs run her own business and spent some time at SportNZ where she was a generalist among a group of specialists. Her role was to distil the specialists' information and make it relevant and useful to others.

Overseer has a staff of ten people based in an office in central Wellington. Most of the team are experts in science and farm systems. "I see my role as very much facilitative. They have all the technical expertise and I help them connect and have good conversations with stakeholders. And also question and probe and try to clarify what is the best way forward. Mine is a relationship role," she says.

Jill Gower says Overseer has a diverse mix of stakeholders, including government, industry, the science fraternity as well as farmers, growers and rural professionals. She admits many have differing views about Overseer.

“But when you think about the environmental outcomes NZ is trying to achieve, Overseer has a very important role to fill,” she says.