Rico starts helping NZ's fastest growing district streamline consent processing and decisions
Announcement: We are excited to have started working with Selwyn District Council (SDC) to help use our technology to streamline their...
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Foss Shanahan
- May 22
- 2 min
Building Software In-House vs. Off-the-Shelf Solutions for Local Authorities
Technology plays a vital role in local government operations. But when it comes to software, a critical question arises: build or...
1 view
Foss Shanahan
- May 21
- 4 min
Planners need systems too (and how to implement one)
In the world of planning decisions, tradition often reigns supreme. Experienced planners have typically developed their own approaches...
21 views
Foss Shanahan
- Apr 8
- 4 min
Separating facts from opinions: the secret to better communication in planning reports
Planning reports are getting longer and that’s making it harder to clearly communicate relevant information. I hear complaints of this...
31 views
Foss Shanahan
- Sep 25, 2023
- 2 min
Quality as 'part of the process' rather than a 'step at the end'
Planning can get complicated. That makes ensuring consistent quality assessments across teams of all different skills and approaches...
41 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jul 12, 2023
- 3 min
How does Rico compare to Word Templates?
Rico has some similarities to templates, but is fundamentally different Most planners currently use templates for producing planning...
22 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 23, 2023
- 2 min
The Top 3 Reasons Planning Assessments Haven't Been Systematised
It's well known that systems play a crucial role in distinguishing successful organisations and teams from unsuccessful ones. Without...
52 views
Foss Shanahan
- Mar 31, 2023
- 1 min
How consultants are accounting for Rico in their business
Planners use Rico for similar reasons Accountants use Xero - it removes manual work not worth a professional consultant's time. In the...
17 views
Foss Shanahan
- Mar 21, 2023
- 2 min
How Rico reduces ‘planning by template’ and improves critical thinking
Planners worry technology will encourage more ‘planning by template’ and lower-quality assessments Many planners are concerned that...
38 views
Foss Shanahan
- Feb 13, 2023
- 2 min
How software helps planning teams deal with staff turnover and fluctuations in workloads
A key challenge for planning teams is maintaining the right people amidst the constant fluctuations in workloads and changes in staff...
19 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jan 27, 2023
- 3 min
How manual planning assessments and templates cost planners hours and result in poorer decisions
We generally outline the process for decision-making in consent applications - from proposal to final decision - with the diagram below....
39 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 27, 2022
- 1 min
Assessing Building Intensity in response to the Wallace v Auckland Council decision
This article on from CoLab Planning details an approach to assessing building intensity in response to the Wallace v Auckland Council...
68 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 27, 2022
- 1 min
Addressing Groundwater Diversion and Dewatering
This article from CoLab Planning details an approach to addressing Groundwater Diversion and Dewatering. Applies to proposals meeting the...
20 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 27, 2022
- 1 min
Application of Outlook Space and Outdoor Living standards in subdivision and land use consents
This article from CoLab Planning details an approach for applying the Outlook Space and Outdoor Living standards in joint subdivision and...
20 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 27, 2022
- 1 min
Assessing Future Development Effects for subdivisions under E38 Subdivision - Urban
This article from CoLab Planning details an approach to assessing Future Development Effects for subdivisions under E38 Subdivision -...
10 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 27, 2022
- 1 min
Application of E27 Transport and E38 Subdivision - Urban Access Standards
This article from CoLab Planning details an approach to the application of E27 Transport and E38 Subdivision - Urban Access Standards....
18 views
Foss Shanahan
- May 4, 2022
- 1 min
How Rico avoids RFIs
RFIs are a pain! This video dives into the root causes of RFIs and reveals how Rico helps planners avoid these and achieve consistently...
81 views
Foss Shanahan
- Nov 25, 2021
- 3 min
Impact of the proposed Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) on the resource consent process
Introduction Rico conducted a study to analyse the effect of the recently proposed amendment to the RMA to enable housing supply on the...
138 views
Foss Shanahan
- Sep 7, 2021
- 5 min
What all small and medium businesses have to learn from Xero’s impact on Accounting
A couple of years ago, if you mentioned ‘software’ to someone working in a small or medium sized business (SMB), the likes of Word and...
65 views
Foss Shanahan
- Jun 29, 2021
- 4 min
How to conduct a simple yet effective resource consent planning check
A major concern for those preparing and submitting resource consent applications isn’t just what’s in the application, but what might...
39 views
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