Strategic Risk and Assurance Committee

Hamilton City Council manages billions of dollars’ worth of assets on behalf of its communities and provides services to 170,000 residents. 

The committee will review the effectiveness of the following aspects of governance, risk, and resilience management and internal control:

• risk and resilience management
• internal and external audit and assurance
• health, safety, and wellbeing
• integrity and investigations
• monitoring of compliance with laws and regulations

The Strategic Risk and Assurance Committee:

• Reviews the effectiveness of the risk control environment established by management to safeguard Council’s financial and non-financial assets, including the adequacy and appropriateness of insurance policies in place and management’s actions to mitigate risks and report six monthly to Council.
• Reviews the Risk Management Policy and recommend to Council revisions to the policy for adoption.
• Reviews Council’s strategic and organisational risk register and monitor existing controls and treatment actions.
• Conducts periodic in-depth reviews of specific, significant risks.
• Monitors emerging risks and recommend to Council or management new strategic and organisational risks to be added to the strategic and organisational risk register.
• Oversees risk management and assurance across Council’s CCOs and CCTOs with respect to risks that may have a significant impact on Council.
• Reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of Council’s health, safety and wellbeing and resilience (cybersecurity, protective security, business continuity, crisis, emergency, incident) management programmes.
• Reviews the Fraud and Corruption, Protected Disclosure, Conflict of Interest, and Sensitive Expenditure management policies to ensure appropriate guidance and processes are in place.
  Internal Audit
• In conjunction with the Chief Executive, agrees the scope of the annual internal audit work programme, having regard to Council’s significant risks.
• Monitors the delivery of the internal audit work programme to ensure the effectiveness of the Council’s internal control framework.
• Assesses whether internal audit recommendations have been properly implemented by management.
• Reviews the annual internal audit plans to ensure appropriate organisational structures, authority, access, independence, resourcing and reporting arrangements are in place.
• Engages with Council’s external auditors regarding the external audit work programme and agree the proposed terms and arrangements of the external audit.
• Recommends to Council the terms and arrangements for the external audit programme.
• Reviews the effectiveness of the Annual Plan audit and Long Term Plan audit.
• Assesses management response to audit reports and the extent to which external audit recommendations concerning internal accounting controls and other matters are implemented.
• Reviews and monitor the integrity of the interim and annual report, focusing particularly on:
  
  • compliance with, and the appropriate application of, relevant accounting policies, practices and accounting standards
  • compliance with applicable legal requirements relevant to statutory reporting
  • the consistency of application of accounting policies as well as changes to accounting policies and practices that may affect the way that accounts are presented
  • any decisions involving significant judgment, estimation or uncertainty
  • the extent to which financial statements are affected by any unusual transactions and the manner in which these are disclosed
  • the disclosure of contingent liabilities and contingent assets
  • the clarity of disclosures generally
  • the basis for the adoption of the going concern assumption
  • significant adjustments resulting from the audit
• Reviews the effectiveness of the systems for monitoring the Council's compliance legislation, regulation, policy and guidelines.
• Engages with internal and external auditors on any specific one-off audit assignments.
• Conducts and monitor special investigations in accordance with Council policy and approved budget or in response to material matters raised by staff or committee members, including engaging expert assistance, on matters within its Terms of Reference.
• The Chairperson shall review the travel and other reimbursed expenses of the Chief Executive and confirm compliance with Council policies. This information will be provided to the Chairperson on a six-monthly basis.