Public sector reporting in New Zealand isn’t just compliance, it’s strategic. Councils are responsible for Long-Term Plans (LTPs), Statements of Intent (SOIs), KPIs, and annual reports.

Choosing the right software platform can save hundreds of staff hours, reduce risk at audit time, and help elected members and executives make better decisions. This article compares the leading reporting and analytics tools used by New Zealand councils, with a focus on fit for purpose, local support, and statutory alignment.

Key Requirements for Council Reporting Software

When selecting reporting software, New Zealand councils should prioritise tools that support:

• LTP, SOI and statutory reporting cycles

• Local help and vendor support

• Data + narrative integration (KPIs and written insights)

• Workflow and version control

• Compatibility with TechOne, Datacom,  or Excel

• Board and public-facing publication formatting

Why Local App Support Now Outweighs Global Features

Global analytics platforms like Power BI and Tableau are technically powerful, but they often require internal BI capability or outsourced integration.

New Zealand councils typically have small, time-constrained reporting teams. That means local help, contextual support, and alignment with public sector norms are more useful than advanced-but-unused features.

2025 Magic Quadrant: Reporting Tools for NZ Councils

This (Gartner Style) quadrant ranks tools by:

• Ability to Execute (how reliably they work in practice for NZ councils)

• Completeness of Vision (how well they support strategic, scalable, future-proof reporting)

Evaluation Table – NZ Council Reporting Tools

Use Case Recommendations

Use Opal3 if:

• You need to align LTPs, SOIs, and KPIs in a structured, auditable format

• You want strong local vendor support and a tool designed for councils

Use Power BI if:

• You need powerful dashboards and budget reporting

• You have (or plan to build) internal reporting capability

Use Tangelo if:

• You publish highly formatted documents (Annual Reports, SOIs)

• You need version control and multi-author workflows

Use Excel + Power Automate if:

• You’re in transition or building a business case

• You need short-term fixes and already use Microsoft 365

What Leading NZ Councils Are Doing

• Using Opal3 to manage strategic KPIs, align SOIs, and generate exec dashboards

• Running Power BI alongside to handle visual insights and data exploration

• Using Tangelo to publish final board-ready outputs — not for analysis

• Reducing reliance on Excel as a primary reporting platform

Note: Many councils also use TechOne as their core operational system and source of data for other reporting systems. While its built-in reporting covers finance, assets, and compliance, most teams still turn to tools like Power BI or Opal3 for dashboards and strategic planning outputs.

Summary

When evaluating analytics and reporting tools for a New Zealand council in 2025, it’s not enough to compare features. You need tools that:

• Understand the reporting rhythms of local government

• Offer reliable support inside Aotearoa

• Help you move from compliance to decision-making

Need Help?

We work with councils across the country to untangle legacy reporting processes and design better ones. If you're reviewing your tools or redesigning your reporting approach, we’re happy to help.