The West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) has embarked on a multi-year digital transformation journey. Now 40% of the way through this project at the end of 2025, they’ve already seen improvements, with  the busy work automated, meaning they have more time to think about strategy and upside. Ultimately, that means faster, more accurate service for their community.

From the start, the WCRC team knew they needed a partner who could not only handle technical complexity but work alongside them at every stage. During the architecture planning and discovery phase, Seamless kept the project moving forward by finding solutions for challenges, from data quality to scalable infrastructure design. This meant WCRC didn’t have to have all the answers or the data perfect up front, they had a partner that would work with them through that and be part of the solution. 

Their partnership with Seamless to deliver timely, accurate property information has been a genuine collaboration that enabled WCRC to bring their systems into the digital world, rebuild trust in their data, and lay the foundations for scalable council systems as their user base grows. From resolving legacy issues in rating accuracy, to delivering a platform that allows internal teams and communities to better interact with council data, Seamless helped WCRC move from reactive fixes to strategic solutions.

Partnering with Seamless before the start

Seamless came recommended from Eagle Technology, not just for their data integration expertise, but for their collaborative and solutions oriented approach. “We knew things had to change, but we also knew we wouldn’t have all the answers at the start,” said Blair Keily, Group Manager ‑ Information Services at WCRC. They needed a partner to work alongside them, identifying gaps and providing solutions when challenges arose on the journey. 

“Seamless, Eagle Technology and ourselves sat down at the Seamless office for a few days and mapped it all out.” Blair explained. “No finger-pointing, just working together to solve hard problems.” Together, the trio designed and executed a new infrastructure tailored to the council’s unique context and data challenges.

Led by Seamless, with overall infrastructure handled by Eagle, this cooperative environment ensured nothing was missed. Seamless integrated systems but also brought visibility and accountability to a complex ecosystem of data sources – from district councils, to property and land information like QV and LINZ. Blair noted that “their shared willingness to challenge assumptions, speak openly, and actively provide solutions helped us move through the digital transformation with confidence.” 

A clear problem, a flexible path

Seamless helped WCRC tackle one of their most urgent issues: improving the accuracy and visibility of property data that underpinned the council’s rating process. The council was managing complex, inconsistent property data from multiple sources across 23 ratings districts, which was affecting confidence in their rates calculations.

“The first two years I was here, rates season was chaos,” says Blair. “This year, the rates went out… and silence. That’s a huge metric for us.”

Seamless worked closely with the council’s GIS and corporate services teams to build a foundation of accurate, automated property intersect data. This process created visibility and trust. “Before, we didn’t know why something was broken,” Blair says. “Now, we can see the process, track the outcomes, and intervene early.”

Choosing Seamless as their data transformation partner 

More than a vendor, Seamless became trusted advisors, and a go-to for escalating issues for faster resolution. “At one point, Chris [Duncan, Seamless COO] came into the room briefly, listened to the problem, and within five minutes wrote up the infrastructure on the white board, saying ‘that’s how I’d do it’,” laughed Blair. “We knew then we could escalate issues to Seamless rather than having to have all the answers internally. It’s a huge asset.” From providing honest feedback to guiding decisions on vendor interactions, their impact went beyond technical delivery.

“They gave us bad news quickly when it mattered, they told us when we were wrong, and they were honest about what would or wouldn’t work,” says Blair. “They didn’t just nod and say yes to everything.”

During the work, several major data gaps were identified. Rather than having to solve the issues internally, WCRC was able to leave Seamless to figure out the solutions. Where core system changes weren’t possible, they engineered high-quality workarounds to keep the project moving, even facilitating direct communication between vendors to keep the project moving.

Organisational Growth and Internal Wins

As WCRC has been significant growth in the number of users on their system, Seamless helped align data systems to scale with that growth. The internal experience has vastly improved: corporate services now receive what they need from GIS when they need it, and inter-team relationships have strengthened as trust in the data has developed.

“We are now providing people with solutions, rather than explaining to them why we couldn’t do something,” says Blair. “I’ve also been able to step out and focus on other areas like future strategy rather than reactive issues.”

Now that data accuracy has developed, it has enabled more confident decision-making.

Current status: the end of the beginning

WCRC now sits at what Blair calls “the end of the beginning.” The core infrastructure is in place, workflows are smoother, and council staff are better equipped to serve their communities.

“So many things that were big problems are now automated and routine. We used to get called in to fix broken things. Now we’re working on what’s next.”

What’s next: 

Next up is working towards a new public portal. A more modern, accessible way for ratepayers to interact with council data. 

For WCRC, digital transformation has required willingness to work through the challenges with the right partner. With Seamless, they found a partner who not only understood the technology, but understood the journey specific to regional councils. 

“Seamless gave us what we needed. Open, honest, patient. No drama, just solutions.”