Council Controlled Organisations
A council controlled organisation (CCO) is one in which a council (or councils) hold equity securities carrying 50 percent or more of the voting rights or a council (or councils) can appoint 50 percent or more of the directors of the organisation.
CCOs have specific legal requirements of them that are detailed in the Local Government Act 2002.
These include the requirement to submit a Statement of Intent to the shareholding council(s) each for approval. Statements of Intent set out the objectives, nature and scope of activities undertaken and performance targets for each CCO.
As part of the process to prepare a Statement of Intent Ashburton District Council now provides its local CCOs with a Letter of Expectation that outlines the Council's expectations from the organisation for the coming year.
All CCO financial accounts are required to be consolidated into the Council's accounts for its Annual Report. Audit New Zealand is required to be the financial auditor for all CCOs.
Ashburton Contracting Limited
Ashburton Contracting Limited (ACL) is a civil and roading contracting company. It is fully owned by Ashburton District Council. Its activities include:
- Excavation
- Transport
- Construction
- Civil Works
- Pipeline Installation
- Surfacing
ACL Annual Reports



Ashburton Stadium Complex Trust
The charitable trust was established by Council with responsibility for undertaking community fundraising for the EA Networks Centre indoor aquatic centre and sports facility. The Trust was wound up in September 2019. In December 2020, Ashburton District Council resolved
Experience Mid Canterbury
Experience Mid Canterbury was the Council's official tourism arm until December 2020, when the Board of EMC resolved to wind up EMC and the Ashburton District Council contracted directly with ChristchurchNZ for these services.
ChristchurchNZ markets our district both locally and internationally, and provides visitor information services, facilitates the promotion of tourism-related events in the district, and offers relevant products and services on their website.
ChristchurchNZ now manages a new website and the former Experience Mid Canterbury website on behalf of the Ashburton District, both valuable tourism and visitor informational resources: