Tauranga has elected a new, 10-person Council, with Mayor Mahé Drysdale now going through the process of determining positions of responsibility, including the deputy mayor and committee chairs, as well as the committee structure.
Those decisions will be confirmed by the Council at its first official business meeting on 15 August.
Mayor Drysdale says he feels humbled by the community’s support for him and for the nine successful ward candidates.
“In most cases, the electorate’s decision has been clear cut, so we can now get on with the job of taking Tauranga from good to great and making it the best city in New Zealand.”
He says his first task as Mayor will be to form a strong governance team which can “hit the ground running” and ensure that the potential of the city is realised, for the benefit of residents and the wider region.
“The voters have clearly said that they want a positive future for Tauranga, so it’s now our responsibility to make democracy work, for everyone. We have made some great strides under the guidance of the Government-appointed Commission and we need to maintain that momentum and continue the job of creating a vibrant, progressive and future-ready city.”
Mahé says collaboration with the business community will be a key focus. “I see engagement with all sectors of the community as an absolute must, because we have to know what our stakeholders want so that we can deliver on their priorities.
“Making it easier for business to succeed is one of those priorities, because that’s how Tauranga will succeed. The Government is looking at a range of legislative reforms to address some of the obstacles that are slowing New Zealand’s progress and I’m keen to continue that work at a local level. While we have to protect the environment that makes Tauranga such a great place to live, we also need to do that alongside ensuring that we have sensible rules that allow our productive and housing sectors to ‘do the business’.”
He adds that the relatively low voter turnout at the just-completed election is a concern. “People underrate just how important local government is in their everyday lives. We do need to ensure that the community becomes more engaged in future Council processes, so that will also be something for the new governance team to turn its attention to.”
