Returned Hawke's Bay Regional Councillor Neil Kirton will be calling for a moratorium on any Ruataniwha Dam action until the new council has "got all our ducks in a row".
Mr Kirton, who left the council in 2013 following four terms, is one of its two new Napier councillors - based on the counting of approximately 98 per cent of the returned voting papers.
Excited to be back on council, Mr Kirton said he was looking forward to having a "good crack" at some unfinished business, and some challenges facing the council.
"The central issue is the dam," he said, "my view on that is people are demanding a great deal more transparency."
Using the David Lange adage, Mr Kirton said it was "time to stop and have a cup of tea".