Commission for Tauranga City Council welcomed in pōwhiri

Commissioners Shadrach Rolleston, Bill Wasley, Anne Tolley and Stephen Selwood at Hairini Marae. Photo / Supplied

The four commissioners appointed to lead Tauranga City Council last week were welcomed to their roles in a pōwhiri yesterday.

The commission - chairwoman Anne Tolley and fellow commissioners Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood and Shadrach Rolleston - took up their roles on Tuesday having been appointed by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Tolley said the commissioners gathered for the first time as a group on Thursday morning.

"We were then welcomed to our new roles by tangata whenua at a pōwhiri hosted by Hairini Marae.

"The welcome was on behalf of all Tauranga Moana iwi and hapū and the warm hospitality extended to us was very much appreciated.

Senior city council staff and representatives of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council also attended.

A Tauranga City Council spokesman told the Bay of Plenty Times on Wednesday the commission's first days on-site would be Thursday and Friday of this week.

Their programme would consist of meetings with the council's executive team of staff, induction activities and briefings. External meetings would likely begin towards the end of next week.

In a release yesterday, the council said a programme of activities for the commission for the next month was under development and a meeting schedule would likely be confirmed next week.

Hairini Marae is a meeting place of Ngāi Te Ahi, a hapū of Ngāti Ranginui, one of the three iwi of Tauranga Moana alongside Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pūkenga.

Unlike an elected council, the commissioners will not be sworn in.

A Department of Internal Affairs spokeswoman said as Crown appointments, the commissioners "do not take the formal oath or sign the declaration that elected representatives must do when they begin their term in office".

"The commissioners must deliver the terms of reference agreed by Cabinet on 2 February 2021."

This includes reporting back to the Local Government Minister every three months on delivery progress and goals specific to Tauranga such as signing off a fit-for-purpose Long-term Plan and making a plan for transitioning back to an elected council.

Tauranga's last swearing-in ceremony in October was eventful, with protests over Councillor Andrew Hollis' disparaging comments about the Treaty of Waitangi.