Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Kelly Makiha: Mayor Steve Chadwick chooses steady Rotorua Lakes Council leadership team

Kelly Makiha
By Kelly Makiha
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
24 Oct, 2019 08:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Mayor Steve Chadwick has made changes but isn't rocking boats. Photo / Stephen Parker

Mayor Steve Chadwick has made changes but isn't rocking boats. Photo / Stephen Parker

COMMENT:

Mayor Steve Chadwick is steaming ahead from where she left off while carefully choosing new blood among her leadership ranks.

Read more: • Donaldson remains deputy mayor, new appointments revealed
• 'I would have stepped up': Tania Tapsell on deputy mayor role
• target="_blank">Rotorua Lakes Council election sees diverse members elected

The appointments will keep at bay any critics who might say she's having the "same old" team around her.

Her committee appointments won't rock too many boats. While some older faces might be miffed they've been overlooked, no one's been dumped.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She's promoted popular councillor Tania Tapsell from deputy chairwoman to the chairwoman role of the Operations and Monitoring Committee, replacing former chairman retiring councillor Charles Sturt. New councillor Mercia Yates will be Tapsell's deputy.

Steady councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait will continue to chair the Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee, while newly elected Kai Fong will be her deputy, replacing retiring councillor Karen Hunt.

Trevor Maxwell (left) and Tania Tapsell (right) congratulate deputy mayor Dave Donaldson. Photo / Stephen Parker
Trevor Maxwell (left) and Tania Tapsell (right) congratulate deputy mayor Dave Donaldson. Photo / Stephen Parker

Despite four of the five top jobs going to women, it's not a complete female takeover with Chadwick again appointing Donaldson to the deputy mayor role.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There's been some talk Tapsell deserved the role because she's been the highest-polling councillor in the past two elections.

But as Chadwick put it, the deputy role isn't a popularity contest. Chadwick is on a mission and she needs her deputy to be her right-hand. Clearly she has that trust in Donaldson.

Discover more

Keeping Sir Howard's memory alive, 10 years on

21 Sep 09:00 PM

Why bar locals are sad about an $80m hotel development

15 Oct 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Devastated sister desperately searching for brother's remains

18 Oct 05:00 PM

'I would have stepped up': Tania Tapsell on deputy mayor role

23 Oct 04:00 PM

For Tapsell, at just 26, there's plenty of time and she will continue to cut her teeth in the committee chairwoman role.

Mayor Steve Chadwick and newly-elected councillor Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Stephen Parker
Mayor Steve Chadwick and newly-elected councillor Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Stephen Parker

The addition of Reynold Macpherson around the council table will be fascinating. While it was all smiles and handshakes at yesterday's swearing in, it will be interesting to see if the bickering between those affiliated to the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers and some of those on the council continues.

So long as it doesn't cost us ratepayers money or time, it is a good thing to have some among the ranks who will ask hard questions.

The next three years will see Chadwick and her team push ahead with some major projects - the Lakefront redevelopment, the museum and Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre rebuilds and the forest developments to name a few.

Chadwick has told residents during the campaign that when she was elected mayor she was given a mandate to give the city a shot in the arm and put it back on the map. Like it or not when you get your rates bill, she's doing that at speed.

Will some of the older faces bow out at the next election to make way for the new? Photo / Stephen Parker
Will some of the older faces bow out at the next election to make way for the new? Photo / Stephen Parker

The next three years will be busy for Rotorua. The next election will be even more interesting.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's my prediction that in 2022, we will see many familiar council faces bow out and new ones jostling for top positions.

They have three years to prove they deserve it.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM

The team comprises five constables and one sergeant, patrolling on foot.

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Armed police block Rotorua street

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP