Palmerston North deputy mayor Aleisha Rutherford explains role

Palmerston North Deputy Mayor Aleisha Rutherford.

Opinion:

Palmy has not always had an officially designated deputy mayor.

Following the election of my predecessor Tangi Utikere as city MP, I became just the sixth councillor to be appointed to what is now an established position.

The first in the role was councillor Alison Wall in 2001 when then-mayor Mark Bell-Booth decided that the increasing complexities of council business and growing demands on the mayoralty required deputisation.

Each mayor since then has appointed a deputy to ease the burden of leadership, and to stand in for and support the overall vision he or she has for the direction of the council.

It's a real privilege and requires having an overall appreciation of the council's set procedures and goals, while working closely with the mayor and the executive leadership team to realise policies and planning on behalf of city residents.

As well as being deputy chair of the council and of the committee of council, the deputy mayor also oversees councillors' portfolios – the areas for which they have responsibility.

While attendance at full council meetings is important, it's at the committee level where the bulk of the real work is done.

I chair the council's planning and strategy committee and the hearings committee. Planning and strategy deals with issues relating to the environment, transport, wastewater, urban design and the development of bylaws.

The committee considers District Plan reviews, city growth and development, strategic infrastructure planning and monitors performance in these areas.

It also receives reports from the transport portfolio, and I am an appointed observer on the city's Transport Services Advisory Group and deputise for the mayor on the Horizons Regional Transport Committee.

The hearings committee considers matters under the Resource Management Act 1991 and Dog Control Act 1996, while conducting hearings on other issues as required by law or requested by the council.

District plan reviews and attending objection hearings add to the standard workload. Both committees are important in shaping the future of our city, while the central Government's desire to reform the Resource Management Act means big changes will affect our oversight responsibilities and workload.

I also sit on the committees for community and for economic development, infrastructure, environmental sustainability, the chief executive's performance review panel, and the Manawatū District/ Palmerston North City joint strategic planning committee.

This long holiday weekend, though, I plan to spend relaxing with my family on staycation - out and about enjoying Palmy's shared paths and visiting a Bikes in Schools track.

• Aleisha Rutherford is the deputy mayor of Palmerston North.