While the appointment of a first-time councillor to this role may surprise, it's important to recognise this council partnership is more than simply symbolic.
Fluent in te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, Debi's background as an educator, secondary school principal, and NZ Teachers Council chairwoman will bring those professional abilities and the necessary mana to the role.
Her appointment also serves to promote gender balance in a council that has six female members and nine male.
Slightly more than a third of the city's registered voters took part in last month's local elections. The 36.7 per cent turnout was roughly similar to 2019, with the national average dropping to about 36 per cent.
Thank you to everyone who made the effort to evaluate the 33 council candidates and four mayoral candidates, before selecting and ranking your preferences.
Sitting councillors Zulfiqar Butt and Bruno Petrenas missed the STV cut, and we will miss their input and collegiality around the council table. My gratitude for their valued contribution to the city during a difficult Covid-impacted term where it was hard to even conduct business as usual.
While the election results indicate residents by and large seem reasonably happy with how the previous council performed over the past three years, the high level of voter complacency is a concern.
I will certainly be advocating for changes to the way local government elections are run.
I am pleased, though, that local voters returned a good mix of the tried, the true and the new. It gives us a high level of experience, expertise and continuity as we set about grappling with the issues and challenges facing the city.
Acting chief executive Chris Dyhrberg, in the caretaker role since March, has said city residents have every cause for confidence in the people who have been elected to represent them. I am in wholehearted agreement.
We are now eagerly awaiting our new chief executive, Waid Crockett, who comes to us from Taranaki and takes up his appointment on Monday.
With a background in GIS (geographic information system) analysis and engineering, Waid has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Newcastle, with proven local government leadership experience on both sides of the Tasman.
No stranger to the city, Waid and his wife, Soraya, have lived here before and have family connections in the city, and the Manawatū-Horowhenua region.
All the pieces are now in place for us to face the significant challenges posed by pending central government reforms, while advancing the city as our population climbs towards 100,000.
We are also looking forward to honouring four community champions at the annual Civic Awards next week. The successful nominees represent environmental sustainability and beautification, performing and community arts, military heritage, construction, and outdoor recreational pursuits.
• Grant Smith is the mayor of Palmerston North.
