Kaipara Mayor Jonathan Larsen said Singh’s experience and commitment to the district made him the right choice.
“Jazz Singh comes with significant experience across many facets of local government, having worked across policy, procurement, fiscal management and organisational strategy,” Larsen said.
“He knows his way around complex reform. I think together we will achieve great things for our district and I am excited to begin working with Mr Singh.
“We have a busy road ahead of us, with multiple local government reforms happening at pace. Mr Singh will bring a fresh perspective and is the right person to lead our organisation.”
Singh has extensive local government experience in senior roles spanning policy, finance and strategy.
As Brown’s chief of staff, he led policy development, central government engagement and the delivery of strategic planning processes for Auckland Council and played a key role in organisational reform.
Singh also helped establish the council’s Auckland Future Fund – a council‑owned investment fund designed to generate long‑term returns for future infrastructure.
The fund was created with about $1.3 billion raised from Auckland Council’s December 2024 sale of its Auckland Airport shares and is managed commercially under council oversight to help ease pressure on rates and borrowing.
As Auckland Council’s head of finance and budget, Singh oversaw the development of mayoral budget proposals and worked on major initiatives including water services reform, storm recovery and waterfront planning.
Singh is a lawyer by training and his career included roles as acting general legal counsel at Auckland Council.
He will be Northland’s 14th council chief executive in the past decade, in a region that has among the highest levels of CEO turnover in New Zealand.
Kaipara District Council has an average chief executive tenure of roughly two to three years. The council has had five chief executives over the past decade, including permanent, interim and acting positions.
Singh follows interim chief executive Michael Day and former chief executives Jason Marris (interim then permanent), Louise Miller and James Lindsay. Day has been leading the council for three months since Marris’ departure.
There has been repeated leadership change at Kaipara District Council and Far North District Council (FNDC).
Far North District Council has also had five chief executives over the past decade, including acting and interim appointments, with an average tenure of three to four years since 2022.
The only woman besides Kaipara District Council’s Miller to be at the helm of a Northland council in the last decade was Far North District Council’s Jill Coyle, who was acting chief executive for several months in autumn 2023.
In comparison with Kaipara District Council and FNDC, Whangārei District Council has had two chief executives, with an average tenure of around eight to nine years.
Northland Regional Council has also had two chief executives over the past decade, with average tenures of about five years.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
