Spectre hangs over council

Mayor Sheryl Mai

An elephant in the room loomed over the new Whangarei District Council's first meeting, the day after the Local Government Commission recommended all Northland councils be combined.

The controversial recommendation means that in two years' time the public mandate for Whangarei's newly-elected 14 councillors and mayor will be taken away and the district will be represented by three people on a single Northland District of nine elected members. But it was "business as usual" - a term repeated several times - at yesterday's meeting.

The focus was on adopting the Code of Conduct to which staff and councillors must adhere to, and also Mayor Sheryl Mai's decisions on which members would chair and sit on which committees.

A small reference to the giant reform-elephant was new councillor Susy Bretherton asking for a sub-committee tasked with educating the public about local government reform and its possibilities. "Right now, we need to start campaigning to let the public know what it's all about," Ms Bretherton said.

Ms Mai pointed out that was likely to happen soon but not immediately. She also reiterated a combined-councils' statement; that all the councils would work together on how to address the matter.

First-time councillor Greg Innes, new chairman of the Planning committee, said that despite "the less bureaucracy, the better", there was scope for a sub-group within the Planning committee to work on the proposed reform and associated submissions. The topic is likely to be more fully addressed at next month's meeting, Ms Mai said. Meanwhile, although proceedings went smoothly if a little tensely, experienced councillor Greg Martin told his colleagues, "it is not business as usual".

The council was already facing very significant changes, with many personnel changes, Mr Martin said.

The standing committees comprising all councillors are Finance, chaired by Shelly Deeming, Infrastructure, chaired by Greg Martin, and Planning, chaired by Mr Innes.

Other committees are:

CEO review: chair Mayor Mai, S Deeming, G Innes, G Martin, Deputy Mayor Sharon Morgan; Civic Honours: chairman Chrichton Christie, Sue Glen, Susy Bretherton; 20/20 Inner City Revitalisation: chairman Phil Halse, Stuart Bell, Cherry Hermon, Mr Innes, Brian McLachlan; Planning subcommittees: Exemptions and Objections, chairman Mr Innes, John Williamson, Ms Glen, Ms Deeming; Community Funding: chairwoman Ms Deeming, Ms Glen, Mr Martin, Mr McLachlan.