Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper, left, with his newly appointed Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie.
Whangārei’s new deputy mayor Scott McKenzie says he is going to throw everything at the role as he continues his dedication to the district’s residents.
The Hikurangi-Coastal general ward councillor was handpicked for deputy by the district’s freshly elected mayor, Ken Couper.
The 42-year-old said it was an honour to accept the role, which he landed for his second term in the Whangārei District Council.
McKenzie grew up in Whangārei on a Mangakahia dairy farm, which contributed to the sense of duty he felt upon receiving the deputy mayor title – a role he vowed to take seriously.
“I always had in the back of my mind that I’d love to come back to Whangārei and try and make a real contribution to this district,” he said.
“This has just been such a great avenue and a way of being able to do that.”
McKenzie said he and Couper had developed a good relationship working on various council items last term.
He had been Couper’s deputy on the Strategy Planning and Development Committee, and the pair worked closely on the Future Development Strategy and the Knowledge Education and Arts hub project.
“I know that we work really well together and we get along well.”
Couper agreed, saying McKenzie’s skills complemented his own. He also praised the councillor’s experience, both within and outside local government, as being a good fit for his ambitions for the newly elected council.
“As a council we have to start looking at economic growth for our city,” Couper said.
McKenzie’s experience as a registered architect meant he was familiar with contracts, planning rules and budgets, urban design and carrying out a project all the way through a process.
Couper also wanted the council to build relationships with central government, the business sector, iwi and hapū.
“We can build these relationships and then look at how we use those relationships to get the outcomes that we’re wanting,” he said.
McKenzie’s experience and manner also bridged a lot of gaps between different groups and people, Couper said.
McKenzie himself felt confident the duo could build a unified direction this term.
“That’s definitely our intention,” he said. “It’s about trying to pull the team together and have a joint vision for the district that we can all work towards.”
While the deputy mayor role would absorb a lot of time, McKenzie loved his work in the Hikurangi-Coastal ward and remained fully committed to the job.
“To be honest, I throw everything at it,” he said.
McKenzie had stopped practising as an architect when he was first elected to council so that he could be a councillor full time.
“I’ve dedicated everything to it and I’ve given it ... the commitment that I think the role justifies. I’ll continue to do that,” he said.
Connecting with the community face-to-face was an aspect he loved most. The affection is reciprocated as his deputy mayor announcement was celebrated by his many supporters.
“It’s very heartening and makes me feel like I’m doing a good job and that I’ll be able to take on this role as well and do a good job of it,” McKenzie said.
He felt no pressure from filling the shoes of experienced and former deputy Phil Halse, who retired from council this year after 33 years.
McKenzie acknowledged the huge amount of experience and historical knowledge Halse had brought to the table but said he and Couper have their own and differing style, given their varying backgrounds.
Couper backed McKenzie in the role, saying his experience with the compliance and regulatory sides of local government is far greater than the three years that he sat on council.
“To me that shines through with him,” Couper said.
To find his deputy, the mayor interviewed each councillor and was heartened by what he learned.
“It’s been a wonderful process in terms of getting to meet them, getting to know them without exception. They all openly wanted to do what is best for the district.”
Couper said while that was not surprising, it was good to hear.
“There’s not a one of them that is there for a small segment of the community. They all want to work for the good of everybody.”
Couper also announced the standing committee chairs and deputies for the new term.