Councillors vote on Local Government New Zealand conference representatives

Councillor Tania Tapsell will attend the LGNZ conference.

Rotorua will make a bid to host another Local Government New Zealand conference, mayor Steve Chadwick says.

Rotorua Lakes Council voted today to send councillors Merepeka Raukawa-Tait and Tania Tapsell to this year's LGNZ conference in Christchurch.

They will join Chadwick, deputy mayor Dave Donaldson, a member of Te Tatau o Te Arawa, and chief executive Geoff Williams at the conference in mid-July.

The LGNZ conference brings together councillors from around the country to discuss local government issues.

Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

This year's conference will focus on climate change, building resilient communities and tackling water infrastructure challenges.

Speakers will include LGNZ president and Dunedin mayor Dave Cull, ChristchurchNZ chief executive Joanna Norris, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu chief executive Arihia Bennett, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw, and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Chadwick said the council was trying to get the conference back to Rotorua in the future. It was last held in the city in 2015.

While the council had previously decided on council representatives on a turn-by-turn basis, in 2017 it decided to choose representatives based on what portfolios aligned with the themes of the conference.

Councillors Charles Sturt and Raj Kumar attended the conference last year.

Tapsell leads the Sustainable Living portfolio, while Raukawa-Tait holds the People and Engagement and Te Arawa Partnerships portfolios.

At today's council meeting councillor Trevor Maxwell said he would have liked to have been considered for the trip this year, but acknowledged Tapsell and Raukawa-Tait would represent the council well.

Chadwick said an amendment to the motion could be made to allow another councillor to attend, at a cost of $5000.

Maxwell said that was not necessary.

Councillors voted unanimously for Tapsell and Raukawa-Tait.

Councillors Sturt and Raukawa-Tait were absent from the meeting and did not vote.