He was welcomed to the council with a formal pōwhiri at Pūtiki Marae on March 30.
Councils were “built for certainty”, Tate told the Chronicle.
“We’re built for 10-year plans that take 18 months to prepare, 30-year strategies, and an annual plan we set almost six months in advance.
“Now, we are in a world where we have to be more agile.
“There are around 16 different [Government] reform programmes that are impacting us.”
They were in areas including Simplifying Local Government, the Resource Management Act, and funding and finance tools, he said.
“Just one of them is huge, but we have multiple things on multiple fronts.
“Really, we’ve got six years of really heavy lifting to do.
“It’s not just a changing legislative environment, it’s a changing economy, and a changing natural environment.”
Tate said, despite reforms, the council needed to “look after Pam and Joe on the side of the street”.
There would be tough decisions for every council across the country, he said.
“We’ve got to come back to what people hold (as) important to them, prioritise those things, and make a pathway forward.
“Ninety-six % of our (council’s) total workforce are local.
“That is a huge benefit. They are connected to the community and care for the place.”
The council is proposing an average rates rise of 5.8% for 2025/26.
Part of the council’s rates take will go towards operating Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, which has an annual requirement of about $5 million.
“From my perspective, the Sarjeant is no different to other investment decisions we make,” Tate said.
“Regardless of whether it’s a commercial or civic investment, we now need to focus on how we get the best return out of that asset.
“It’s not just about economic return. It’s about pride of place, access, all those sorts of things.”
He said the community wanted confidence that the council was spending its money well.
“Yes, there’s a back-to-basics approach, but when the basics are done well, you can build off them.
“Having confidence in your infrastructure network allows you to grow new communities.”
Tate said he was the oldest of five children, meaning service and responsibility were “baked in”.
“One of the things that drives me is the spirit of public service.
“If you lose sight of that, that’s where you fall over.
“We are here to serve our elected members, who, ultimately, represent our people.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.
