The Tauranga City Council adopted a new committee structure on Tuesday.
The new structure focuses on supported decision making and delivering the councils key priorities which include housing supply, transport, resilience and infrastructure.
The committee is significantly different from past years as it separates strategic from operations to improve conversations around the future direction of Tauranga.
The operations will be separately governed by a committee based on implementing, managing resourcing and observing the progress of projects, services and operations.
Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless says the new structure will benefit the city as the committees will target key issues.
'We need to enable more housing, and to do so we need to get our transport network right – with the support of the Government.
'We can't achieve one without the other, and bringing these topics together in our decision-making structure will ensure we, and the next Council, keep this correlation top of mind.”
The committees will meet every six weeks, with the Mayor and all councillors in attendance.
Greg says the council are agreeing to include a non-voting Tangata Whenua representative in each committee.
'This reflects the valued relationship between Council and the Mana Whenua of Tauranga Moana”.
The new committees are:
Urban Form and Transport Development Committee
Shapes and manages the direction of growth of the city. Particular areas of focus include land availability and transport networks to support the growth of the city and sub-region.
Chairperson: Cr. Larry Baldock Deputy chairperson: Cr. Rick Curach
Policy Committee
Develops the framework that shapes the direction of the city and sub-region. Includes Long Term and Annual Plans, policies and bylaws.
Chairperson: Cr. Steve Morris Deputy chairperson: Cr. Terry Molloy
Projects, Services and Operations Committee
Monitors, reviews and enables the progress of the council's activities, projects and services.
Chairperson: Cr. Leanne Brown Deputy chairperson: Cr. Max Mason
Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
Ensures risk management, internal controls and financial management practices, frameworks and processes are robust, appropriate and safeguard the council's financial and non-financial assets.
Chairperson: Cr. John Robson Deputy chairperson: Cr. Kelvin Clout
The new structure and meeting schedules are effective from Monday 11 March 2019.
6 comments
Non-voting members
Posted on 07-03-2019 11:53 | By Centurion
Council is to include a non-voting tangata whenua representative on each committee 'to reflect the special relationship with mana whenua'. To ensure fair representation, should there not also be a non-voting rate-payer representative, or a non-voting bus-drivers' representative? Do we not elect councillors to represent all of us, regardless of our status in the community? If this is not the case, then why bother with elections.
Can only be an improvement
Posted on 07-03-2019 12:25 | By The Sage
Let's hope it will improve matters drastically. I wonder if they had a committee to advise on the new committee structure. It is always a lot of meetings, committees and words with this Council. How about getting some of those desk bunnies out into the community and talking to people, instead of sitting behind emails and committees. Less jargon and more positive action is needed.
Disappointing to read this morning
Posted on 07-03-2019 12:38 | By earlybird
that our Mayor thinks that the effects of climate change have been "exaggerated".
IS THERE MORE COST TO THE RATEPAYER?
Posted on 07-03-2019 14:30 | By FRANKS
Who chooses the Tangata Whenua members and how? Are they paid and by whom? Individual councillors will be judged at the election, but what about these people?
Comrade Brownless
Posted on 07-03-2019 15:42 | By Slim Shady
I already have a house so don't waste my money building another one. Because I have a house I am obliged to give you thousands of dollars each year. Use it to provide services to me. And try not to waste it on daft schemes and clusters. Not your role to provide housing. You are here to serve ratepayers. Jeez what a racket.
Meeting payments to non-voters
Posted on 08-03-2019 17:03 | By Maryfaith
The non-voting Maori reps get paid the same as other non-voting reps. It is about $170 per meeting. A not insubstantial amount when calculated - 4 X $170 every 6 weeks!
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