Tauranga City Council has appointed a four-member Regulatory Hearings Panel.

Mary Dillon has been appointed as chairperson of the panel, with Puhirake Ihaka, Terry Molloy and Alan Tate appointed as panel members.

Commission chair Anne Tolley is delighted the panel has now been established to take on the regulatory hearings role.

'It's a pleasure to announce the appointment of four vastly-experienced members, all of whom have extensive community knowledge,” she says.

'This implements the Council decision made in March 2021 to establish a panel of independent people to hear and make decisions on quasi-judicial regulatory matters, such as appeals and objections under the Dog Control Act and council's Gambling Policy.”

She says the move also completes governance structure changes made since the Commission was appointed in February.

Mary Dillon is a previous Tauranga City Councillor, serving for 21 years, including six years as Deputy Mayor.

She has chaired many council committees and is currently chairing Envirohub BOP and the Environment and Sustainability Forum, which provide sector perspectives for SmartGrowth.

Mary has been a District Licensing commissioner since 2013, received a QSM in 2004 for services to the community, and received the NZ Planning Institute's Alfred O Glasse award in 2008 for community services to planning.

Puhirake Ihaka (Nga Te Rangi) has been a member of the Tangata Whenua/Tauranga City Council Committee since 2002, with 12 years as chairperson, and is also a member of Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana.

He is a member of SmartGrowth and of the Dive Crescent Governance Group and for many years, has participated as a Mana Whenua representative on numerous Tauranga City Council project teams, steering committees and working groups.

Terry Molloy was previously a Tauranga City councillor for nine years and was an accredited Resource Management Commissioner.

He is currently a board member for an organisation looking after homeless people and is involved in Greerton Lions and Greerton Mainstreet.

Terry also has a background in dairying, orcharding, contracting and property development.

Alan Tate is a retired lawyer who has practiced law in Tauranga for many years and was one of the founding partners of Harris Tate.

He is the Manager of Otamataha Trust and chairs the Dive Crescent Governance Group. Alan is also a trustee of Rau o te Huia Community Trust and is a notary public.

The first meeting of the Regulatory Hearings Panel will be held on August 5, 2021, where the members will adopt formal hearings processes.