Councillors shared laughs and shed a few tears in an emotional final Western Bay of Plenty District Council meeting.

The current elected members met for the last time of this triennium on Thursday.

Councillors Monique Gray, Kevin Marsh, Mark Dean and mayor Garry Webber have chosen not to stand in this year's election and gave valedictory speeches.

All of them took the opportunity to thank their fellow councillors and the council staff and list their highlights.

Kaimai Ward councillor Mark Dean says it's an 'emotional time” leaving council after two terms.

He says it's an 'incredibly interesting six years” and a 'learning curve” when he first came to council.

'I've been proud of what this excellent team has achieved over the years. However, there have been some disappointments.

'I've been disappointed at the time it's taken to get things done, but I've been told that that's part of local government.”

Dean says he's also disappointed he 'couldn't have done more” for what he termed 'the Southern Districts of the Kaimai Ward” which were Ohauiti, Oropi, Pyes Pā, Omanawa and Kaimai.

Dean says when the council's representation review occurred, the ward representation needed to be 'looked at carefully because the Kaimai Ward was split by the city [of Tauranga]”.

The council is due to have a representation review in 2023, which will look at what form the wards and community boards should take and how many elected members there should be to best represent the district's population.

Councillor Mark Dean, right, is standing down after six years in council. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

Dean lists some of his highlights as the return of PanePane Point on Matakana Island from council ownership to five hapū and instituting the new waste management system, as well as the debt reduction the council had achieved.

His plea to the councillors that are elected again to: 'pay careful consideration to the issues which will affect our district”.

Dean lists those as rural urbanisation, climate change and misinformation.

In his opinion: 'One of the biggest issues that we have is misinformation being used erroneously to influence decisions that this council will make.”

The council's youngest councillor Monique Gray titled her farewell ‘Until Next Time'.

'Because until next time, unlike many of you, I can retire [from council] for 10 or 20 years and still be one of the youngest at the table,” she joked, which was met with laughter from the room.

The Te Puke-Maketu Ward councillor is standing down after one term because of a move out of the district and to 'put her family and her health first” and said: 'I don't think I am done for good”.

Gray gave herself the award for the 'most tears shed” in council chambers but said being a councillor had helped her develop a 'slightly thicker skin”.

Monique Gray was the council's youngest councillor. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

'For me standing as a councillor was an emotional driven position.

'Our district deserves better and it still does. The future generation has always been at the forefront of my decisions and having a voice for those who have not been given one.”

Her highlights include PanePane Point, increasing the alcohol free zone in Te Puke, because the 'whole community mattered” and having the Treaty of Waitangi hung on the wall in council chambers which will stay in her heart 'for a very long time”.

Seven term councillor Kevin Marsh says he has seen 'a lot of changes” in the 21 years since he started at council, back when he was a 'one man farmer,” and the pay was $12,000 and mileage was 12c.

The Te Puke-Maketu Ward councillor says he threatened to ride a horse to council chambers and tie it up outside.

'I was going to do it but the mileage changed after that,” says Marsh.

He says running a farm and being a councillor was 'hard”.

Kevin Marsh giving his farewell speech after serving seven terms. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

'Anyone that thinks they're going to come in here and it's a sweet job, has got a different thing coming.

'It's not beer and skittles. I can tell you that.”​​​​​​​

Marsh acknowledged his wife Andrea who had 'been there the whole time” for him.
'Without Andrea, I don't think I could have done this job.”

Mayor Webber also took the time to acknowledge everyone's partners during his valedictory speech.

'They do a hell of a lot behind the scenes, and I don't think the general public understand what a partner of a councillor or mayor goes through.”

Webber opened with the Maori proverb 'Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka. The kūmara doesn't speak of its own sweetness”.

'The kūmara does not brag about its own success, and my success is not mine alone. It is this teams' own, together,” he says.

The 76 year-old is retiring after two terms as mayor and two as a councillor and a couple of years on the Ōmokoroa Community Board.

The positive he sees is illuminating the 'true and accurate history of the district” and he has tried to bring a 'smattering” of te reo in the council.

He says they have done 'great things” in the council and worked 'reasonably well as a team”.

'It is a dreamer who thinks you're going to win everything unanimously, and I have never been a dreamer. I've been a pragmatist.”

Mayor Garry Webber said the council's success was not his alone. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.​​​​​​​

He says there were 'robust debates” over the years in the chambers, but once they left they went 'back to a bunch of people who need to respect each other”.

The mayor thanked the staff, wished the outgoing members well and words of advice for those standing.

'For those of you who are brave enough to continue the fight, I wish you well, whether you return or not, that depends on how well you campaign and depends on the on the community.

'It's been a pleasure to be part of this organisation,” he concluded while holding back tears.

The outgoing councillors and mayor all received a standing ovation at the end of their speeches.

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