Leading regional growth through strong governance

To the public, the Mayor is seen as a leader of the community, of a team of Councillors, and as the face of a region to wider New Zealand.

That is, indeed, an important part of a Mayor’s role. But within Council chambers, a Mayor’s job is to provide strong governance to a team of Councillors as discussions and debate are held and, ultimately, decisions relating to important issues are collectively reached.

These decisions relate to a wide range of regulatory issues and policies, to the provision of local infrastructure such as our roads and stormwater system, emergency management, building control, public health, environmental health and safety and more.

Policies and documents that provide guidance to all activities such as our long-term, annual and environmental plans, must also be thoroughly discussed and considered before anything is adopted. These often relate to very complex issues and as such attract many different viewpoints from around the community.

In fact, community input and engagement is one of the most important aspects of this process. After all, a Council and Mayor are tasked with making important decisions on behalf of the people who elected them, so community participation in decision-making is key.

Good governance by a Mayor and Councillors means defining a clear vision for the future of the region, which requires taking a strategic view that is separate and at a higher level from operational matters.

Throughout the process of setting policies, a team of Councillors must weigh up many factors and ultimately in all decisions have to find a balance between short-term gains and long-term benefits.

A Mayor’s role within the debating chamber setting is crucial. As the head of the discussion table, it is up to a Mayor to provide governance leadership; to ensure robust, democratic debate and discussion; to do so in a professional manner and with unfailing integrity; and finally to ensure that everyone around the table understands the decisions that are ultimately reached.

Above all, the Mayor must ensure that the needs of people living in our communities now and in future are always represented. To do so requires integrity, experience, exemplary governance and strong leadership.

As Mayor for the past three years I have lived up to my promise of strong leadership. If I am re-elected, I will continue to ensure that a new team of Councillors is guided through open and balanced discussions to reach collective decisions that are for the benefit of our entire community, now and into the future.

Decisions that are based on the requirements and responsibilities of their role – not of personal or political agendas.