Whakatāne District Mayor Tony Bonne has made a number of refinements to the Council’s governance structure for the 2016-19 triennium.

These include the appointment of all elected members to the Audit and Risk Committee, which will continue to meet on a quarterly basis and will be chaired by the Mayor, with Councillor Julie Jukes the Deputy Chairperson.

A new Water Management Board will also be created to provide strategic advice on the delivery of the Council’s water supply, wastewater and stormwater activities across the District. The board will be chaired by Councillor Russell Orr and will consist of an independent member from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and senior members of the Council Infrastructure team. The Water Management Board will take over the advisory role previously provided by the Plains Water Advisory Board.

Following the resumption of the Council’s involvement in Toi-EDA, the Eastern Bay’s economic development agency, the former Grow Whakatāne Advisory Board will be replaced by a Commercial Advisory Board consisting of the Mayor, Councillors Julie Jukes and Nándor Tánczos, and up to three external appointees. The Commercial Advisory Board will support Council decision-making around its strategic landholdings and economic and commercial opportunities.

Also proposed is a new Museum and Gallery Stakeholder Group to provide support and advice relating to user group feedback, volunteer activities and fundraising. The Stakeholder Group will replace the previous Whakatāne Museum and Gallery Board, subject to consultation with the groups involved. That approach is consistent with the user groups established for a number of Council activity areas in recent years and is designed to complement the work undertaken by the Project Control Group, which will oversee the Museum redevelopment project.

Other key matters contained in the Governance Structure 2016-19 report received by the Council at today’s first business meeting of the new triennium included a continuation of the previous seven-weekly meeting cycle for the Council, the Policy Committee, and the Projects and Services Committee, with both committees continuing to hold delegated decision-making powers for most matters.

Governance appointments confirmed in the report included:

• Policy Committee – Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Judy Turner; Deputy Chairperson, Mayor Tony Bonne
• Projects and Services Committee – Chairperson, Councillor Andrew Iles; Deputy Chairperson, Councillor Gerard van Beek
• Audit and Risk Committee – Chairperson, Mayor Tony Bonne; Deputy Chairperson, Councillor Julie Jukes
• Hearings Committee – Chairperson, Councillor Russell Orr; Deputy Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Judy Turner