Current filter:
A new approach to serving the community has been launched at Hastings District Council, with each of the councillors being given responsibility for a particular focus area.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst has increased the number of councillor portfolios from four to 13, to enable each of the current councillors to take an active leadership role within Council.
Councillors have been appointed as ‘Portfolio Leaders’ to focus on the development of policy relevant to their portfolio, and oversee those particular areas from a governance perspective.
Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says it became apparent the previous governance structure was no longer working for a number of reasons. “Feedback I was getting from councillors was that the committee chairs bore a heavy burden of work; information was not being shared amongst all councillors; councillors wanted to be more fully engaged in Council’s work, and there was a perception of an ‘in-the-know’ group from within the councillor body.”
Mrs Hazlehurst says after researching models at other councils: “I wanted to create a more inclusive governance structure that engaged all councillors. The new structure of having portfolio leaders will allow all councillors to be involved across the broad spectrum of Council activity – with particular links to our Annual Plan and Long Term Plan.
“It will empower councillors to improve their leadership skills, and be responsible for their part in the various functions of council.
“Portfolio leaders are a fairly new concept around New Zealand, with just a few other councils using them including Rotorua Lakes Council, and Wellington City Council. I have looked at their structure of having portfolios and want Hastings to really benefit from having a similar system in place.”
Mayor Hazlehurst says Council has an enormous workload to implement over the coming years, with some of the largest roading, water and housing infrastructure projects ever undertaken. “Making sure we have a councillor looking after each part of the organisation is really important.
The new Portfolio Leaders are as follows:
Councillor: |
Portfolio: |
Henare O’Keefe | Ambassador for Hastings |
Wendy Schollum | Community Engagement |
Malcolm Dixon | Our Places |
Jacoby Poulain | Our People |
Eileen Lawson | Social Development |
Damon Harvey | Our Economy |
Geraldine Travers | Safeguarding Our Money |
Tania Kerr | Long-Term Financial Planning |
George Lyons | Protecting Our Communities |
Bayden Barber | Partnerships and Uplifting Our Communities |
Kevin Watkins | Our Water |
Ann Redstone | Planning Our Assets for Tomorrow |
Simon Nixon | Moving Around and Operations |
Rod Heaps | Our Environment |
28 June 2018
Disclaimers and Copyright
While every endeavour has been taken by the Hastings District Council to ensure that the information on this website is
accurate and up to date, Hastings District Council shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith.
Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant
government agencies. Hastings District Council cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content.
Portions of the information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online
graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced
information or material is copyright to the respective provider.
© Hastings District Council - / +64 6 871 5000 / customerservice@hdc.govt.nz