WRC overhauls its committee structure

The Waikato Regional Council has a new look committee structure for the next three years after councillors voted unanimously to overhaul its old system.

Gone are the council’s 12 drainage and catchment committees as well as three other committees – public transport, hearings appointment and its large integrated catchment management committee.

It has been replaced with a new freshwater action committee, an infrastructure and special projects committee and a climate action committee. The former public transport committee has been renamed the regional connection committee.

Chairman Russ Rimmington said the new structure better fitted a new era for the council.

‘‘We have a wave of change throughout this nation,’’ he said at an extraordinary meeting on November 15.

Councils and central governments were being asked to reflect and consider issues such as climate change and public transport and the ‘‘groundbreaking restructure’’ would include these issues, he said.

‘‘Freshwater was one of the major concerns of this government of which this council can take a huge amount of pride in its foresight in regard to plan change one and while their freshwater statement aligns in some ways to ours, ours was certainly groundbreaking.’’

Its drainage and catchment committees had cost the council just under $1 million to run over the past 12 months.

The new climate change committee will be ‘‘tasked to consider strategic matters relating to the reduction of carbon and biological emissions, and climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, and set objectives, priorities and responses to climate change’’.

The council’s 10 statutory committees are unchanged.

Waikato members are:

Waikato civil defence emergency management group representatives:

Regional

councillor

Hugh Vercoe and Russ Rimmington.

Hugh

Regional transport committee:

Vercoe (deputy).

White,

Forum:

(chairman), Angela

White and Kataraina Hodge.

Rimmington, Kataraina Kneebone, Kathy White.

Ka¯ napanapa:

Strange

Lake Taupo¯ protection project joint committee representatives:

Nga¯ Wai O Waipa¯ co governance forum represen tatives:

Kathy

Russ Rimmington and Kataraina Hodge (alt).

Raukawa Charitable Trust and Waikato Regional Council co governance committee:

Hodge,

Russ

Stu

Te Arawa River Iwi Trust and Waikato Regional Coun cil co governance committee:

Russ Rimmington, Kataraina Hodge, Kathy White, Stu Kneebone.

Kataraina Hodge, Kathy Russ Rimmington (alt).

Te Ko¯pu

a¯

Tu¯ wharetoa Maori Trust Board and Waikato Regional Council co govern ance committee:

Russ Rimmington, Kataraina Hodge, Kathy White, Tipa Mahuta.

Waikato Raupatu River Trust and Waikato Regional Council co governance committee:

Russ Rimmington, Kataraina Hodge, Tipa Mahuta, Jennifer Nickel.

Denis Tegg Pamela Storey (alt).

Hauraki Gulf

The standing committees including the new committees, their chair people and deputies are: Finance and services committee:

Barry Quayle (chairman) Andrew Macpherson (deputy).

Environ mental performance committee:

Kathy White (chairwoman), Fred Lichtwark (deputy).

Pamela Storey (chairwoman) Tipa Mahuta (deputy).

Angela Strange (chairwoman)

Jennifer Nickel (chairwoman) Denis Tegg (deputy).

Fred Lichtwark (chairman) Kataraina Hodge (deputy).

Strategy and policy committee:

Regional connection com

Cli

mittee: mate action committee:

water action committee:

committee:

by Rimmington.

committee:

Fresh

Infrastructure and special projects committee:

Stu Husband (chair) Kathy White (Deputy)

Russ Rimmington (Chair) Tipa Mahuta (Deputy).

Regional partnerships

Waikato plan leadership group and the Healthy Rivers: wai ora committee:

Both chaired

Subcommittees: Contracts subcom mittee:

Barry Quayle (chairman) Andrew Macpherson (deputy).

Pamela Storey (chairwoman).

Submissions sub