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Council's role and purpose

Whangarei District Council is a territorial authority (local government), which operates in the Whangārei District.

The purpose of local government in New Zealand is to:

enable democratic decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities.
promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of communities, now and in the future.

What Council does

We have some core jobs that we carry out everyday on behalf of our community.

We provide roads, footpaths, walking tracks and cycleways so you can get around our District.
We provide fresh water to drink.
We dispose of rubbish, stormwater and sewage.
We also provide parks, libraries and community spaces.

Other services we provide include:

pensioner housing
health inspection
liquor licensing
parking controls
noise control
litter control
Civil Defence
building consents
land use consents
land subdivision.

Role of elected members

The elected Council is made up of the Mayor and 13 Councillors who represent the community.

The Mayor

The Mayor is elected by the community. As one of the elected members, the Mayor shares the same responsibilities as other members of Council.

In addition, the Mayor is expected to provide leadership and direction to the Council and community, chair Council meetings, be the public voice of the Council, and be accountable to the community.

Deputy Mayor

The Deputy Mayor exercises the same roles as other elected members. In addition, the Deputy Mayor may act on behalf of the Mayor when needed.

Elected Members

Elected members have two broad roles, a governance role and a representative role. This generally involves:

Governance

The development and adoption of Council policy.
Making decisions on the allocation of resources.
Making regulatory decisions and ensuring council is fulfilling its regulatory functions.
Adopting a Long Term Plan that sets out how council will meet community expectations and exercise responsible stewardship of the community's assets.
Overseeing the strategic direction of the District.
Reviewing Council's performance against its stated objectives and policies.
Employment of the Chief Executive.

Representation

Representing the interests of residents and ratepayers.
Bringing the views of the community into the decision-making process.
Networking and communicating with the community.
Facilitating communication between the council and the community.
Promoting the overall interests of Council.

View elected members

Code of conduct and public register of interests

Code of conduct

All elected members are required to adhere to the Elected Members Code of Conduct, which provides guidance on the standards of behaviour that are expected from the Mayor and elected members of the Whangarei District Council.

Elected Members Code of Conduct

There are also legislative rules in place:

Rules for elected members (localcouncils.govt.nz)

Register of pecuniary interests of elected members

Since 20 November 2022 an elected member has an obligation to submit an annual Pecuniary Interests Return declaration under Part 4, Subpart 3 of the Local Government Act.

Council is required to maintain a public register of the pecuniary (financial) interests of elected members. These will be updated at least annually.

The overarching purpose of the register is to record Councillor interests to enhance transparency and strengthen public trust and confidence in local government processes and decision-making.

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, a link to the public register is provided below.

2024 pecuniary interests of elected members of Whangarei District Council(PDF, 211KB)

Elected member remuneration and expenses

Elected member remuneration

Elected members are classified as self employed and paid a salary. There are different levels of remuneration depending on the specific roles and responsibilities of elected members.

Elected member remuneration is set annually by the Remuneration Authority.

Elected member expenses

Elected members may incur expenses while on Council business, for which they can be reimbursed. The Remuneration Authority sets the allowances and expenses which may be reimbursed. These and other entitlement are outlined in the Elected Members Allowances and Recovery of Expenses Policy.

For more information on elected member remuneration, follow the link below.

Pay for local government elected members (remauthority.govt.nz)

Elected Member Allowances and Recovery of Expenses Policy

Political and management structure

Political structure

In addition to meetings of the full Council, decision-making is separated into three Committees of the Whole and eight Specialist Committees.

The committees set policy and makes sure that Council business is being conducted in accordance with legislation, Council's strategic objectives and our Community Outcomes in the Long Term Plan.

See details of Council Committees, their terms of reference and membership.

Council Committees