Former Wellington City Council Chief Executive Garry Poole is the new Chief Executive of Tauranga City Council.

The announcement was made following a council meeting on Tuesday. He is expected to take up his new Tauranga job in April.

Garry Poole will begin his new role as Tauranga City Council's CEO in April. File Picture

As CEO of Tauranga he will recieve a salary of $340,000 per year, the same as the previous Chief Executive.

Garry has been the Chief Executive at Wellington for 15 years on a salary of $420,000, until he lost his job on December 20, 2012.

Wellington City Councillors advertised his position following his annual review in August.

His contract runs until March 28, after which he will spend two weeks introducing the new Wellington CEO to the job, before he heads for Tauranga.

'The Elected Members were very conscious of the importance of this decision for staff, the organisation, residents, stakeholders and the wider community,” says Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby.

'Garry comes to Tauranga City Council as a highly respected and vastly experienced local government chief executive. We are very excited to bring him to Tauranga.”

The appointment is the end result of a very robust selection process, says Stuart.

'The current organisation review has been a difficult time for Tauranga City Council staff. Garry's appointment as Chief Executive is a significant and positive step forward for the organisation as it refocuses itself,” says Stuart.

As Wellington City Council CEO, Garry Poole was responsible for a staff of 1400 people - and an organisation with more than $7 billion worth of assets and a total income of more than $450 million.

Garry's background is in auditing. He is a former Executive Director for Audit New Zealand, and has worked for the Audit Office in New Zealand and overseas. He is a Fellow Chartered Account and is the past Vice President of the Wellington Rugby Union.

During his time in Wellington, Garry invested in events and social infrastructure while maintaining sound city foundations to deliver a vibrant city that the Lonely Planet guide referred to as 'the coolest little capital in the world”.

During his time in Wellington, Garry helped build the capital's international reputation as a remarkable place to live, work, visit and play. He oversaw the strategic investment in Wellington's events and social infrastructure while maintaining the delivery of core services,

'While I will be sad to leave Wellington, I am very excited about this great opportunity and challenge,” says Garry.

'Tauranga is one of the country's fastest growing cities and I am looking forward to working with the Mayor, Councillors and the organisation to ensure the city is managed in a way that serves the best interests of the community and the city's future.”