Thames-Coromandel District Council chief executive David Hammond has announced he will be leaving council at the end of the financial year on June 30, 2016.

Describing his time with council as both "challenging and rewarding", David says he has thoroughly enjoyed working for Thames-Coromandel mayor Glenn Leach and his team.

Thames-Coromandel District chief executive David Hammond will be leaving council at the conclusion of the financial year. Photo TCDC

'There was no blueprint to do what we achieved here - we wrote the book on it ourselves,” he says.

'A chief executive needs to know when he has achieved what he was brought on to do. I have met that mark and will leave the council with great staff and in great heart.”

David was brought to Coromandel in January 2012 for a three-year period to lead a restructure of staffing, costs and community governance structures.

His time was extended further to help council stabilise and consolidate following that change period.

Mayor Glenn Leach says they have nothing but appreciation and respect for David's input on the Coromandel during his three-year tenure as the council's chief executive.

'We inherited a council that had lost touch with its community and was crippled under high rates and debt,” says Glenn. 'With David's passion for Community Empowerment we have turned this around and what's been achieved is huge.

"He has made some lasting contributions to the Coromandel during his tenure as chief executive.”

David's contributions to the Thames-Coromandel District includes:

• Developing the most devolved model of local government decision-making in New Zealand and Australia through council's Community Empowerment structure which David has spoken about internationally;
• Pulling council operational costs down to the lowest per property in the Waikato post-restructure;
• Leading council out of high rates with several years of consecutive rate decreases, and with many District Commercial and Rural rates not expected to rise back up to former 2010 levels for over 15 years;
• Leading council out of high debt with a projection now made of nil external debt possible over the decade.

David and his family will remain on the Coromandel which has become their adopted home.