Local Government Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta has announced the four commissioners that will act in place of elected representatives at the Tauranga City Council.

The commissioners appointed are: Anne Tolley, Bill Wasley, Stephen Selwood and Shadrach Rolleston.

An independent review in November 2020 identified significant governance problems within the council, and in December 2020, the Minister made the decision to appoint a commission to the council.

'The commission is necessary to put Tauranga in a stronger position for the future,” says Mahuta.

'The council is facing substantial infrastructure and funding challenges that need to be addressed in its 2021-31 Long-term Plan. My decision to appoint four commissioners strikes the right balance between the significant decisions that need to be made and the important task ahead in rebuilding the relationship between the council and the Tauranga community.

'In appointing these commissioners, I have carefully considered the right skills and experience to deliver the Long-term Plan, restore public confidence in the council, recognise the strategic growth challenges, working with iwi and develop a pathway to return the council to an elected membership in October 2022.”

Tolley, who will chair the commission, was a Member of Parliament for almost twenty years and was Deputy Mayor of Napier City Council.

She says she is pleased to have been appointed as chair.

'As New Zealand's fifth largest city, it is important that Tauranga is governed effectively. This will be a big challenge for the commission,” says Tolley.

'I am looking forward to working with the other commissioners and the people of Tauranga to address the council's problems and return the city to full local democracy as soon as possible.”

The commission's term is expected to begin on February 9 2021 and end after the triennial local authority elections on October 8 2022.

Tauranga City Council acting chief executive Christine Jones. Photo: Supplied.

Tauranga City Council acting chief executive Christine Jones welcomes the appointment of commissioners.

She says staff are looking forward to working with the commissioners to address the city's pressing, growth-related issues.

'The Executive team has prepared a comprehensive briefing paper to assist commissioners when they take up their new roles on February 9," she says.

'Amongst the many critical matters they will be tasked with is the delivery of our 2021-31 Long-term Plan (LTP) and we anticipate a period of intense community engagement leading into the development and adoption of the draft plan for formal consultation."

Christine says the staff are committed to working closely with the commissioners.

"The senior management team looks forward to meeting and greeting the commissioners when they take up their appointments."