17 June 2002

Two new permanent Hearings Commissioners have been appointed by Manukau City Council in anticipation of an expanded workload in future. They are Graeme Leggat and Ken Graham. In addition an alternate Commissioner, Pita Rikys, has been appointed on an "as required" basis.

The role of Commissioners is to hear resource consent matters referred to them by the Hearings Committee. The appointments bring the total number of Commissioners to four. The current Commissioners are Logan Carr and Dorothy Cooper.

Graeme Leggat acted an environmental engineer for 35 years before his retirement and served for many years on the Clevedon Community Board, the last three as chairman.

Ken Graham is a retired company director and has over 23 years experience in local government and significant experience in planning issues as a Planning Commissioner. Over recent years he sat on hearings for the Auckland Regional Council, Auckland City Council, Rodney, Franklin and Whangarai District Councils and has worked as an Independent Hearings Commissioner.

Pita Rikys is a public sector consultant and a specialist in Maori and Treaty of Waitangi issues. He has had extensive experience in local government in a range of capacities over the last 25 years, particularly in the Maori/Treaty, planning, and resource management fields. He is also an author and is widely published in these fields.

The appointments are for a period of two and a half years and take effect from 1 July 2002.

Mayor Sir Barry Curtis welcomes the appointments which he says reflect the continuing growth and expansion of Manukau. "The new Commissioners bring a wealth of expertise in resource management issues to their new roles. Their background in areas such as planning, engineering and service to community organisations will be invaluable."

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