After almost a decade of leadership, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair Doug Leeder has decided it’s time to step down as Chair of New Zealand’s LGNZ Regional Sector Group (RSG). His successor, Greater Wellington Chair Daran Ponter, brings to the role a long-standing interest in local government and resolve to work shoulder to shoulder with the country’s Mayors and Chairs.

In his time at the helm of RSG, Chair Leeder has been resolute in his support for a cohesive national voice for regional and unitary councils, grounded implementation, and rural and environmental needs. Above all, Doug said, it’s always been about people.

“If it wasn’t for people, regional government wouldn’t need to deliver our many services. As regional and unitary councils, we work to ensure that the expectations of our communities are met in terms of a nice place to live and earn, and sustainability in terms of air quality, water, and the appropriate use of land,” said Chair Leeder.

While part of the Regional Sector’s work is regulatory across environmental resource management, Leeder is quick to point out that its contributions go far beyond what many New Zealanders might realise.

“Public transport, reducing flood risk, maritime safety, environmental enhancement, emergency management, and regional planning are all things that regional and unitary councils do every day, often in the background,” he said. “The irony is, if we’re doing our jobs well, most people won’t even notice. But without them, our communities would feel the absence very quickly,” said Chair Leeder.

A long-term thinker, Leeder credits the success of Te Uru Kahika (the 16 regional and unitary councils) to an openness to continually doing things better and unity of purpose.

“As Regional Sector Chair, it’s been rewarding to see the sector put politics aside and come together for the good of the communities we serve.

“Working together has been useful in times of increasing complexity and central government direction on how councils must manage the environment while enabling growth,” said Mr Leeder.

Now, as New Zealand prepares for significant resource management reforms and substantial climate adaptation work, Doug passes the baton with a call for courage.

“The structure of local government hasn’t meaningfully changed since 1989. In that time, our communities, demographics, and challenges have changed dramatically. We need to be brave enough to question how deliver services and what functions sit best at which level—national, regional, or local.

“For example, monitoring and compliance needs to be at place by regional people with an understanding of the nuances of their region and specific catchments. With that said, we get the need for some uniformity in approach to give fairness and certainty across the country, and importantly save time and money,” said Chair Leeder.

New RSG Chair Daran Ponter is well placed to steer regional government through a period of change. An experienced public policy adviser and Wellington-based, Chair Ponter is seeking a productive partnership with central government.

“We’re operating in a period of global uncertainty and domestic pressure. That calls for agility and the Regional Sector Group felt it was important to have a Chair who could engage regularly and positively with government.

“As regional government, there are things that we do that would not work well for central or hyper-local government to deliver. For example, flood management, environmental monitoring, and regional transport operate best as a network and demand a regional lens,” said Chair Ponter, “We’re looking forward to productive conversations about the functions we deliver.”

Reflecting on the cost of living and opportunities ahead, Chair Ponter is unequivocal that aspects of regional government services can be done cheaper and better through council collaboration.

“Regional Sector shared services can’t come fast enough. Whether it’s shared IT, specialist staff, or ticketing systems, we need to stop duplicating effort and start realising the efficiencies that scale can offer. Having a national public transport card is a great example and we’re nearly there because we’ve worked together,” said Chair Ponter.

Both leaders agree that greater cooperation between councils and with central government is important for New Zealand’s future success.

Chair Leeder reflected on what he hears from communities, “Ratepayers are saying, ‘enough is enough.’ Double-digit rate increases aren’t sustainable and hopes that government can endlessly write bigger cheques isn’t realistic either. We need a real conversation between central and local government about who does what, who funds what, and how we can deliver services more smartly together.”

In taking up the mantle, Chair Ponter recognised Chair Leeder’s service to the Regional Sector and thanked him on behalf of Te Uru Kahika.

“Like all Mayors and Chairs, Doug is passionate about the Regional Sector. He has shown that through his leadership over three triennia as RSG Chair and by bringing us all together through Te Uru Kahika. This shared approach has strengthened the bonds across the Regional Sector for the betterment of the country,” said Chair Ponter.

At the May RSG meeting, Mayors and Chairs also elected Waikato Regional Council Chair Pamela Storey as RSG Co-Deputy Chair. Deputy Chair Storey succeeds Horizons Regional Council Chair Rachel Keedwell who has added great value to the sector and will continue to do so through her ongoing role as a Regional Sector Representative on the LGNZ National Council.

As this leadership transition takes place, Te Uru Kahika remains focused on working together on matters of environmental management, supporting economic and community development, and building resilience to hazards.

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