Statutory Committees Part 3

Frank's memoirs

Council Sub-committee

New Plymouth has been well served by its mayors over the past decades. When we shifted there in 1979, the mayor was Danny Sutherland, sports goods shop owner and a very popular mayor.  He was succeeded in 1983 by David Lean, a young popular social worker and stalwart of the Surf Life Saving clubs, under whose leadership the plans to modernise the city centre were developed. Centre City shopping centre was built and the railway yards moved away. 

In 1992, David was succeeded by Claire Stewart, wife of J J Stewart the former All Black coach. Claire had been a contender for the Labour Party candidacy for MP, but was beaten in that race by Harry Duynhoven. She was also a popular mayor and one of her first moves was to establish a Community Development Sub-committee of the Council, whose jobs were to advise the Community Development team, and allocate Council grants to voluntary organisations. 

I was appointed to the sub-committee, which was chaired by Councillor Kim Gilkison, a successful businesswoman, and included a wide variety of very good people: Tuti Wetere from the Kaumatua Council, Helen Armstrong, wife of John Armstrong, National Party MP for New Plymouth from 1990 to 1993, and an experienced volunteer worker, Vivian Hutchinson, nationally known for his work with the Taranaki Work Trust, and a community development staff member from the Department of Internal Affairs. 

The committee was a little hamstrung by Council procedures and systems, but it worked well together, especially in the area of the allocation of grants. Things worked more smoothly once David Younger was appointed to the Community Development role. The Council decided to modify their system after the next local elections, so I was no longer required.