Rotorua Lakes Council
Territorial authority of New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rotorua Lakes Council (abbr. RLC; Māori: Te Kaunihera o ngā Roto o Rotorua) is the territorial authority for the Rotorua District of New Zealand. It serves as the district's local government alongside the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as the main regional council. The authority's official legal name is Rotorua District Council; the council adopted the current operating name in 2014. The first Rotorua District Council was formed in 1979; in 1989 it was abolished and reconstituted anew.
Rotorua Lakes Council Te Kaunihera o ngā Roto o Rotorua | |
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 Brand logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Established | 1 November 1989; 36 years ago |
| Preceded by | Rotorua District Council |
New session started | 17 October 2025 |
| Leadership | |
Deputy | Sandra Kai Fong, Ind. since 21 October 2022 |
Andrew Moraes since 11 March 2024 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 11 (including mayor) |
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Political groups |
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Length of term | 3 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
First election | 14 October 1989 |
Last election | 11 October 2025 |
Next election | 14 October 2028 |
| Motto | |
| Tātau Tātau | |
| Meeting place | |
| 1061 Haupapa Street, Rotorua | |
| Website | |
| rotorualakescouncil | |
The governing body of the council has 10 councillors and is chaired by the mayor of Rotorua (currently Tania Tapsell since October 2022). There are also two community boards.
Governing body
Mayor
One mayor is elected at-large; they chair meetings of the governing body and act as the head of local government in the district.
Current composition
The current members of the governing body of council are:[2][3]
| Role | Portrait | Name | Affiliation | Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | .jpg) |
Tania Tapsell | Independent | Elected at-large | |
| Deputy | Sandra Kai Fong | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Fisher Wang | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Ben Sandford | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Gregg Brown | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Don Paterson | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Robert Lee | Independent | General | ||
| Councillor | Te Rika Temara-Fenfell | Te Pāti Māori | Māori | ||
| Councillor | Trevor Maxwell | Independent | Māori | ||
| Councillor | Merepeka Raukawa-Tait | Independent | Māori | ||
| Councillor | Karen Barker | Independent | Rural | ||
Community boards
The Rotorua Lakes Council has created two community boards, under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002,[4] to represent specific communities in Rotorua:
- Rotorua Lakes Community Board (established in 2007)
- Rotorua Rural Community Board (established in 2016)
Each community board consists of four elected members and a councillor appointed by the council, and is intended to provide advice to the city council regarding the interests of their communities.[5][6]
Coat of arms
A coat of arms was granted by the College of Arms to the city of Rotorua on 10 December 1963. At the time it was granted, it was believed to be the only city in New Zealand with a motto in Māori. The motto is credited to Pakeke Leonard, a former deputy mayor of Rotorua.[7][8][9]
On 2 April 1979, the arms were subsequently adopted at the first meeting of the Rotorua District Council.[7] The blazon for the arms is:
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