Northland Regional Council chairwoman Tui Shortland resigns as chair

New Zealand’s first wāhine Māori chairwoman Tui Shortland has resigned as Northland Regional Council chairwoman.

Shortland (Ngāti Hine, Ngātiwai, Te Rarawa) was selected to the $133,892-a-year position soon after the 2022 local government elections.

Her early-term resignation is unusual nationally and a first for the council in its 34-year history, following local government amalgamation in 1989.

Shortland’s resignation will be effective from Tuesday’s council meeting. She remains on the council.

Regional council chairs are selected differently from district council mayors, who stand for that position and are elected by the public. In contrast, regional council chairs are chosen from successfully elected councillors.

Shortland was a first-time councillor when she became chairwoman, after being elected to NRC from its first-time, region-wide Māori constituency Te Raki Māori Constituency.

She helmed a nine-person NRC council and organisation with 285 staff, a $76.9 million operating budget and $14.963m capital spend, with 100,000 rateable properties across almost 14,000sq km.

Shortland was nominated for the top job by councillors Rick Stolwerk and Peter-Lucas Jones.

She lives at Te Haumi in the Bay of Islands.

At her selection, fellow constituency representative Peter-Lucas Jones said Shortland, importantly, had been supported in her development towards her new NRC leadership role by kaumatua and kuia and the marae of Te Tai Tokerau.

A replacement chair is expected to elected next week.

NRC councillors are: Deputy chair Jack Craw (Whangārei Central constituency), John Blackwell (Kaipara constituency), Tui Shortland and Peter-Lucas Jones (Te Raki Māori Māori constituency), Geoff Crawford (Mid North general constituency), Amy Macdonald (Coastal Central general constituency), Marty Robinson (Bay of Islands-Whangaroa general constituency), Rick Stolwerk (Coastal South general constituency) and Joe Carr (Far North general constituency).

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air