Dr Deon Swiggs takes up role of regional sector Chair

Dr Deon Swiggs, Chair of Environment Canterbury, has been elected by his peers as LGNZ’s regional sector Chair – while previous regional sector Chair Daran Ponter will continue as Chair of Greater Wellington and a champion for regional government.

The Regional Government Partnership of New Zealand’s 16 regional and unitary councils is pleased to welcome Chair Swiggs to the role of sector Chair.

Chair Swiggs picks up the role with enthusiasm for getting into the issues that matter.

“We’re navigating unprecedented change as the Government implements its resource management reform programme and reshapes the regional and local government landscape,” said Chair Swiggs.

“Given the uncertainty around resource management and the future function and form of local government, strong regional leadership and a strong regional voice is more vital than ever. Regional councils play an important role in ensuring our regional economies and natural environment thrive, and we are strongly focussed on delivering these with a focus on delivering value to our communities.

“One of our priorities with resource management reform is to ensure regional councils are front and centre of designing the new system; so that the transitional period doesn’t create more uncertainty for our economy or our environment, or for people who interact with the functions of regional councils,” said Chair Swiggs

Chair Swiggs believes regulatory uncertainty and funding challenges are two of the most significant issues faced by the regional sector.

“Regulatory uncertainty can have a flow-on effect; that uncertainty can flow through to work programmes and is reflected in the confidence we have with the communities we interact with.

“Current funding for biodiversity, biosecurity and flood resilience are all inadequate and we need to step it up. We need to ensure we have good programmes that can deliver big wins, so we can show the Government this is a good way of working, and secure long term sustainable investment,” said Chair Swiggs.

Regional Sector deputy chair and Mayor of Gisborne, Rehette Stoltz acknowledged post-election changes across the sector.

“We’ve seen new Chairs elected in nine of the 11 regional councils, with many of them attending our Chairs Induction on Thursday. We’re pleased to see Greater Wellington Chair Daran Ponter return, and we acknowledge his leadership of the LGNZ regional sector as sector chair in the previous term,” said Rehette Stoltz.

“It’s also great to see two Regional Council Chairs elected from Māori constituencies for the first time.

“People often don’t understand the role of regional councils, particularly in urban environments, so there’s work to do to make sure we’re clear about our relevancy and the value that we add.

“If we’re going to uplift our economy and deliver outcomes for our environment, regional councils need to be in the best position to help make that happen,” said Mayor Stoltz.

About Chair Swiggs

Dr Deon Swiggs is Chair of Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council). First elected to the Council in 2022 representing the Christchurch West/Ōpuna constituency, he previously served as Deputy Chair before being elected to his current role. He also served as a Christchurch City Councillor.

Originally from rural Taranaki, Dr Swiggs brings diverse experience including service as a navigation officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy and as founder-director of the Rebuild Christchurch Foundation. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration and is an accredited Resource Management Act Commissioner.