Simon Weston, right, has been appointed the new chief executive of Whangārei District Council, replacing Rob Forlong who has resigned after seven years in the top job. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Simon Weston, right, has been appointed the new chief executive of Whangārei District Council, replacing Rob Forlong who has resigned after seven years in the top job. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Local government leadership is changing over a large chunk of Northland with new chief executives for Whangārei and Far North District Councils.
Whangārei District Council (WDC) is promoting Simon Weston, its deputy chief executive, to the top role while Far North District Council (FNDC) 's new chief executive Blair King started on April 1.
Weston is a three waters infrastructure specialist and has played a key role in how major national changes in this arena play out locally and across Northland.
King is a former Tararua District Council (TDC) chief executive who was raised in Kaipara.
Weston's appointment as WDC chief executive tops a 26-year Whangārei District Council (WDC) career, part of 35 years in construction and local government in the UK and New Zealand.
He has been directly involved with almost every major infrastructure project, development or change in Whangārei over the past 26 years. One aspect of this has been setting up the cross-council Northland Transportation Alliance.
Newly appointed WDC chief executive Simon Weston. Photo / Susan Botting LDR Northland
Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said very few people, if any, had more experience working with the political, social and physical aspects of Whangārei's growing and developing future.
Weston joined WDC in 1996 as water manager. In 2004 he became the works and services manager, leading water services, the infrastructure capital programme, waste and drainage, infrastructure planning, roading, parks and recreation and infrastructure development departments. He became WDC infrastructure services manager in 2008 and group manager Infrastructure in 2015.
Mai said Weston's track record in local government included long-established Northland connections. it would help WDC meet the needs of its growing district and change customer expectations.
"Under his stewardship, our three waters systems are among the strongest in New Zealand. Our key infrastructure like our roads, pipes and community spaces are well maintained," Mai said.
Weston has led the delivery of the Whangārei district's largest infrastructure assets including Bream Bay's Wilson's dam and Te Matau ā Pohe, the bascule bridge across the Hatea River.
Whangārei Town Basin's newly-opened Pūtahi Park is the latest among a raft of other major council projects.
He replaces current council chief executive Rob Forlong, who has been with the council for seven years. Under the Local Government Act (LGA), council chief executives are appointed for up to seven years. This is for an initial five-year term, which a council can extend for a further two years. They must reapply for their positions after that time.
Forlong began with WDC in 2015 and will be leaving in April.
He said there was government expectation, via the LGA, that a council chief executive's position was for seven years. He said there was nothing untoward about his departure.
It was 'not uncommon' for chief executives to depart after seven years.
Forlong's professional background includes a decade with central government, tenure which involved heading the Environmental Protection Authority, among other things.
He has also worked for Greater Wellington Regional Council, starting there as a water planner. He said Covid had meant the last two years had been a time of great demand for the council. Forlong said he was personally looking forward to a break – and overdue ankle surgery – before deciding where to go next professionally.
Meanwhile, FNDC's King started with New Zealand's northernmost district council on April 1. King will helm 400 FNDC staff and an annual budget of $140 million capital and $140.5 million operational spending.
FNDC covers New Zealand's ninth-largest district council land area, its 7324 square kilometres being the largest district council land area in the North Island.
King completed 12 years as TDC chief executive in October 2020. He has also been interim Carterton District Council chief executive.
He was formerly a Kaipara District Council (KDC) engineer. He has also been general manager of Lakes Engineering, a Queenstown and Lakes District Council council-controlled organisation (CCO).
King is also an engineer with the New Zealand urban search and rescue task force, a chartered professional engineer, volunteer fire officer and Justice of the Peace.
Far North Deputy Mayor Ann Court said King's experience brought advantages for the Far North.
"Like the Far North, Tararua is reliant on its rural economy, it has a small ratepayer base and must maintain spatially dispersed core assets and services to keep its remote communities connected. Blair is familiar with Northland and I believe his extensive local government experience will prove to be a great asset for the Far North," Court said.
King replaced FNDC chief executive Shaun Clarke ONZM who was appointed to FNDC in 2017.
