One last official duty

Mayor Wayne Brown had one final official duty to perform on behalf of Kaitaia's new civic complex Te Ahu on Tuesday, minutes after relinquishing the chairmanship of the trust.

He and Te Runanga o Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi, who officially opened the complex alongside Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae on April 28, unveiled a plaque in the atrium commemorating that occasion, completing the brief ceremony with a hongi.

Mr Brown had just attended his last Te Ahu trust board meeting as chairman, the board recommending trustee Mike Mitcalfe as his successor. The appointment will be made by the Far North District Council.

Mr Mitcalfe said Mr Brown could take a great deal of pride in the completion of the complex, and all that he had contributed to achieving that.

"The board is very appreciative of the role he's played," he said.

"He was the one who ensured that all the questions that needed to be asked were asked, and challenged the people who built this place every step of the way, to ensure the outcome we see now. He knows what he's talking about and he's a very good lateral thinker, and without his input Kaitaia would not have this magnificent asset.

"He can be justifiably proud of what we have here. He's leaving the board now at a point where this place can really start to fly."

Numerous tributes had been paid to Mr Brown in the course of Tuesday's meeting, he added, Mr Brown saying later that the trust had been floundering a little when he assumed the chairmanship. The original trustees had worked hard, but once construction began the project moved into a different phase that required different skills.

"Do you know what gives me the most pleasure? The cinema," he said. "Several mayors, plenty of councillors and MPs had a go at converting it into a facility that could be shared by movies and live theatre, but not one of them had stood up to the Kaitaia Dramatic Society and told them that this was going to happen.

"All it took was for someone to look them in the eye, and I did that."

The KDS had not staged a performance since the conversion, he added, but the theatre had been used for a number of concerts.