Greater Wellington Regional Council seeks candidates for Hutt Valley-Wellington Whaitua Committee

Greater Wellington Regional Council is seeking applications for suitably experienced and enthusiastic people to join its new Hutt Valley - Wellington Whaitua Committee (which also covers Wainuiomata and Makara), the role of which is to work with the community to identify how water is valued and to tackle the task of improving the quality of fresh water within the Hutt catchment and Wellington.

The Committee will combine the expertise of local and regional councillors, iwi and community members drawn from throughout the Hutt and Wainuiomata valleys, the suburbs of Wellington Harbour and the south coast and the Makara and Ohariu stream catchments.

The Committee members will ultimately draw up recommendations on how to implement the government's National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and its requirement to maintain and improve the quality of our fresh water bodies.

The Committee's recommendations will be provided to the Greater Wellington Regional Council for inclusion in, among other things, the Proposed Natural Resources Plan, which provides rules and guidelines on the management of land and water. 

"The task of Committee members is to understand the issues that face the sustainability and quality of freshwater and marine environments in our region. We're looking for the right mix of people to drive the Committee and work closely within the community to understand and resolve these issues in ways that meet the community's aspirations.

"Knowledge of the big issues facing water and land management, as well as some understanding of the catchment's rivers and streams, would be useful but Committee members will learn as they go and have the benefit of being able to call on expert advisory services," says the Whaitua Programme Manager, Tim Sharp.

"Greater Wellington is looking for people who value collaboration and have experience working in a collective way, with the ability to work with others in a community-based process, or who have experience reaching contentious decisions through consensus."

Other qualities required include the ability to absorb new, and often technical, information and understand other peoples' perspectives, as well as excellent communication skills given committee members will be required to relay information to and from the committee and their own networks.

"People who are active in, and understand, their communities will have a strong foundation for the role, and we're looking for people who get involved," says Tim Sharp.

The role involves a degree of commitment, with an initial term of two years, comprising monthly meetings and regular workshops.

Applications for candidates close on 4 September. For full information and online application, candidates should go to gw.govt.nz/hutt-valley-Wellington-harbour-whaitua/.  More information can be obtained through emailing questions to Whaitua@gw.govt.nz.