Kaipara District Council Has New Chief Executive

Kaipara District Council has appointed Steve Ruru as its new Chief Executive. The appointment was confirmed at a Council meeting last week.

Mr Ruru comes to Kaipara from the Thames-Coromandel District Council where he has been Chief Executive for the last thirteen years. Prior to this role he worked in the health sector as a General Manager with the former Health Funding Authority and Midland Regional Health Authority. He also has extensive experience at the governance level having been a past member of the Lakes District Health Board for the nine years through until 2009, Assurance Board for the Department of Corrections and is currently on the Audit and Risk Committee for Te Wananga O Aotearoa.

Mayor Neil Tiller said: “We have undertaken a wide-ranging and thorough search to find the right person for this job at a critical time. Steve is an experienced and capable executive who is held in high regard across the local government sector. He also has extensive experience in managing complex change in local government, health and the broader public sector. We feel fortunate to have been able to attract such a high calibre chief executive and we are absolutely sure he is up to the challenges of leading the organisation forward as we grapple with the financial and other challenges that face the district".

For his part Mr Ruru says he is looking forward to his new role and addressing the challenges and many opportunities that exist in Kaipara. This is a great opportunity "to lead the Kaipara staff team at a time when there are a number of challenging issues to address. Where there are challenges there are also opportunities and I am looking forward to making a contribution to the on-going development of the Kaipara district", he said.

Mr Ruru is a graduate of Waikato University and member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.