The New Plymouth District is one of the districts of New Zealand. It includes the city of New Plymouth and smaller towns such as Inglewood and Waitara.
In 1989, as a part of New Zealand-wide reorganisation of local government, New Plymouth City Council was merged with Taranaki County Council, Inglewood Borough Council, Waitara Borough Council, and Clifton County Council to form New Plymouth District Council.
Every three years the Mayor, 14 councillors and 16 community board members are elected by the New Plymouth District’s enrolled voters. The full council, sub-committees and standing committees meet on a six-weekly cycle. The current serving Mayor of New Plymouth is Harry Duynhoven, the previous, long serving and popular Labour MP for the area.
The Policy and Monitoring standing committees have delegated authority from the council to make final decisions on certain matters, and they make recommendations to the council on all others. The four community boards – Clifton, Waitara, Inglewood and Kaitake – as well as the subcommittees and working parties can make recommendations to the standing committees for them to consider.
The third standing committee, the Hearings Commission, is a quasi-judicial body that meets whenever a formal hearing is required – for instance, to hear submissions on a publicly notified resource consent application.
The Chief Executive and approximately 460 full-time equivalent staff provide advice and information to the elected members and the public, implement council decisions and manage the district’s day-to-day operations.
This includes everything from maintaining more than 280 parks and reserves, waste water management and issuing consents and permits, through to providing libraries and other recreational services and ensuring the district’s eateries meet health standards.
New Plymouth District Council's annual operating revenue for 2008/2009 is more than $188 million.
Read more about New Plymouth District: Council Members
Famous quotes containing the words plymouth and/or district:
“In clear weather the laziest may look across the Bay as far as Plymouth at a glance, or over the Atlantic as far as human vision reaches, merely raising his eyelids; or if he is too lazy to look after all, he can hardly help hearing the ceaseless dash and roar of the breakers. The restless ocean may at any moment cast up a whale or a wrecked vessel at your feet. All the reporters in the world, the most rapid stenographers, could not report the news it brings.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Most works of art, like most wines, ought to be consumed in the district of their fabrication.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)