Invercargill City Council adjusts committee membership

Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell has proposed changes to the city council’s committee structures to prepare for upcoming legislative shifts. Under the proposal, all councillors will be added to the risk and assurance committee, increasing its membership from eight to 13. Additionally, councillor Ria Bond will join the water committee to manage its current workload.

These adjustments follow a July government announcement that amendments to the Local Government Act will prevent non-elected members from voting on council committees starting in March 2027. Currently, four non-elected members—including mana whenua representative Mike Bain, water committee deputy chair Lee Babe, and risk and assurance committee members Ross Jackson and Lesley Soper—will lose their voting rights. Three other non-elected members on the community wellbeing fund subcommittee will also lose voting powers.

Mayor Campbell stated the changes aim to ensure the council is “well placed” before the statutory changes take effect. While non-elected members will lose voting rights, Deputy Mayor Grant Dermody noted they still provide significant influence and value. The council will hold an extraordinary meeting on November 2 to discuss applying for an exception to the new legislation, with a deadline for such applications set for November 18.