Independent chair to lead council committee

An independent chair has been appointed to lead a key Tauranga City Council committee. The mayor and councillors yesterday confirmed that the highly experienced Bruce Robertson would lead the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee as independent chair. Bruce's appointment follows a recent Auditor-General recommendation that councils appoint independent chairpersons to their audit and risk committees. He was chosen from a strong field of 26 candidates who applied for the position. “The appointment panel unanimously endorsed Mr Robertson for the role,” said Mayor Tenby Powell. “He has broad governance experience across various private and public sector organisations, and brings a wealth of local government expertise to this role. "We look forward to Mr Robertson making a significant contribution to our city.” The committee oversees the council’s risk, finances and assets. It also monitors the council’s performance and develops the annual report. “I’m delighted to accept this role,” Bruce said. “Rapid growth is creating a lot of pressure in Tauranga, and I look forward to working with a council that faces complex challenges.” Bruce said he believed council committees should be open about issues and provide effective forums for discussing “hard questions”. Bruce was formerly the assistant auditor-general (local government) at the Office of the Auditor-General. He is an expert on governance and risk, and has been an independent member of 11 audit and risk committees.