Gore council welcomes new CEO Debbie Lascelles

Tuesday, 4 June 2024

A new era started in Gore on Tuesday as the council welcomed its new chief executive Debbie Lascelles.

But she’s yet to move into her new office and spent the morning touring the council’s administration building and library with mayor Ben Bell.

Lascelles said Gore’s many top-class public facilities were one of the reasons she had been attracted to the town and the chief executive role.

But she will hit the ground running with the council’s 2024/25 annual plan to firm up, which includes a proposed 21.4% rates rise, and then a long term plan to oversee.

“I think local government is in for some pretty challenging times, like all councils around the country we’ve got some financial sustainability issues - rates affordability is a big one and also what we do with our water infrastructure, so those are definitely going to be big topics for consideration,’’ she said.

But she said she did not see the proposed rates increase as a poisoned chalice for her new position, saying Gore was not alone in rates increases.

“I think if you look at across the country and what other councils are doing it’s a pretty common story. LGNZ has some pretty interesting analysis about why that is and the costs for local councils and why they’ve gone up a lot … it’s just unfortunately part of the story at the moment for all councils.

Lascelles was welcomed to the council with a mihi whakatu at the Gore library on Tuesday morning.

She was accompanied by her son Joel, mother Janet Sturgess, South Waikato district mayor Gary Petley, chief executive Susan Law, and cultural advisor Mahu Armstrong

Gore district mayor Ben Bell said it was exciting to welcome Lascelles.

“It seems to have been a long time coming, so it’s great to have Debbie here finally,’’ he said.

Lascelles is only the third chief executive in the council’s history, and replaces Stephen Parry, who left in May after 22 years.

She has worked at the South Waikato District Council for the last two years, initially as group manager community and corporate, and latterly as executive manager strategy and transformation.

She has also held senior roles with Waipa District Council and Hamilton City Council.

The Gore District Council received 74 applications from throughout New Zealand and overseas for the position.