Selwyn’s new CEO wants to rebuild trust as district faces uncertain future

Monday, 13 July 2026

Steve Gibling was officially appointed to the chief executive position at the Selwyn District Council after acting in the role for the last six months.

Selwyn’s new chief executive says rebuilding trust between the council and its communities will define his success, as the district faces rapid growth, major infrastructure pressures and an uncertain local government future.

Officially appointed this month, Steve Gibling has taken over the top job at the Selwyn District Council as New Zealand’s fastest-growing district prepares for significant change. Alongside unprecedented population growth, the council is navigating sweeping Government reforms, planning future infrastructure and taking part in discussions about possible council amalgamation across Canterbury.

Rather than focusing on political uncertainty, Gibling, appointed on a five-year contract, said his priority is making sure residents feel heard and better connected to the council.

Gibling with Selwyn mayor Lydia Gliddon.

He said the council had already begun moving in that direction, pointing to the long-running Upper Selwyn Huts dispute as an example. After years of lobbying to have their licence renewed or be included in the district-wide rate, hut owners finally secured the outcome they had been seeking and publicly thanked councillors at the council’s most recent meeting.

Gibling credited elected members for driving that approach, saying his responsibility was ensuring staff followed the same direction.

“We really want to ensure that we’re telling our story better.”

Alongside managing rapid growth, Gibling will oversee the council through major Government reforms, future infrastructure planning and discussions about possible local government restructuring.

While amalgamation remained one of the region’s biggest talking points, Gibling was careful not to advocate for any particular outcome.

Instead, he believed the priority should be ensuring residents understood the options before any decisions were made.

“What we’ve got to focus on is making sure our communities are informed about what's going on and understand the impacts and consequences of those options.”

Gibling says his focus is on strengthening relationships between the council and the communities it serves.

Ultimately those decisions belong to elected members, he said.

Despite the challenges, Gibling said Selwyn was entering the conversation from a position of strength.

“Selwyn is in a pretty good position because of our growth, because of our infrastructure and because of the services.“

The immediate challenge was making sure infrastructure kept pace with development, he said.

With pressures on its core infrastructure, delivering the right services, in the right place and at the right time, while helping residents understand why decisions were being made, would be one of the defining tasks of his role, he said.

Those lessons were learned through more than 20 years in local government.

After leaving school in Christchurch to work in a factory, Gibling changed direction - beginning as a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the old QEII complex before progressing into recreation management and senior leadership roles in Invercargill, Buller and, most recently, Selwyn.

Sports is among Gibling’s passions. He’s pictured here in 2021 testing a new bike track in Invercargill when he was Invercargill City Council’s leisure and recreation general manager.

Community service had been a driver throughout his career.

“I’ve tried to take that philosophy through to all the jobs I’ve done, where you try and provide the best outcomes for the community or the people you’re serving.”

He said his people-first approach also shaped what he hoped to become his legacy in Selwyn.

Rather than pointing to major projects or new buildings, Gibling said success would be measured by stronger relationships between the council and its communities.

He wanted stronger relationships with both the district’s growing urban centres and its smaller rural communities, believing trust and communication would become increasingly important as Selwyn continued to evolve.

“In five years’ time, if I can look back and see how we’ve connected with our community, how we’ve connected with those small and rural communities, how we’ve connected with the large urban spaces, and measurably see the improvement in the relationship, that would be success.”

Whatever shape local government eventually takes in Canterbury, Gibling said the mission remained the same.

“I want to see us get stronger together.”