News in brief 27 January
New TDC CEO announced
Tasman District Council has announced the appointment of Lindsay McKenzie to the role of chief executive. Mr McKenzie is CEO of Gisborne District Council.
Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne says: “Throughout the process councillors were united in the need to find someone who brought proven leadership with a focus on delivering sound community outcomes.”
“Add to that an awareness and familiarity with the obligations and objectives of a unitary authority and I believe the council has made a sound choice.”
“Lindsay comes to Tasman with a proven track record and is a highly-experienced chief executive officer who has delivered in a district not dissimilar to Tasman.
“He is well aware of the challenges facing the district and his experience will be invaluable as we continue to deliver affordable and sustainable development while recovering from the recent natural disaster.”
Mr McKenzie is looking forward to the role.
“I am ready for the challenges ahead. While I will miss my friends and workmates in Gisborne, I am really looking forward to returning to the south and contributing to the Tasman District.”
Dennis Bush-King, council’s environment and planning manager, has been acting chief executive since the departure of Paul Wylie to the Buller District Council in September last year.
“Dennis has admirably filled the role and we are very grateful for his considerable effort and energy.” says Mayor Kempthorne.
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Local artist to WOW Hong Kong
Golden Bay designer, Jonathan Tripp has two pieces in The World of WearableArt’s first ever international performance this weekend at the world-renowned 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival. The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) is a premier cultural event, presenting over 200 performances of music, theatre and dance.
The World of WearableArt™ Managing Director Gabrielle Harvey says the 70-minute show has been specially created to showcase the “best of the best” sections from past award shows. Jonathan’s pieces are called Metalmorphic Mantis and The Armour-illo.
“The performance in Hong Hong will present more than 100 WOW garments, and there will also be dozens of dance and character costumes,” Harvey says. “There will be a minimum of eight performances and an audience of at least 16,000 is expected to attend.
“We aim to show New Zealand to be a country of creativity and colour. For example, through our South Pacific Section we can show an element of New Zealand’s traditional culture in a more contemporary way. Much of the audience is unlikely to have ever seen WOW before, so they won’t know what has hit them.”
The Hong Kong show will involve a New Zealand cast and crew of 50 people who have worked on the show in New Zealand.
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