No reason for Holyoake’s resignation was given in a five-sentence statement released by mayor James Denyer on Wednesday, following a\u00a0Local Democracy Reporting\u00a0<\/i>request.<\/p>\n
Denyer said he had valued Holyoake’s insight and advice over the last four years, and wished him well in his “future endeavours”.<\/p>\n
“He has guided our council during a time of significant change, and I thank him for what he has achieved.”<\/p>\n
The council intended to appoint an interim chief executive “in the near term” and ensure a smooth transition, the statement said.<\/p>\n
It did not say when Holyoake would leave the role.<\/p>\n
The process would come as the council prepared for the local government elections in October.<\/p>\n
Holyoake joined the council in July 2021 replacing Miriam Taris, who had held the chief executive role from 2014.<\/p>\n
He took on the council’s top job after six years as chief executive at Tamaki Regeneration Company – the largest urban regeneration project in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
John Holyoake at his welcome p\u014dwhiri in 2021.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0LDR \/ Bay of Plenty Times \/ George Novak<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n At his welcome p\u014dwhiri, he acknowledged the need to work with local iwi and M\u0101ori representatives.<\/p>\n “I truly believe that partnership with M\u0101ori is the true way forward,” he told the meeting.<\/p>\n In May 2022, Holyoake and his team launched the Generation Change\/He panoni \u0101 reanga campaign aimed at increasing representation around the council table ahead of the October council elections.<\/p>\n “We need to look like, sound like, be like, the people that we’re representing – the people we’re making decisions for,” he told\u00a0Local Democracy Reporting<\/i>.<\/p>\n While the 2022 elections resulted in less diversity among council members, Holyoake said the campaign was still a win and was “much bigger than elections”.<\/p>\n “We [the council] connected with a diverse range of people from our communities, with different lived experiences, and that has been fantastic.”<\/p>\n In 2023, councillors were faced with the decision of whether to establish a M\u0101ori ward for the 2025 election.<\/p>\n The ward was adopted after a nine-to-12 vote,\u00a0which was celebrated by the council and iwi<\/a>.<\/p>\n