City Manager Of Manukau City Council To Step Down Next Year

Colin Dale, Chief Executive/City Manager of Manukau City Council, intends to retire in March 2006 when his present contract expires. Mr Dale, age 66, has devoted his entire professional life to the public sector and commenced in local government 50 years ago. Colin joined Manukau County Council in 1964 as an Environmental Health Officer.

In 1966 he was appointed Senior Environmental Health Officer and became the first Community Development Manager in 1979. In November 1984 Colin was appointed Director of the Community Activities Department and City Manager the following May 1985.

He was reappointed City Manager of the new Manukau City following amalgamation with Howick and Papatoetoe in 1989. During his time at Manukau the population has grown from 70,000 to over 320,000. Manukau is now New Zealand’s most culturally diverse City with over 165 ethnic groups.

Colin says “my main focus has always been on service to the people and community development.” His retirement in March next year will conclude 20 years service as Chief Executive, at which stage he will have been the longest serving in New Zealand.

Colin received a special award for long service at the International City Managers Association Conference in Philadelphia in 2002 and he was awarded the Distinguished Management Award by his peers, the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers, in 2003.

Colin says “I have grown both personally and professionally with Manukau.”

Colin is proud of his long time commitment to the growing Manukau which has also been home to his family since 1968 in Mangere Bridge. “The journey has been tremendously exciting and challenging and I look forward to giving it my very best shot over the final year. Manukau is blessed with a very skilled and talented staff and it is a pleasure and privilege to work for the Council and our tremendous communities.”

Later this month the Council will endorse a recruitment and appointment process to find Mr Dale’s successor.

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