Mark Rawson to head new economic & regulatory group for Rotorua District Council
ROTORUA 14.12.10: Rotorua businessman Mark Rawson has been appointed to the new Rotorua District Council (RDC) position
of group manager, Economic & Regulatory Services.
The announcement was made today by RDC chief executive Peter Guerin who said Mr Rawson brings a valuable mix of private
and public sector skills, and local and international experience to the new role.
“It’s a return to the fold for Mark as he previously worked for RDC as our economic development general manager from
2003 to 2007. This means he already has a sound knowledge of local authority operations and is conversant with the
responsibilities of local government.
“More importantly he has subsequently spent nearly four years working in senior private sector positions where has
proved to be very successful and highly regarded by his industry peers. Those business skills will be immensely valuable
in helping the council to drive higher levels of economic growth for our district in the years ahead.”
Mr Rawson is currently general manager of Eros Capital Ltd, the owner of Red Stag Timber, and also holds the position of
New Zealand general manager for China Direct Ltd, a subsidiary of Eros Capital.
“Mark is passionate about Rotorua and knows the local community and business sectors well, so he’ll be in a position to
hit the ground running when he joins us in January.
Mr Rawson said he was looking forward to working with the RDC management team, Mayor Winters and councillors in what he
described as “an exciting new role.”
“I believe the Rotorua economy has a number of core strengths that have the potential to be more competitively
positioned in the future. RDC's role in this is in creating a sustainable economic development environment, in
partnership with the Rotorua community and the wider business sector in particular.
“I’m sure there will be challenges in bringing together the economic and regulatory functions of RDC, but I believe this
grouping of activities will better position the council to focus on coordination of services that stimulate sustainable
economic growth in the district. “
Mr Rawson said that over the past few years he had had the opportunity to experience the delivery of council services
from both within the structure and from the perspective of a business investor out in the community. In his view the
prospect of being part of a effective ‘Team Rotorua District Council’ approach for delivering council services was
compelling and exciting.
Peter Guerin said the newly created group manager, Economic and Regulatory Services position follows a recent
restructuring of senior management at the council to provide a stronger focus on contributing towards growing the
Rotorua economy. In October the council’s four key groups were combined into three new functional groupings, each headed
by a group manager reporting to Mr Guerin.
The council’s Economic & Regulatory Services Group which Mr Rawson will head, brings together a number of related departments including economic
development, tourism marketing, Events & Venues, business partnerships, city services, Rotorua Museum, planning, building, and regulatory services.
ENDS