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

© Scoop Media