Minister appoints new Local Government Commissioner

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has announced the appointment of Grant Kirby as a member of the Local Government Commission.

Grant Kirby has considerable experience in local government, and as a former Chairman of the Local Government Commission he will be a great asset at this time, Mr Hide said.

The reform of Auckland governance will mean a heavy workload for the Commission in the coming year, and it will benefit from the input of someone of Mr Kirby's calibre.

I have invited the Commission's chair Sue Piper to appoint Mr Kirby as the liaison person between the Commission and the Auckland Transition Agency.

Since 1993 Mr Kirby has run his own consulting business, working mainly as a project director on complex local government related projects in the Auckland region.   Before 1993 he held a number of senior positions in local government, all based in Auckland. 

Mr Kirby was Chairman of the Local Government Commission from 2001-2005. 

The Local Government Commission is an independent statutory body established under the Local Government Act 1974 to make decisions on the structure of local government.