Waitomo District Council
It may be a case of ‘out with the New’, but retired councillor, Janene New has parted on a positive, and celebratory, note.
Pen friends – former Waitomo district councillors from left, Janene New, Gavin Todd and Phil Brodie.
At a lunch last week, New – who served a nine year tenure (2016–25) – Phil Brodie (2010–22) and Gavin Todd (2022–25) were thanked for their service on the Waitomo District Council.
The event was a traditional and symbolic changing of the guard following the local body elections.
“It was a lovely occasion and we all appreciated some very kind words,” New told the News. “It was also an opportunity to reflect on our work. Overall, I hope we’ve represented the community well through our decision making.”
All three were given engraved pens, however New also had her name added to a priceless piece of silverware.
“The pens are really nice, they are engraved with our names and the terms we served,” she said. “But the silver tray was a little something extra. It was presented to my father when he retired from council, so I said it would be an honour to also have my name engraved next to his.”
New’s father, the late Ian Wards, retired from council in 2004 after 18 years’ service.
While her three children aren’t in office, all could be likely candidates in the not-too-distant future.
“There is room for a third name at least, so who knows? I wouldn’t say there’s a particular front-runner, though, because I’d hate to put that much pressure on them.
“We’ve tried to instil in our children that public service and volunteer work is what keeps small towns going.”
Both Janene New and her husband, Phil New, a veteran volunteer fire fighter, have been served their community, almost, cradle to grave. In addition to running funeral directors, VJ Williams and Sons, the couple have given back in numerous ways.
Reflecting on her time in office, New said her efforts have already been rewarded.
“Probably one of the earliest standouts was helping with the establishment of the Gallagher Centre. But, because of my role with council, I also became very involved with Legendary Te Kūiti and the Waitomo Sister City relationship with Japan. I’m remaining on those committees and also as a trustee for the DC Tynan Trust,” she said.
“We also created more awareness of Creative Community grants. We made a concerted effort to ensure people understood what they can be used for. As a result, we’ve seen many more applications and more money is now being pumped into the arts in the district.”
Aside from the big successes, service in local government comes down to a lot of day-to-day graft.
“Most of what we do on council is regulatory with long-term plans, annual plans, those types of things, and policy making. They may seem like little things, but they all add up and help to make a difference.”
