Current filter:
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is made up of nine representatives elected by the community through the local body elections held every three years. Find out who your councillors are.
The most recent election was on 8 October 2022. Elected members are responsible for developing or approving all major policies to enable the Regional Council to achieve its vision for a prosperous region, a vibrant community, and a clean and healthy environment.
The Hawke’s Bay region is divided into seven constituencies.
The rural constituencies of Wairoa and Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay are each represented by one member, with the urban constituencies of Ahuriri /Napier and Heretaunga/Hastings each represented by three members. The rural constituency of Ngaruroro that surrounds the urban centres is represented by one member.
There are two Māori constituencies, Māui ki te Raki and Māui ki te Tonga, each with one member representing Māori who live in the northern and southern areas of Hawke’s Bay.
Councillors elect the Chair at the first Regional Council meeting following a local body election.
Tēnā koutou, ko Hinewai Ormsby āhau. I’m a proud local and descendent of the first settlers in Hawke’s Bay. As the elected Chairperson for the Council it is a pleasure to represent Hawke’s Bay, with all the greatness our region has to offer. We face significant environmental, cultural, social, and economic challenges in the next 3-year term, and I’ll work incredibly hard to create a flourishing environment. I look forward to collaborating with fellow Councillors, staff, mana whenua and our community to drive long-term protection and restoration of our natural environment for the benefit of this generation and the generations to come.
I am proud to be a 2nd term councillor working for the best interests of the Hawke’s Bay region. I farm sheep and beef in Tamatea Central Hawkes’ Bay with wife Abbie, and boys Archie and Teddy. It is an exciting time to be doing what I can to influence our region for better environmental outcomes while we also prosper while living here. Improving our biodiversity and water resource to achieve a better climate here is a must. Hawke’s Bay is a great place to live and HBRC has a job to continue to enhance that.
I’m passionate about our environment and responding to the challenge of climate change, while supporting a thriving Hawke’s Bay community for current and future generations. I bring to Council a background of voluntary involvement in every major regional water issue over the last decade, as well as time spent working inside Council supporting farmer catchment groups. I have an honours degree in horticultural science, along with postgraduate diplomas in environment management and banking. Since leaving the banking industry and settling in Hawke’s Bay, my involvement in the wine industry has given me regional and national governance experience in finance, water, sustainability and environment. Home is now on our vineyard at Bridge Pa, with wife Ali and two sons.
Kai raro i ngā tauwhirotanga o ōku tīpuna maunga tae atu ki ngā wai tuku kōrero, tēnei au ka whakamānawa ko Thompson Hokianga āhau. Being born and raised in Hawke’s Bay deeply connects me to my Ngāti Kahungunu lineage. I am a husband and father of five with an academic portfolio that includes a Masters with distinction (University of Canterbury) and I begin a PhD in 2023 which complements my role as a Regional Councillor. I have a vision of a vibrant and flourishing region prioritising the health and wellbeing of our water first, then the needs of people, followed by a restorative approach to environmental activity while growing a sustainable and fair regional economy.
Kia ora Hawkes Bay My partner Vilma and I have 5 children and we are proud to call Mohaka our home. We have 35 acres there and we enjoy fishing on the Mohaka and the amazing lifestyle on offer in the Wairoa district. As one of your new councillors I am real keen to get alongside our communities to work towards a healthy and thriving region. Economic development is high on the agenda, carbon neutral is high on the agenda, and protecting our water is up there as well. It’s going to be an exciting three years – looking forward to it.
I grew up on a hill country farm in Waimarama and subsequently got a commerce degree at Massey University. My first job was an exporting role at Arataki Honey and since then I have lived in several New Zealand cities, including 16 years in Wellington where I was engaged in marketing and communications, mainly in the banking sector. Prior to being elected to HBRC I spent 12 years as CEO of Mitre 10 Sports Park, mainly engaged in the development and operation of new sporting facilities. My main focus is water, both quality and quantity. I want to see us manage it well, for the benefit of the environment and the economy.
Alongside my husband Graeme, I am a proud Ruakituri sheep and beef farmer. My passion sits with rural communities and driving environmental impact alongside stakeholders. With a long background in education and event management, I manage multiple rural wellbeing initiatives that support knowledge growth and empower rural people to be better prepared to face the changing realities of farming in the Wairoa district. I stood for Council to ensure that HBRC’s governance decisions reflect the needs of the rural communities who are well placed to tackle climate change with the right support and tools.
I have lived with my husband in Hawke’s Bay since the early ‘90s, when we first discovered the tiny community at Waimārama. Moving out of the village with our young family, we shifted a mile south, taking over the coastal hill country sheep and beef farm which we converted to organic/regenerative practice and certified as organic in 2004. For the past 20 years I have worked with the philosophies of sustainable land management growing fertile soils, water resilience, and an organic meat business that supplies wholesale meat around New Zealand. I am committed to community engagement that really listens and engages with the people who live in our region and who care deeply about environmental and social wellbeing.
I came to New Zealand in the early ‘80s as a backpacker from Holland, after completing my studies in Agricultural Civil engineering. I started (very soon after arriving in NZ) my own horticultural labour contracting business, which was quickly followed by land ownership. I have held several roles representing the horticulture industry helping to develop seasonal labour strategies, including the RSE scheme. I also instigated two grower co-ops; Pick Hawke’s Bay to assist small to medium growers access seasonal labour, and the Twyford Irrigators Group to manage irrigation water in a more sustainable way. In addition to my Councillor role, I still find time to be a Hawke’s Bay Cherry grower.
I am a second term Councillor representing the Ahuriri/Napier Constituency. My wife and I moved to Napier in early 2008 and we have since raised our two children here, now attending University at Auckland and Canterbury. My branch of the Williams family has lived in Hawke’s Bay since the 1860s, although I grew up elsewhere in the North Island, with my parents returning to live in Napier in 1985. I have worked as a lawyer specialising in local government and environmental law since 1995, graduating in law after first completing an honours degree in biological science at Massey University.
+64 6 835 9200
159 Dalton Street. Napier 4110
Private Bag 6006, Napier 4142
Disclaimers, Copyright & Privacy
Disclaimers and Copyright
While every endeavour has been taken by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to ensure that the information on this website is
accurate and up to date, Hawke's Bay Regional Council shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith.
Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant
government agencies. Hawke's Bay Regional Council cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content.
Portions of the information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online
graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced
information or material is copyright to the respective provider.
© Hawke's Bay Regional Council - www.hbrc.govt.nz / +64 6 835 9200 / info@hbrc.govt.nz