Jane Nees, Bay of Plenty Regional Councillor


I have been a Regional Councillor representing the Western Bay District for five terms - and I have been re-elected for a further term in 2022. This website will help you know who I am, what I stand for, and what I believe in.

JANE NEES

Jane's View of the World

I am grateful to have been re-elected as a Regional Councillor for the Western Bay Constituency for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council in the 2022 local body elections. Thank you to all those who voted me back in. This will be my sixth term representing the people of the Western Bay.

It is also a privilege to been selected again by my fellow Councillors as Deputy Chair for the next term.

The upcoming three years are sure to be very challenging, with replacement of the RMA by the Natural and Built Environments Act, the Spatial Planning Act, the Climate Change Act and a new Planning Framework heading our way from Central Government - not to mention the Future of Local Government Review. With Government elections coming up we are certain to see a lot of uncertainty before we have a clear view of what regional and local government responses to national direction are required.

However, I believe we can be certain that climate change mitigation and adaptation, freshwater improvements, enhanced biosecurity and biodiversity action, and accommodating growth pressures through better integration of urban and transport planning will be high on the agenda no matter what party is in power at a national level.

I am committed to:

  • Listening to our community...

  • Understanding the issues...

  • Careful and thoughtful consideration...

  • Making evidence based and prudent decisions...

  • Working in collaboration and partnership with our communities...

  • Developing positive and effective working relationships with our neighbouring local Councils,...and

  • Providing strong leadership and the courage to act together to build a more sustainable world.


I firmly believe that:

  • Our environment is precious and needs protecting and enhancing.

  • Our activities are impacting on our environment.

  • Climate change is occurring and we must act urgently to change behaviour, to mitigate, and to adapt.

  • We need to reduce our footprint on the earth. We need to reuse more and waste less.

  • People are important. Together we can make a difference.

  • Our positive future will require innovation and continual improvement in what we do.


My focus for the triennium ahead will be to ensure that the Bay of Plenty Regional Council is responding to the issues above, while providing:

  • Value for money and wise investment; transparency and accountability;

  • Efficient and effective service delivery;

  • Strong customer service;

  • A greater understanding of what the Regional Council does;

  • Increased engagement of Council with the wider community, so that the valuable work that the Regional Council does is respected and valued.