Mayor of Rotorua, Stephanie Anne “Steve” Chadwick Stephanie Anne “Steve” Chadwick is the first female mayor of the Rotorua Lakes Council in New Zealand. She has encouraged community involvement in decision making and planning. During her time as mayor, she has helped to turn Rotorua around. Before she was elected, the city had been experiencing a decade a population loss, but in 2017 the city gained 817 people. Throughout her leadership she has developed projects and programmes which reflect her understanding of the needs of the city and its citizens and the unique culture of Rotorua. Her programmes have helped to improve the economy of the city, through the rejuvenation of the Central Business District (CBD). Community input was gathered, on a range of smaller projects designed to work together to improve the atmosphere through the addition of artwork and green space. Create easier access to the inner city by expanding parking and creating dedicated cycle lanes. In 2015, at the start of these projects, Rotorua had an economic growth rate of 2.9 per cent, now three years in the growth rate has risen to 4 per cent and unemployment is down 2 per cent. She improved services for the city through the creation of the Te Aka Mauri library and children’s health hub. The library had needed repair and renovation and the District Health Board required a central location to provide children’s health services as the previous multisite approach was causing problems. To solve these problems, a national first project collocating these services was created. The library was renovated and reopened as the Te Aka Mauri library and children’s health hub. It is located in the heart of the CBD and provides a central, easily accessible location. Mayor Stephanie Anne is inspiring not only in Rotorua and New Zealand, but also beyond. She has contributed in a number of international forums and events during her time as Mayor. In 2016, she was a key-note speaker at the International Mayors Forum on Tourism in Zhengzhou, China. Almost a hundred mayors from 36 different countries attended as well as 31 from China and around 400 other officials. Most recently, she attended the 2nd Meeting of the Network of Cultural Cities of FEALAC held in Argentina in August. Mayor Stephanie is a qualified nurse and mid-wife and has been involved in politics since the 1960’s when she attended Victoria University. Her formal involvement began in 1996 when she entered local government as a councillor for Rotorua, a post she held until 1999. Following her time in council, she successfully ran for parliament in 1999 and became the first female member of parliament for Rotorua. She remained in parliament until 2011. In 2013, she ran for Mayor of the Rotorua Lakes Council and on the October 17 was declared the winning candidate becoming the first female mayor of Rotorua.
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