On Tuesday night iwi representatives, council staff, and friends and whānau of newly elected members gathered at the Matamata-Piako Civic and Memorial Centre to welcome our new Council. The evening of 28 October 2025 marked the start of a new Council term, with a pōwhiri and inaugural meeting.

The pōwhiri was led by representatives from Ngāti Hinerangi and Ngāti Hauā, with tangata whenua offering whaikōrero (formal speeches) and waiata (songs), which were returned by the manuwhiri (guests). Following the pōwhiri, we welcomed the new Mayor elect, Ash Tanner, six returning Councillors, James Sainsbury, Sue Whiting, Bruce Dewhurst, Dayne Horne, James Thomas, and Gary Thompson, and six new Councillors, Rewiti Vaimoso, Vincent Andersen, Grace Bonnar, Tyrel Glass, Greg Marshall, and Andrew Peter McGiven, as they were officially sworn in. Kōrero were then shared by the Mayor and Chief Executive Manaia Te Wiata.

One of the first decisions made at the inaugural meeting was to appoint Councillor James Sainsbury as Deputy Mayor. Cr Sainsbury thanked the people of Matamata-Piako, his family, fellow Councillors and Mayor Ash Tanner for the support, “Your Worship, thank you for the confidence you’ve shown in nominating me.” Cr Sainsbury is serving his fourth term representing the community, but first term as Deputy Mayor, “My one commitment to Ash is that he will always know what I am thinking and, in light of that, we will have a high-trust relationship.”

Mayor Ash Tanner closed the meeting with a few words, “I’m very proud of our Council that’s sitting around the table, and I’m very proud of the staff. I think the next three years is going to be a blast.” He is returning as Mayor for the 2025–28 term, having previously served as Mayor from 2019–22 and as a Councillor for the nine years prior. His campaign this year focused on getting things done, “We need to stay united and work for the people, because that’s who we represent - not ourselves.”