Nine new councillors joined five returning members in being sworn in by chief executive Fiona McTavish.
McDonald told the Bay of Plenty Times she was “overwhelmed” to be the first wahine Māori chair.
“I think it’s the broader meaning … it stands out for me for women and … being representative of Māori.”
She was “privileged” and “honoured” to have been selected by her fellow councillors, particularly the nine new councillors who were “just getting to know one another”.
“I think it was about looking for change.”
McDonald said she had worked in local government for more than 30 years, working in operations and management before being elected as the Mauao Māori Constituency Councillor in 2017.
“I always had visions myself of what should happen for our constituency.”
McDonald said some of her proudest achievements as a councillor were “being the Māori voice at the table” and “elevating Komiti Māori”.
Komiti Māori provided direction and guidance on the council’s obligations to Māori, including the growth of authentic partnerships with tangata whenua, emerging issues, legal requirements, effective engagement, awareness and understanding.
McDonald said Komiti Māori, which she chaired, was now one of the four “core committees”, meaning all councillors sat on the committee.
Since becoming a councillor, McDonald said she had noticed the “improvement and capacity of hapū/iwi groups out in the community”.
“I’ve seen them grow from strength to strength. It’s still work in progress, but I would love to think that I had a part in that in helping them to navigate council processes, advocating for funding around this table to help them build their capacity … and actually, through the LTP [Long-Term Plan], getting specific funding that was ongoing and not just one-off projects … ”
Bay of Plenty Regional councillors have elected Matemoana McDonald as chair and Glenn Dougal as deputy chair.
McDonald said the council had a lot of relationship building to do with territorial authorities, communities and te iwi Māori.
She said among the council’s biggest issues were Local Waters Done Well and climate change.
“We will be looking seriously at whether or not we actually build a specific committee that’s purely focused on climate change.
“I’m looking forward to leading our council and councillors into the next triennium. I am confident that we’ve got a great team here.”
She said new councillors were experts in “exactly the areas that we need around the table”.
This included planners, climate change experts, engineers and meteorologists.
“It’s absolutely amazing, and that’s what excites me.”
Councillors elected Glenn Dougal as deputy chair. Dougal was serving his first term for the Tauranga General Constituency.
He was a business owner and trained meteorologist with experience governing community organisations.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.