Neena Chauhan has been formally sworn in as Te Puke’s newest Community Board member at Council chambers.
Ms Chauhan (pictured) fills the vacant seat left following the resignation of Anish Paudel in August.
Nominations for the position closed in early September and Ms Chauhan was the only person nominated, avoiding the need for a by-election.
She has called Te Puke home for the last 23 years and is a passionate educator for young tamariki and an advocate for the Indian community in the region.
“Te Puke has given me so much and this is my time to give back. From day one it’s been about serving the community and that will be my focus,” she said.
Western Bay Mayor, James Denyer said he was looking forward to working with Ms Chauhan.
“Our Community Board members play an important role in representing and advocating for their local communities. I welcome Neena to our team of elected members and look forward to her making a strong contribution to the Te Puke community in her new role,” he said.
She joins Chairperson Kassie Ellis, Dale Snell and Karen Summerhays as the representatives for Te Puke, alongside Councillors Grant Dally and Andy Wichers.
The next Te Puke Community Board meeting is at 7pm on Thursday 23 November at the Te Puke Library and Service Centre.
