Members of the Bluff Community Board unanimously agreed to reappoint long-standing Chairperson Ray Fife to the role at its inaugural meeting for the 2025–2028 term.
At their meeting in Bluff last night, members Jo Eruera, Frazer Murdoch, Haylee Simeon, and Justin Sutherland voted for Ray Fife to again be named Chairperson of the board, with Justin Sutherland chosen to serve as Deputy Chairperson – also unanimously.
Fife was first elected to the Bluff Community Board in 2013 and has served as its chair ever since.
Fife and Sutherland were returned to the Bluff Community Board by voters in October’s local body elections, while Eruera, Murdoch, and Simeon are all set to serve their first term on the board.
Fife offered his congratulations to his fellow board members, particularly those who had been elected for the first time.
“It’s a privilege to be the Chair of the Bluff Community Board, and to work hard to look after the best interests of our community,” he said.
He said he was looking forward to working with the members of the board and Invercargill City Councillors, as well as new Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell. He was also looking forward to continuing to work closely with Deputy Mayor Grant Dermody, who will continue in his role as the Councillor liaison to the Bluff Community Board.
Meanwhile, Bluff Community Board representatives also discussed appointments for interest roles affecting the community, including for the Bluff Bursary Subcommittee, with Fife, Eruera, and Sutherland selected for the roles.
The Bluff Bursary was established by the Bluff Borough Council shortly before it dissolved in 1989. It has since been continued by the Bluff Community Board.
The Bluff Bursary Subcommittee – comprised of a Chairperson and two other members of the community board – offers residents planning to undertake tertiary study the opportunity to apply for the award. The bursary is worth up to $2000 per year for three years.
Murdoch, Eruera, and Fife will work with the Bluff Promotions Committee. Fife and Simeon were selected as the board’s representatives for the Bluff Maritime Museum, and Fife, Sutherland, and Simeon were selected as representatives for the Bluff Community Charity Trust.
Simeon was also designated as the board’s Māori Community Liaison Committee representative, while Eruera and Simeon will also serve as representatives for the Welfare and Health Committee. Fife and Murdoch will do so for Emergency Management Southland.