David Walter is Chairman of Taranaki Regional Council, past Chairman of Stratford County Council, and the first Mayor of Stratford District Council. A Chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... One of 74 territorial local authorities in New Zealand. ...

Biography

David E. Walter was born in Douglas, Taranaki, in 1939, the grandson of former County Chairman and Member of Parliament Edward Walter, relative of All Black John Walter, and cousin of All Black Alan Smith. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Image:Smith A E.jpg Alan Smith, All Black Alan Edward Smith, All Black lock, was born on December 10, 1942, in Stratford, New Zealand. ...

Upon leaving home he worked as a journalist in Europe, then returned to Douglas to work as the east-Taranaki stringer for the Taranaki Daily News while running the family sheep and beef farm. He developed a knack for historical stories and human interest tales, and in 1977 accepted the role of Honorary county historian, with the aim of producing a publication for the 1990 centennial.^[1] The Stratford Inheritance was published in 1990 and authored by Ian Church, with significant input from Walter's work.^[2] This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... View of Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont from Stratford, facing west. ... Stringer can have different meanings, including: In journalism, a stringer is a freelance journalist, who is paid for each piece of published or broadcast work, rather than receiving a regular salary. ... Australian Sheep Sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Farm (disambiguation). ... Human interest news articles are about particular individuals or groups of people. ...

In 1974 Walter was elected as a Stratford County councillor, and in 1983 was appointed Chairman. He continued in this role until the County Council merged with the Stratford Borough Council to form the Stratford District Council as part of nationwide local government reforms in in 1989. He played a significant role in preserving Stratford's independence when amalgamation with either New Plymouth District Council or South Taranaki District Council was a distinct possibility. Walter was duly elected as the first Mayor of Stratford District Council, a position he held for three terms (9 years) until retiring in 1998.^[3]

After 15 years at the helm of local government and 24 years on County and District Councils, Walter moved on from territorial politics to become a Taranaki Regional Councillor. In November 2001 he replaced inaugural Chairman Ross Allen and holds the position of Chairman to this day. Walter has also played significant roles in a number of other organisations. He has chaired the TSB Community Trust, served as Director of TSB Bank, and represented the Regional Council on the board of Westgate Transport Ltd.^[4] The Taranaki Savings Bank, or as it is now known, TSB Bank, received its first deposit under the banner of New Plymouth Savings Bank on 28 September 1850 from Waitera te Karei. ...

References

1. ^ Puke Ariki: Taranaki Stories: Preserving the Past for the Future
2. ^ Church, Ian (1990), The Stratford Inheritance. Heritage Press Ltd., Waikanae, New Zealand
3. ^ Walter, David (2005), Stratford: Shakespearean Town Under the Mountain. Dunmore Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand
4. ^ Taranaki Regional Council Newsletter: November 2001 No. 36