Tauranga City councillor Catherine Stewart's tenure as deputy chair of the Wastewater Management Review Committee is over after one meeting.

Committee chairman Rick Curach and Catherine were appointed to the Wastewater Management Review Committee by Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby, who nominated the committee chairs and deputies following the local body elections last October.

Tauranga City councillor Catherine Stewart has stepped down fro being deputy chair on the Wastewater Management Review Committee.

It's the first time Rick and Catherine have held such positons under the current mayoralty.

Catherine's position was challenged at the committee's first meeting in March by Nga Potiki representative Matire Duncan.

She points out the committee, which was formed to administer and monitor the wastewater consents and meets only sporadically, is required to operate in accordance with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – especially consultation, active participation and partnership.

'Partnership connotes equal standing and decision-making power between tangata whenua and the applicant/TCC.

'An immediate discrepancy is the chairperson and vice chairperson are elected members of TCC,” says Matire Duncan in her Notice of Motion.

The council had to stand Catherine down, because the committee doesn't have the authority.

When it came up on TCC's meeting agenda this week Catherine Stewart moved the motion removing herself, saying the council was remiss in setting up the committee the way it did.

'I understand that this was something tangata whenua were requesting some time ago.

'It was remiss that we never discussed it before the beginning of the triennium. For that reason I support it.”