Tim Cadogan campaigned on a platform of restoring what he saw as a disconnect between the Central Otago District Council and the community.
With some initial steps, he says he is "getting well along the way to rectifying that".
Councillor Connection sessions would start next month, in which members of the public could have 10-minute talks with their representatives before every council meeting.
"It was one of the first things that I wanted to institute, and it’s something that has been welcomed by the councillors," Mr Cadogan said.
He has also continued his "coffee and a chat" meetings with the public across the district, which began on the campaign trail.
He now holds a couple per month.
"Some people come along just to say, ‘I’m looking forward to working with you on this future thing’, or some have an idea, or some have come along who have problems and want to talk about it.‘‘It’s all about being the liaison between council staff and the community, and I’m really relishing it."
His days had been booked solid, he said.
"It’s been an incredibly busy six weeks. This job allows you to be as busy as you want to be and I love being busy."
The hours have been exacerbated recently by him winding down most of his law practice and position as a Central Lakes trustee.
The incoming change to traditional water rights was a high-priority issue, he said.
Most irrigation water in Central Otago was taken through permits which expire in 2021.
Running in parallel to this were a series of projects by the Otago Regional Council to set minimum flows on rivers, and a widespread project to increase irrigation in the Manuherikia and Ida Valleys.
"That’s really big on the radar. We want to make sure that we’re on top of that."
Mr Cadogan said he had engaged with the Manuherikia Catchment Water Strategy Group, and the regional council.
"That’s under way at present. I’ve had two or three meetings with [regional council chairman] Stephen Woodhead to make sure we’re being represented."
Another concern is controlling the impacts of properties being snapped up in parts of the district.
"We’ve been experiencing a boom. In Alexandra the amount of sections in this calendar year is unprecedented."
The Vincent Community Board had some proposals about the topic in its upcoming meeting, but they were commercially sensitive at this stage , he said.
"For example the Centre for Space Science Technology is a great thing, but it will also attract people, and we have to meet it in the property market."
With no concrete goals for the next three months, he and council staff would be looking at the long-term plan process and investigating whether there were better ways than public submissions to gather community opinion.
While being swamped, there has not been much time to talk professionally with his brother across the district boundary, Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan.
"We talked professionally in a range of meetings at the start of the new term, but there hasn’t been too much talking apart from that, we’ve both been very busy in our own roles."
