It has been a hectic three days for Ms van Uden but she wasted no time settling into her new role yesterday, preparing to lead the council and community for the next three years.
In an interview with the Otago Daily Times, Ms van Uden (43) said while the council had already made huge inroads into cutting debt, recently identifying a $170 million saving through rates and water demand management, "there's still $28 million [needed] to get us back to our own, self-imposed levels".
There would need to be prioritisation of spending across the full spectrum of council services and the council had until the next long-term plan in 2012 to get the projected debt to a comfortable level.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's achievable.
"It will be done. It has to be done.
"There isn't a choice."
After emerging a clear winner of the district's mayoralty race on Saturday, Ms van Uden was at the council's Gorge Rd office yesterday morning for a "long chat" with council chief executive Debra Lawson.
Her success means women now have leading roles in several of the district's key businesses.
Lakes Leisure is run by Fiona McKissock and the Chamber of Commerce is run by Ann Lockhart.
"What I think is fantastic - and I firmly believe this - all of us have been put there because of our ability and experience.
"It isn't any bearing on our gender at all," Ms van Uden said.
While Ms Lawson has only been with the QLDC since the beginning of this year, Ms van Uden expects their working relationship to be "very positive" as "we think along the same lines on many, many things".
"One of the things we discussed [yesterday] was working together as a team - it's one of the things I have been pretty positive about and I think the returning councillors ... and the new ones will be working together as a team, as councillors and with council staff ... and having some fun."
All councillors who sought re-election were successful on Saturday and the result was a council with a good balance of experience and new blood, she said.
"I've got a good working knowledge of how the mechanics [of the council] works ... but I think we should never be afraid of having a new set of eyes looking at anything.
"What we are fortunate to have is some councillors returning that have been here for a comfortable period of time, we have skilled council staff and checks and balances to give us a fresh point of view balanced with experienced heads.
"I think we've got a very nice balance."
By the end of this week Ms van Uden aimed to meet all the councillors individually and "chat" with them about their objectives and priorities before getting together with all the councillors as a group.
"That's one of the promises I made straight up - I wanted an inclusive council ... that's part of the process of doing that."
