A change of heart from the Chairman at Greater Wellington regional council

Daran Ponter is the current chair of the council, but over the weekend the Herald revealed he'd applied for the Chief Executive position.

This morning he's released a statement saying he's withdrawn from the recruitment process.

He says on reflection, the best way to serve the region is to stay in his role as chair.

Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy says it's important the region has stable leadership as it embarks on the Wellington Growth Strategy.