Social Issues Facing Us

The Rotorua Social Services Council (ROSSCO) forum today was the first opportunity to meet some of the candidates standing for election to Council.  ROSSCO invited each candidate to list and speak about three major social issues facing Rotorua.   These are the issues that I spoke about:

Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse is a major issue throughout the country.  At a local level the use of  bylaws to effect change is a valuable tool.  Local  liquor bans like those applied at the Ragamuffin Concert and the recently held  Ireland vs NZ Maori rugby match have had huge community support.   By working proactively with the Police the success of the 24 hour liquor bans was clear and have been nationally and internationally recognised as best practice.

Many of our suburban shopping centres are now alcohol free with the recent introduction of permanent liquor bans.   We must begin to reduce the number of liquor outlets and place tighter controls on hours of operation.  These actions will go some way toward reducing alcohol related problems.  However the biggest changes must come from central government, they  have a huge role to play in setting the drinking age and acceptable drink/drive blood alcohol levels.  We as  a community must continue to make our voice heard about these issues.

Supporting Youth

I support programs designed specifically for youth and believe that it is a huge part of our social responsibility on Council. We must recognise that the changing family dynamics in our community are felt keenly by our youth.  Many community-based organisations and trusts are providing much needed guidance and life skills in this area and financial support from Council is vital for these initiatives to continue.  While it is easy to insist that the problem is one for central government to solve, the issue for me is that these young people are our future.  The more we can help to integrate them into our community the stronger our community will become.

Improving Street Lighting

Our older suburbs are suffering from poorly-lit areas that do nothing to enhance feelings of safety for residents. We must target spending to those areas most in need.  I believe the current Council policy on street lighting needs review and put simply, some areas are much more in need than others.  Street safety and beautification can go hand in hand and it’s time we stopped worrying about strict equity and simpy did what is right.

Many of the social issues facing our community are governed by  central government policy and it’s important to be clear about the responsibilities and areas of influence that is appropriate at a local government level.

I was pleased to take part in this first gathering of candidates and was impressed at everyone’s ability to keep to the three minute limit!