Meet The Candidates

Last week a meeting was organised by Progress Ngongotaha  at the Ngongotaha Community Hall and tonight the Mokoia Community Association held a meeting at Lakes High School.  These two community-based organisations provided the opportunity for those standing for election to speak to the community.

Both organisations are to be congratulated on running  well organised meetings where every candidate had an equal opportunity to introduce themselves  in two minutes and to answer submitted questions from the floor.

At Ngongotaha  approximately 50 people came to hear candidates with a good mix of questions raised.  At Lakes High about 25 people attended and  the range of community concerns was distilled down to one central issue: How can we make  Rotorua a more caring community?

I enjoyed listening to all the candidates air their views. The range of responses will give those who attended some food for thought.   If you weren’t able to attend either of the meetings and would like to know more about any of the candidates I suggest you give them a call and have a chat.  I think Rotorua is very lucky to have so many people prepared to step up for election.

If you want to know how I feel about any issue now or in the future please feel free to contact me.

 

50 Year Vision for Rotorua

On Friday about 50 people from around the community got together to discuss developing a 50 year vision for Rotorua.  It was great to hear the similarities in what most people wanted for our city. 

While RDC is facilitating this process the desire is for the vision to be developed by the community and key stakeholders. The wider community is  looking for a vision that we can all get behind and that supports  sustainable economic growth.  

Deryck Shaw and Paul Killerby from APR are collating all the information obtained and this will be presented to Council before the end of September. The new council will have the responsibility of putting this vision into action.  Watch this space.

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!

 

 

 

 

 

A Small Village With A Big Heart

This morning I was out in Ngongotaha to witness the blessing of a magnificent red beech log.  The log was gifted to the village by the Kaharoa Mangorewa Trust to commemorate the importance of forestry to this area.

The log has been placed on the paved area  adjacent to the car park at the entrance to the stream walk,  just off Taui Street.  It is well worth taking time to explore this area which also features a beautiful bridge across the stream linking to Stage One of the Ngongotaha to City Cycleway.

There is a great feeling of community partnerships in action,  with Progress Ngongotaha , the Ngongotaha Rail Trust and Te Whare Hauora o Ngongotaha and others working closely together for the benefit of the whole community.

I have enjoyed my close and ongoing association  with Ngongotaha and  love the growing collection of community art works that mirror the cultural richness of the community.

And They're Off!

Today is the first day that election hoardings and other campaign materials are allowed to be displayed in Rotorua.  You can expect all candidates to be putting their best foot forward in every way they can.  Hoardings (the big roadside displays) must be on private property and everyone looks for eye-catching designs and busy locations.

I think that social media will have an increasing role this process as years go by. Many people now use FaceBook and I certainly hope this Blog will help people get some idea of who I am and what I’ve been doing with my time on Council so far. I hope readers will check back here from time to time through the election period, feel free to make comments on individual posts and to ask questions.

Local Government NZ has also put together a website for the public, allowing all candidates to post a web page and receive questions from voters that can be addressed to all candidates simultaneously. This is the link to my page; you can look down the bottom to see which other candidates are registered.  

I'm just back from the first day of work on my hoardings with my support team of Rob, Kevin and Greg.  Thanks to those of you who have allowed us to place one of my signs on your property.

I look forward to any of your feedback about the elections and any of your questions.  
 

You’ll be seeing me around!

Signs Signs Everywhere...

The lists are out.   There are three candidates for Mayor of Rotorua, 28 people are running for council positions (remember no wards this time) and  four for the Rotorua Lakes  Community Board.   There are also good turnouts for Lakes DHB and BOP Regional Council.  Some of those standing are new, some have been elected before and others are standing for more than one position.

As you can imagine, people from all parts of the city are either intensely interested in the elections or hardly know they are happening, however after Saturday it will be very hard to miss the fact that it’s election time.  The city and countryside will be covered, or possibly smothered in hoardings, posters and billboards.  Some might call this visual pollution, however for others it can brighten up dull parts of town and for all residents it is a very clear reminder that if you want to have your say on who is chosen to guide the city, now is the time to make your vote count.

All of the current councillors are standing for re-election, however historically there is usually about 20% turnover. In the meantime, it’s business as usual on Council with meetings continuing almost right up to Election Day.

If you are interested in hearing from those standing for mayor then the Chamber of Commerce are hosting a breakfast for the mayoral candidates on Thursday 16^th September at the  Heritage Hotel.  Tickets are available from the Chamber.

The first public Meet The Candidates meeting announced so far is on Monday 20^th September at Lakes High School from 7-9 pm. More information is available from the Mokoia Community Association.  I hope to see you there.

Is your name on the list?

Election time again and the talk of the town is who else is standing for Mayor?  Rumour has it there are now three  candidates, all will be revealed on Monday the 23^rd when those nominated will be listed in the Daily Post.

 Billboards go up here in Rotorua from the 28^th August and must come down Friday 8^th October, before Election day on the 9^th.  Six weeks of campaigning if you were wondering and yes it is different for every region as signage is governed by  local bylaws.

Nominations close this Friday at 12 noon so it’s not too late to  put yours in.  Everyone is interested to see how the voting stacks up this time now we have abolished the wards and you can vote for up to 12 councillors.

I understand Lakes High  School are planning a public meeting dates TBC . If you are interested  look out for the listing of public meetings.