Western Bay of Plenty District Council Kaimai ward candidates. Photo / Talia Parker
Housing, Three Waters, street lighting, the Treaty of Waitangi, and council tenders were just some of the issues Kaimai ward councillor hopefuls tackled in a public meeting this week.
The candidates met at Pahoia School in Whakamārama on Tuesday as part of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Meet the Candidates debate series.
The ward has seven candidates standing for four seats: incumbents Murray Grainger, Margaret Murray-Benge and Don Thwaites and newcomers Suaree Borrell, Tracey Coxhead, Matthew Farrell, and Matua Parkinson.
The opening question was whether council tenders for goods and services should prioritise local businesses, or the cheapest option.
Candidates generally supported a balance between the two.
Grainger, Coxhead, Murray-Benge and Borell also mentioned a preference for quality over initial cost-savings.
Farrell, Parkinson and Borell talked about wanting to see money stay local to stimulate local economies.
Thwaites cited several contracts the council currently had for roads, water, and reserve maintenance.
Next, candidates were asked about lighting, curb channels, and foot paths in the older parts of Ōmokoroa, and when they planned to be upgraded.
The three incumbent councillors said there had been upgrades in Ōmokoroa, including new LED lights.
Parkinson and Borell both said they had issues with similar infrastructure in their home areas of Te Puna and Whakamārama respectively. Borell felt it was important to balance investment with preserving heritage.
Coxhead said she would want to know how deferred maintenance affected businesses, health and safety, and how significant of an issue the current situation was.
Farrell said maintenance was a question of priorities that had to balance competing interests through cost-benefit analyses.
Asked if they thought the council had managed its Three Waters assets appropriately compared to other councils, the candidates generally agreed it had.
Murray-Benge, Grainger, Farrell, Coxhead, and Borell took the opportunity to express their opposition to the proposed Three Waters reforms.
Parkinson said he wanted water management to include more input and discussion with local iwi, who could provide a different perspective.
Thwaites said the assets had been managed exceptionally well given the Bay of Plenty's late growth compared to other regions.
The fourth question asked how the candidates would work with and honour the Treaty of Waitangi.
Borell said that as a Māori, French, and Samoan woman, she would be embodying the treaty relationship if she were elected.
Coxhead said the Western Bay had a diverse community and anyone would be welcome to talk to her if she was elected.
Farrell and Grainger said local governments were required to engage with Māori as per their statutory obligations, and Grainger said it was important to recognise different Māori groups would have different opinions.
Murray-Benge said she considered herself equal to everyone she met regardless of ethnicity, and she considered that an important part of the treaty. She said the treaty worked well and she did not want it to be distorted.
Parkinson said the Treaty of Waitangi was different to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and that only those who come from whakapapa Māori could represent the Māori world view. He said the council needed diversity to represent the true Māori view instead of through a Pākehā lens.
Thwaites said the key to the treaty partnership was acting responsibly and in good faith, and having the treaty on the wall of the council chamber was a reminder of how Māori had been overlooked in the past.
Candidates were asked how they would address the issue of schools losing pupils because young families could not afford to live in their areas.
Farrell said population growth had crept up on the community over 20 years. He said central government's immigration policies had pushed down into local communities, and small rural areas could only take so much growth. He said there needed to be a local and central government power balance to address growth needs.
Coxhead said young people were getting squeezed and there were no simple answers. She said it may be a matter of looking at downsizing and subdividing, and allowing businesses to operate with less constrictive regulations.
Borell said the region needed a fair share of government housing initiatives, and to focus on innovative thinking through the policy levers it could use to make regulations work locally.
Thwaites said the Resource Management Act was driving a lot of these issues and he thought it was important to allow extra dwellings and free up subdivisions to meet demand.
Parkinson said there should be fewer hoops to jump through to live on multiple-owned land, as living where people had whakapapa tied them to their local community and schools.
Murray-Benge said there were massive social issues in New Zealand caused by a lack of housing and that local government was being over regulated by central government. She said regulations needed to be scaled back so they could serve the community.
Grainger said there was little the council could do about the cost of a home, but it could do something in its review of the district plan. He said factors to be considered when building new subdivisions and developments included transport.
Each candidate was asked to give their position on a different combination of five statements from a pool of eight options. That meant some topics were not addressed by all candidates.
Rates increases are important to maintain infrastructure:
Yes: Matua Parkinson, Don Thwaites, Margaret Murray-Benge, Murray Grainger.
No: Nil.
There are numerous examples in the Western Bay of co-governance arrangements with tangata whenua that benefit the whole community:
Yes: Tracey Coxhead, Thwaites, Murray-Benge, Matthew Farrell. Suaree Borell answered "correct".
No: Parkinson (answered "kau").
We need to be doing more to financially support businesses impacted by Covid-19:
Yes: Nil.
No: Parkinson, Murray-Benge, Grainger. Farrell and Borrell said it was not the council's role.
We need to future-proof our economy by diversifying industries away from horticulture:
Yes: Parkinson ("aye").
No: Thwaites.
Establish Māori wards:
Yes: Thwaites, Borrell, Grainger.
No: Parkinson ("kau"), Coxhead, Murray-Benge.
Other: Farrell answered, "consult."
We're doing enough for our community with accessibility needs:
Yes: Nil.
No: Coxhead, Murray-Benge.
Other: Farrell answered "pass".
It's important to address the housing crisis by building up, not out:
Yes: Thwaites.
No: Tracey Coxhead, Suaree Borell, Murray Grainger.
The voice of our rangatahi (youth) should have more prominence in future planning for the district than our elder generation.
Yes: Nil.
No: Coxhead, Farrell.
Other: Borell answered "correct".