Kevin Marsh has been a Western Bay of Plenty district councillor for 21 years. Photo / Supplied
Kevin Marsh has been a Western Bay of Plenty district councillor for 21 years. Photo / Supplied
Twenty-one years as a Western Bay of Plenty district councillor has been an absolute honour for Kevin Marsh.
And although he's sure there will be much he will miss, the Te Puke-Maketu ward councillor will not be running for council this year and believes it is time to stand down.
Kevin says he was first motivated 21 years ago to stand in the then Maketu ward to ensure that rural people had a voice.
"Graeme Weld, who held that seat, stood also for mayor, and he and many others encouraged me to put my hat in the ring.
"He was successful as mayor and I received a strong mandate as councillor for Maketu ward, which was encouraging."
Kevin says he is proud of his contribution. Photo / NZME
He says another motivation was to get the council working for the ratepayers, not against them, as it seemed from the outside.
"With different roles I have had as a councillor, I have enjoyed the relationships with many members of staff, which I think fair to say, have been ones of mutual respect.
"But unfortunately, that isn't always the case, and staff need to always remember that we, as ratepayers, are actually the owners of the business."
Kevin says he is proud of contributing to the reduction of council debt that began in earnest in 2009.
Also, of the opening of the Tauranga Eastern Link, TEL, which he and Graeme Weld fought hard for at the start.
"It was a sweet moment being driven along the highway the day of its opening, and I'm very proud of the establishment of the Waste Water Scheme at Maketu, making a significantly healthy difference for that community.
"I'm also proud of the sound planning of successive councils delivering infrastructure for our growing population across the district."
He says looking back over the years, he does not think he would have done anything differently.
"I've always been my own person. I've never tried to be anything less than completely honest, standing up strongly for what I believe is the best way forward for our people.
"This hasn't always been met with a welcome, but I've always been committed to the wellbeing of our community."
Kevin says he has never wanted higher office, but his time as chairman of operations and chairman of Maketu-Te Puke Ward Forum enabled him to effect change from within when appropriate.
"However, I am disappointed that we didn't get two lanes back for Te Puke, and the clog-up of our main street, particularly during kiwifruit harvesting, is a worry."
"When I was first elected, I was involved in many local, regional and national organisations, many with a leadership role.
"As a councillor there was much to learn, but the basic principles of governance were well understood.
"Particularly in the earlier days of my council experience, we had times of strong debate within the chamber, with opposing views being clearly expressed.
"Once the meeting was over, the debate was left in the chamber, and we had many enjoyable times, which now seem to have passed.
"Being a district councillor is not a walk in the park."
He says new, inexperienced councillors will need a climate of support to enable them to shine and fulfil their roles, but it is not easy.
The hours involved attending meetings, preparing for meetings, and being on call for ratepayers in strife is often demanding on family, he says.
"Also, the direction that government is taking is extremely concerning, with local governance being eroded.
He says in his opinion, "the Three Waters steal is disastrous for local government and disappointingly our council was not decisively strong in opposition, which I and other councillors regret".
"Other challenges will come, and our council will need strong leadership and a united council, with a great culture to deal with these issues."
He says from here on he doesn't imagine life will change very much, except maybe time pressures won't be as great.
"We have our family and seven grandchildren who I plan to spend more time with than I did our own children, as I was always committed to our one-man dairy farm when our kids were young, so Andrea had much of the involvement with their sports and other activities, which I regret."
Kevin says, "I have truly found this time to be demanding, challenging, extremely rewarding, and a real privilege which I have never taken for granted.
"The people I have met, the relationships with so many people, within and outside of council, have added greatly to Andrea's and my life.
"I don't regret a moment, and I'm sure that there will be much that I will miss going forward, but it's been an absolute honour."
