Former Gisborne councillor of 21 years, Andy Cranston reflects on his time in council. Photo / Zita Campbell
It came out of “left field” to former Gisborne District councillor Andy Cranston when he was not re-elected after 21 years of serving the community.
Cranston came in at ninth place, just missing out on the eight general ward spots.
On behalf of the council team, Mayor Rehette Stoltz said they would miss Cranston’s “well-reasoned contributions” and that he often went “above and beyond to help constituents”.
Speaking with Local Democracy Reporting, Cranston said he would not be seeking re-election in 2028 and did not know what was next, as his loss came out of “left field”.
“That’s probably the most disappointing and challenging thing for me at the moment ... I wasn’t expecting it.”
He was hugely grateful to be able to serve the community for so long.
“It has given my life very real purpose and intention, and that’s what I will miss the most.”
Cranston said he spent many hours and thousands of dollars to become proficient in te reo Māori.
“It is through te reo that I have gained a lot stronger understanding and have the ability to operate as a true partner ... it saddens me that I will no longer have the avenue to use those skills.”
Cranston felt that one thing that “hurt” him was the dissatisfaction with the controversial Streets for People Grey St project and the public perception he had been a factor in its development because he was an advocate for cycleways and walkway projects.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “I hate what has happened there ... this is an example of a project not having been given thoughtful due process.”
He had indicated his doubts at the time and now the trial period had finished, he had been formulating his arguments against it.
Reflecting on his time in council service, Cranston recalled his journey starting in 2004.
He gained a profile after organising a protest of over 100 skateboarders “making noise” down the city centre on a Saturday morning after the council proposed a $50 fine for skateboarders using their boards down the main street.
“In the 90s, skateboarding became a huge thing.”
At the time, the council’s response to the huge growth of the sport was to make “pesky skateboarding” illegal on the main street through a proposed bylaw, he said.
Cranston’s retail store Action Surf Shop became “the conduit for complaints” and he soon found himself presenting to the council for the first time, highlighting that youngsters needed a place to skate.
When things did not get better, he organised the protest.
It led to suggestions Cranston should run for council and after selling his business, he threw his hat in the ring.
Campaigning went against the grain of his introverted “Aquarian personality type”, but he was soon to be called “councillor Cranston”, which he said he never got used to.
What followed was the “immediate work” of getting a site and the initial development of Alfred Cox Skatepark.
“This seemed reasonably easily achieved due to the ‘noise [of the main street protest]’ But the ease was an anomaly,” he would learn.
Cranston said new councillors would learn that they needed to be in it for the long haul to get things done – “and you’ve gotta keep pushing and shoving”.
For Cranston, the highlight reel from his time on council included the long-awaited Kiwa Pools upgrade.
“The pool was a surprising one because it had been so long ... I was on the steering group for 14 years before it happened.
“The extreme complexity and often the sheer size of our challenges, especially financial, usually means project delivery is long and drawn out.”
There was no standalone highlight in his two decades of service, he said.
“I wouldn’t put one in front of the other.”
However, the days of project delivery were always special.
“You’re down there and the mayor’s cutting the ribbon [and] you think: ‘Oh, at last, it’s happened’.”
He recalled that when he first entered council, “the big cry was to get the [sewage] out of the bay ... [as sewage] was basically going down pipes and going straight out into the bay”.
This spurred councillors to work towards the multimillion-dollar wastewater management plant, which was the focus of his first two terms on council.
“Now backed up by the DrainWise programme, the bay environment is an entirely more happy place.”
Another big project he was directly involved in was “rectifying the inadequacy of the playground infrastructure across the region”.
Through this mahi, the council completed the redevelopment and installation of many playgrounds, such as those at the Botanical Gardens.
Cranston described himself as “a quiet achiever”, joining steering groups and working groups “where the real work’s done”.
Mayor Stoltz also recognised Cranston’s work on committees, noting he chaired the Operations committee and served on several others.
“He was always well-prepared, ready to debate the facts to get the best possible outcomes for our ratepayers.”
Stoltz said she would miss his well-reasoned contributions, calm demeanour and focus on always putting the community first.