Hawke's Bay's longest serving local politician feeling 'normal' for final meeting

Alan Dick, who has attended his last council meeting, with his wife Liz. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay's longest serving local body politician had no strong emotions for his final meeting.

Regional councillor Alan Dick has spent a total of 33 years in local body roles, only taking a three-year break between 2001 and 2004.

When asked how he was feeling on Wednesday, just before the final regional council before the elections kicked off, he said he was feeling "normal".

He started his career as Deputy Mayor of Napier, winning a seat on council in 1983.

He then ran an unsuccessful campaign for the mayoralty against Dave Prebensen, spent three years on the Harbour Board, and took the city's reins in 1989.

He got into local body politics over a "controversy, a new library which some supported and other saw as bankrupting the city.

"It was seen by many as it was going to contribute to the bankruptcy of the city, the city couldn't afford it, the council itself was divided."

The library was built, and lasted until June 2017, when it was deemed an earthquake risk.

With the future of the library likely a topic for the incoming Napier Council, Dick says while he does not have firm opinions on the subjects, he thought purpose-built library in Clive Square, with council offices moving into the current library building was one option.

He said the controversy over the library, and capital projects, is normal.

"They generally have opposition at the outset, but when people see them and use them, then they realise it is fine."

Council, at the time of Dick's election, had high debt.

It sold Napier's power authority, paid off the debt, and focused on above ground infrastructure.

"We started with the Municipal Theatre, we rebuilt that, the War Memorial Centre was rundown, we rebuilt that, and they've stuffed it up since, and at the time, we facilitated the construction of the Te Pania Hotel."

While watching TV one day in Wellington, Dick heard talk of the Canadian National Aquarium.

It planted a seed in his mind, which has since grown into the National Aquarium of New Zealand, which remains the only facility in Hawke's Bay to have the national status.

He stood down at Mayor at the 2001 election, and had a three-year break from local politics.

In 2004, he ran for regional council, saying local body politics was "in my blood". His grandfather has served as Napier's chief executive during the 1931 Earthquake.

His primary focus has been transport, joking the old bus system required a PhD to understand it.

"We built it up quite substantially, its run itself down a bit in recent years, but it is still carrying 50 per cent more passengers than nine years ago."

The crowning glory for him was getting the Napier-Wairoa rail line back up and running.

"That's going to start hauling logs November this year, it's going to take some heavy traffic off State Highway 2 and add to safety, its environmentally friendly as well."

Looking forward, for the next few months at least, Dick says he is going to do "nothing".

"Nothing for three months anyway, and then I'll figure something out, I might do some volunteering."

Of course with elections coming up, he said there are some good candidates.

And, while he was not particularly emotional to be attending his last meeting, he said he did have mixed feelings about coming to the end of his career.

"I'm going to miss it, but I'm not going to miss it."