Will Foley (left) and Alex Walker debated Central Hawke’s Bay's water issues and rates increases before almost a full house in Waipukurau on Tuesday night. Photo / Alexa Cook, RNZ
By Alexa Cook of RNZ
The two mayoral hopefuls for Central Hawke’s Bay went head-to-head this week, debating the region’s water woes and rates rises.
There are two mayoral candidates for Central Hawke’s Bay: incumbent Alex Walker, who is seeking a fourth term, and local farmer Will Foley.
Over 150 people filled the Civic Theatre in Waipukurau to hear from all the local council candidates, with 120 people joining online.
In an hour-long mayoral debate, Foley and Walker identified key issues around affordability, with three waters and rates rises singled out by the audience as major concerns.
Central Hawke’s Bay has a small population of 16,000, with just 8000 homes to gather rates from.
It is joining forces with the Hastings District Council and Napier City Council for the Government-mandated Local Water Done Well scheme that replaces the Three Waters reform.
The debate also discussed the controversial, formerly-named Ruataniwha Dam and the Māori wards referendum.
Nearly every seat of the theatre was occupied on Tuesday night, with residents keen to hear what their local council candidates could offer them and how they planned to reduce the ever-growing burden on ratepayers.
Fourth-generation farmer Will Foley, a former councillor on Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and former local president for Federated Farmers, opened the floor, admitting he did not realise how intense the campaign trail would be. But he said while rates and finances were big issues, he was focused on improving the relationship between the council and its residents.
“People sense a lack of connection between them and the council. That’s coming through really strong.
“The people come first ... we need to change from a culture of ‘no’ to ‘yes and how can we help?’” said Foley.
When asked by moderator Jonathan Milne what the district’s biggest challenge was and how he would fix it, Foley reiterated that he would prioritise people’s views.
“If you can do that, and then set your strategy in that way, then all these other issues like infrastructure, roading and everything ... will fall down a lot better and we do it in a way that fits with the people,” he said.
Alex Walker, who took the reins in 2016, cut straight to it, thanking the community for its support and growth during her four terms, and then setting out her agenda.
“How we’ve done things up until now is not going to always be the way to move forward.
“You’ve seen a string of candidates standing in front of you on the stage tonight who have big hopes and dreams and aspirations – they need a strong and experienced leader to bring all those perspectives together to create the next stage for Central Hawke’s Bay,” said Walker.
Walker told the crowd the biggest issue facing the region was the cost of maintaining and upgrading its assets.
“How on earth do we afford to look after a billion dollars of infrastructure assets, with 8000 rateable units currently.
“We’re also having to address decades and decades of using and abusing our infrastructure, which has come home to roost,” she said.
A key sticking point of the evening was the upcoming referendum on Māori wards.
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council voted last year to retain its Māori ward, and Walker told the crowd she was clear in her stance and would again be voting in favour of keeping them.
“I’m a big advocate for Māori ward representation. Because we need to people to sit at the council table and be unapologetically Māori about how they approach a problem,” she said.
However, Foley would not say how he would vote in the Māori ward referendum.
“On the campaign trail there are hugely diverse views in this district, so I have decided to keep an open mind right until the end.
“I’m listening to both sides, and both sides have valid points so it’s not something I’ve thought deeply about ... I supported Māori wards at regional council level,” he said.
That answer was not good enough for Walker, who received a round of applause for her response.
“We all get a vote. Will gets a vote, I get a vote – and actually there is something about leadership being decisive and clear.
“If you’re supporting me then that is the viewpoint you are supporting, and you need to know what your leaders and candidates stand for so I’m unapologetic in standing for that,” she said.
When the Three Waters reform was scrapped by the current Government, it was replaced by a new Local Water Done Well scheme. Councils had until September 3 to develop a Water Services Delivery Plan, and in Hawke’s Bay there were three councils collaborating on a regional model: Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, Napier City Council and Hastings District Council.
Central Hawke’s Bay residents were facing mammoth water rates rises of over $4000 a household in the next decade, even after the council scaled back its 10-year works programme by about $100 million.
Milne asked the mayoral candidates whether the regional model was the best direction for the district to take, and this time Foley did not hesitate to give a definite answer.
“No. And I participated in the submission process and said that.
“We just keep thinking that creating these new entities, employing more people and new governance boards ... solves everything – and I’m still struggling to see the results from all of that,” he said.
Walker was in favour of the regional model for water services.
“With the scale of work that needs to happen here, particularly compliance around wastewater, the options are really limited about what we can do on our own,” Walker said.
She said that even after several years’ work, no one, including all the councillors and advisers, had been able to come up with a better solution for such a small number of ratepayers.
“If there is another option that is viable, I’m all ears. Otherwise I absolutely back myself as one of three shareholders of the new entity to set this up strongly for Central Hawke’s Bay,” she said.
Local election voting takes place from September 9 to October 11, with final results declared on October 16.
- RNZ