"It's happened because there's been great leadership: Mayor, CEO, the council team, Councillors cohesively working together, forward-thinking. This is a great time.
"It's really Hastings surfing a wave. I've been thrilled to be able to contribute to that, and I do want to come back and make sure we keep a balance but keep going forward."
He says the greatest issues sprang from socio-economic conditions for some people, such as welfare dependency, family violence, gang culture, and poor education.
"I think these are cross-country issues, but we have them here and this council's doing everything it can to help in the housing space.
"We're freeing up land, putting infrastructure in for new homes."
