Waikanae Community Board deputy chairwoman Jill Griggs resigning

Jill Griggs. Photo / Jack Penman

Waikanae Community Board deputy chairwoman Jill Griggs is resigning.

She said she advised Kāpiti Coast District Council chief executive Wayne Maxwell on Friday of her resignation from the board on September 18.

It means there will be two board vacancies to fill in the upcoming byelection.

There was no connection between her resignation and Geoffrey Churchman's who resigned in the wake of two controversial posts of his blogsite Waikanae Watch.

"While I completely support the principle of democracy, it is, by its very nature, an inefficient process and my question is whether this is the best place for me," Griggs said.

"I have spent my professional life getting things done, such as establishing US-based Gartner Group in New Zealand and setting up the Electoral Commission.

"On reflection, I think there are better ways for me to use these skills in the community than by being a local politician.

"I had also hoped to use my skills as a mediator to harmonise views to help achieve local outcomes.

"But I have found that politics is often based on celebrating points of difference and that reaching consensus can be perceived to weaken a political platform.

"My feelings of being a square peg in a round hole have been increasingly uncomfortable and when Geoffrey Churchman's recent resignation required a byelection to be held, I decided to take advantage of this to avoid incurring any additional ratepayer expense."

Griggs said she stepped down from a senior central government role last year to spend more of her time with her family and to contribute to local activities.

In anticipation of this she ran for the Waikanae Community Board and was successful in last year's elections.

She said she had "made a significant contribution to the community board activities perhaps most notably the re-establishment of the Waikanae Community Market".

"I have learned a lot during my term as an elected member and would like to thank Kāpiti Coast District Council staff and other elected members, particularly my community board colleagues, who have provided me with such great professional and personal support during this time.

"I would also like to apologise to the residents of Waikanae, who so kindly elected me, that I feel unable to continue in the role as an elected member and assure them that I will continue to be active in the community, but in roles more fitting with my skills."

Jocelyn Prvanov, Waikanae ward councillor, said, "I understand why Jill Griggs has resigned.

"Nevertheless she will be a great loss to the Waikanae Community Board.

"I thank her for the great contribution she has made to the community board and to our community and I wish her very well in the future."

Griggs has also stepped down from her deputy chairwoman role effective immediately.

Margaret Stevenson-Wright will be acting deputy chairwoman until the next community board meeting on September 29.