The civic and cultural precinct is one of the issues Palmerston North's next group of elected members will need to grabble with. Photo / ManawatuNZ.co.nz
The civic and cultural precinct is one of the issues Palmerston North's next group of elected members will need to grabble with. Photo / ManawatuNZ.co.nz
These are summaries of on-camera interviews of Palmerston North City Council candidates conducted by Local Focus.
Brent Barrett.
The Ministry for the Future is Brent Barrett's favourite book and ska his favourite music genre. He favours Palmy over Palmerston North and if standing for Parliament, he would be with the Greens.
Thebiggest issue facing Palmerston North is growing pains - rapid expansion, sprawl and transport, and that's in the face of a climate crisis too. He wants to see more city-centre living, and stronger use of active transport as well as public transport.
Barrett wants Palmerston North to get out of the pancake sprawl model and much more into a cupcake model where we are a nice, tight city with a bit of elevation.
He is from a family who were really involved in the medical world so he thinks he comes from a care-and-support kind of perspective. Being a scientist gives him a strong evidence-based approach and a willingness to ask why, why, why.
Vaughan Dennison.
Vaughan Dennison's favourite book is The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business by Patrick Lencioni. He likes laid-back jazzy, bluesy music and Christian worship.
Palmy is an endearment for the city and if he were standing for Parliament, Dennison would be with the National Party.
Palmerston North is growing and the council needs to invest in infrastructure, roads, the pipe network and all the good things a city needs. Developers are frustrated with the time and cost it takes to get consents, and the council has to up its game in that space.
He is on the board of Softball New Zealand and has worked in business and the community. "I've served 21 years proudly for the city and I've never taken that for granted."
Dennison says he has a listening ear, a positive approach, and is happy to speak up when he doesn't think things are right. He is a clear communicator and prepared to work with others. "Local government's too small to be confrontational and you need to work around to get majority across the table."
Patrick Handcock.
The last book Patrick Handcock read was Labour Saving: A Memoir, by Michael Cullen.
He prefers Palmy over Palmerston North and his favourite evening meal he cooks himself is massaman curry.
Handcock would probably be with Labour if he were standing for Parliament.
The city has numerous projects stacked up for the coming years. There are major projects around the civic and cultural precinct, the Palmerston North Integrated Transport Initiative, and issues around housing.
It is a mistake to just keep taking out carparks and expecting people to have a change of mindset and walk or cycle. There are insufficient places where people can leave their bikes and know they will be secure.
Asked what life experiences he has had that make him a good councillor, Handcock said, "You can tell by looking at me I've been around for a few years."
He moved to Palmerston North in 1997 and was the police area commander from 2003 to 2014. In 2016, he was awarded the ONZM for services to the community and police. "So obviously, I've got bucketloads of leadership and governance experience gathered over many, many years."
Hussein Pierre Kikhounga-Ngot.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is Hussein Pierre Kikhounga-Ngot's favourite book, and his favourite music genre is jazz and blues.
"Palmerston North for formal. Palmy for informal. And then it looks good."
Asked if he were standing for Parliament, which party would he be with, he replied: "That's a tricky question. Well, for now, I don't know."
Housing, traffic, and safety are the big issues facing Palmerston North.
He was born in Congo-Brazzaville and his father was an MP and minister. Kikhounga-Ngot came to New Zealand as a refugee. Before that, he had worked in the transportation department, science and technology department, and in the presidential cabinet.
"If you don't vote you are responsible for your future, you're destroying or you are making your future good because it's your time to decide. It's your time to say that I want X or Z."
