Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Over and out for Whangarei council as election day draws near

By Alexandra Newlove
Northern Advocate·
3 Oct, 2016 03:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Whangarei's current council went over and out on Thursday. Pictured from left, staff Judi Crocombe and Carolyn Brindle, Mayor Sheryl Mai and chief executive Rob Forlong in chambers.

Whangarei's current council went over and out on Thursday. Pictured from left, staff Judi Crocombe and Carolyn Brindle, Mayor Sheryl Mai and chief executive Rob Forlong in chambers.

A sombre navy tie on Councillor Crichton Christie - in place of his usual wacky one - summed up the mood as Whangarei's council went "over and out" on Thursday.

"This is a day of mourning. It might be my last day," Christie half-joked.

Unusually, all 14 Whangarei district councillors are hoping to be back for more following the October 8 election result.

Their final meeting hung on variations of the phrase "if I'm back next time".

Councillors were cool but conciliatory as they adopted the 2015-16 Annual report, a document which trumpeted the council's balanced budget ($148.8 million operational revenue to a $136.6m spend), net debt reduction and $45.6m capital works programme.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The final act: Extending a contract value to allow for extra weeding and toilet cleaning around town.

Mayor Sheryl Mai avoided ending on this lacklustre note by preparing a few words for each of her councillors.

She told sometimes-rival and fellow mayoral candidate Stuart Bell he had been an "outstanding" councillor for drawing attention to the Local Government Act.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"And through the campaign you are raising the issue of community engagement," she told him.

Ms Mai said Susy Bretherton had driven council's "What's it Worth?" marketing campaign; had been an advocate for private property rights and put WDC's property transactions under robust scrutiny.

Mr Christie was valued for his work on the Hikurangi swamp, "wise head and experience" (and funky ties).

Tricia Cutforth had driven Whangarei becoming a Fair Trade District, was a staunch protector of heritage and a public toilet champion.

"Should you should be proud of a toilet?" the mayor said. "Yes you should. And community engagement has been something you've actively pursued."

Councillor Shelley Deeming was thanked for her work heading the Finance Committee, and Sue Glen for her work with the Quarry Gardens and "legendary" fight against another liquor store in Onerahi.

Ms Mai told Phil Halse that he had developed a blueprint for the city as chairman of the Inner City Revitalisation Committee and worked to clean up Kaipara Harbour.

Cherry Hermon's core causes had been CBD revitalisation, helping to bring the I Have A Dream Trust to town and the Mayor's Task Force for jobs.

Greg Innes got a good-natured ribbing for his broken record-style advocacy of his Whangarei Heads ward. He had also headed massive plan changes as chair of the Planning Committee.

Greg Martin was named as the council's roading and transport guru, Brian McLachlan as a selfless worker for his Onerahi community, while John Williamson had poured masses of time into chairing the district licensing committee.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Lastly, Ms Mai thanked her deputy, Sharon Morgan, who represented 15 organisations throughout her term. "What an amazing ability to spread your precious time around the community."

Ms Hermon thanked the mayor for her "outstanding community engagement and generous spirit", the latter allowing her to pay tribute to a "difficult" group.

Three protestors who had become a fixture in chambers - Warren Slater, Wayne Deeming and Brian May - as usual, sat in the public gallery with revolving signs accusing a mix of staff and councillors of various unscrupulous acts.

"It makes me sick." Mr Slater bellowed across the Forum North foyer as he left the meeting. "I'm not sure I'll bother next term."

So - not everyone was touched by the councillors' three years of community service.

This term's council will be remembered for high-profile projects such as completing the town-transforming Hatea Loop; getting the Hundertwasser Art Centre the tick; and (less fondly) for implementing a series of rates increases.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Councillors should also be acknowledged for the thousands of hours each one spent poring over mind-numbing agendas and plan changes; fielding calls from irate residents; and the countless evenings spent acting as a sounding board at ratepayer meetings - all part of an often unglamourous and thankless job.

Voting in the local body elections closes October 8.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi
Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

The PM praised Māori businesses for investing and creating jobs despite challenges.

17 Jul 06:02 AM
Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

17 Jul 04:00 AM
Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe
Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe

17 Jul 02:17 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP