Springfield Superette and Lotto owner Raj Kumar. Photo / Andrew Warner
New Bay of Plenty regional councillor Raj Kumar says the council’s relationship with Rotorua Lakes Council must be repaired.
The dairy owner and former Rotorua Lakes councillor is part of a complete refresh for Rotorua’s representation on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Preliminary results released on Monday showed he and Anna Grayling taking the two Rotorua constituency positions.
Incumbent Lyall Thurston trails Grayling by 400 votes, while his colleague, former Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters, did not stand for re-election.
In the Ōkurei Māori seat, Allan Iwi Te Whau has ousted Te Taru White.
Kumar said he was sweating on the result while working in his dairy on Sunday before discovering he was top of the poll, based on initial progress results.
“I’m really thankful to my friends, family, community but mainly to the people of Springfield,” he said. “This is where my soul and heart is, and I really want to get that energy right across Rotorua.”
He said repairing the “disparity” in the relationship between the local and regional councils was his paramount plan.
Kumar, who lost his Rotorua Lakes Council seat in 2022 after one term following an unsuccessful mayoral bid, admitted he did not “have a magic wand” but still hoped for a “cohesive” relationship.
“At the end of the day, your whole purpose is what’s best for Rotorua, and I think that’s what we need to do.”
He said funding the Ōhau Channel diversion wall and investigating the bus networks were key issues for him.
Grayling on Sunday said she was “absolutely thrilled” so many people voted for her and praised the other “fierce” candidates.
She said a regional park and raising the profile of the work done at the regional council were two of her goals.
“I want to make sure we demonstrate to the community why fresh air, clean water and climate-change resilience is hugely important work.”
Grayling, who runs a land consultancy, initially wanted to run for Rotorua Lakes Council but pivoted to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
She said on Facebook this was because she often advocated for landowners and developers in her business and “sitting on the local council while also challenging it could blur those lines”.
Thurston leaves the council after five terms representing Rotorua.
“That’s politics,” he said. “There will always be winners and there will always be losers.”
It was time to “take stock”, but he would not rule out another election run.
“It has been an absolute pleasure representing the people of Rotorua.”
He wished the leading candidates all the best with the “big challenges” ahead, including defending the important role of regional councils.
While the western side of Bay of Plenty had the larger population base and growth, he said it was important the council continued representing the whole region and that Rotorua’s issues remained “out there”.
Te Whau said he discovered on social media that he had taken the Ōkurei Māori constituency.
“I’m just overwhelmed,” he said. “We were so excited and as you can imagine, it was a humbling experience, but it was a beautiful experience as well.”
Te Whau wanted to be a “voice for the people”, especially “mokopuna” (grandchildren).
Outgoing councillor Te Taru White, who said the council had been a “joy to work with”, had advice for his successors on regional Māori constituencies.
“You three work tightly together. Do not disagree with each other.
“That way you can pull some of your colleagues across the table, have a respectful debate and come to a decision that’s hopefully in your favour.”
Preliminary results suggest the other regional councillors will be Malcolm Campbell and Sarah van der Boom (Eastern Bay of Plenty); Mawera Karetai (Kōhi Māori); Matemoana McDonald (Mauao); Stuart Crosby, Tim Maltby, Glenn Dougal, Kate Graeme and Kat Macmillan (Tauranga); John Scrimgeour and Ken Shirley (Western Bay of Plenty).
Final results are expected later this week, once special votes have been counted.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, was a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Samantha Motion is a regional content leader for NZME. She has reported in the Bay of Plenty region for more than a decade.