Rotorua Business Chamber organised the Candidate Connect evening. Photo / Mathew Nash
Rotorua residents have grilled local election candidates at a speed-dating style event.
About 60 constituents had the opportunity to ask 30 candidates for the Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council questions about the future of the city on Tuesday night.
The event, hosted by Rotorua Business Chamber at the Novotel Hotel, saw candidates divided into 12 tables, each with a facilitator. Voters had eight minutes to quiz candidates before switching tables.
Hot topics included debt, a rates caps, asset management, tourism, city vibrancy and infrastructure.
More specific issues, such as the museum, aquatic centre and the lives of women in Rotorua were also debated.
Miriam Odlin was impressed with the ability of most candidates, even if she did not agree with them politically.
“They all seemed much more schooled in what their job would be, as in the past you have had mayoral candidates who really didn’t know what the council was.”
She was also pleased to see “respect” among candidates, regardless of their political views.
“They at least seemed able to keep those differences to one side.”
She went into the event with “rather black and white” thinking but meeting candidates had given her a “harder” decision to make.
“I think, in the end, it comes down to ideology,” she said.
“It was good to ask questions,” said Greg Ball, who was particularly keen to hear candidates’ views on Māori wards.
“It was good to ask them what they can bring to this term of government.”
He too was impressed.
“Most of them were quite good,” he said. “There are probably some people I wouldn’t vote for because of their views but it was different and democratic.”
Marion Dixon said it was unlikely the event had changed her voting choice.
Dixon said it was “really interesting” to meet candidates she had not encountered and felt some might not be suitable councillors.
“I think some people are a little naïve going into council elections and they don’t quite know what they are getting into,” she said.
“But at the same time, there are some amazing candidates and a wealth of really good people that we can vote for.”
She hoped Rotorua voters would elect candidates with the city’s future in mind.
“Rotorua is a vibrant city, with amazing resources and I think we should be proud to be here, proud of that culture.”
An impressed Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Andrew Moraes attended the event.
“Given that local government is such a small percentage of household expenditure - just 10% of total tax paid to Government - it’s fantastic to see so many people engaged with local elections that shape the place we call home.”
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short said the event was “very successful because it gave an opportunity for Rotorua’s constituents to engage directly with the candidates”.
“There was some great kōrero around the room.”
Voting for council and regional council elections opened this week and closes October 11.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been 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.