The candidates for the Rotorua Lakes Community Board by-election, from top left: Mitch Collins, Arama Ngapo, Marion Dixon, George Gilmour, Karen Vercoe, Joe Tahama and Mariana Morrison. Photo / NZME
Seven candidates will contest the Rotorua Lakes Community Board by-election, with voting to open next week.
The by-election is being held to fill two empty seats on the four-person board after too few candidates were nominated during last year’s local elections.
By-election nominations closed on December 22 with Mitch Collins, Marion Dixon, George Gilmour, Mariana Morrison, Arama Ngapo, Karen Vercoe and Joe Tahana confirmed as candidates.
It will be the first time since 2019 that new people will be voted on to the board.
The four candidates were automatically elected in 2022, and only three candidates initially stood in 2025.
Two existing members, Peter MacMillan and Jennifer Rothwell, were elected unopposed and another prospective candidate, former board chairman Phill Thomass, died before election day.
The board represents lakeside communities including Hamurana, Rotoiti, Rotoehu, Rotomā, Ōkāreka and Tarawera, advocating for them to the Rotorua Lakes Council and giving residents a voice on community priorities.
Local Democracy Reporting asked the by-election candidates what they saw as the biggest issue for lakes communities, and how they intended to address it.
Former chairman of the Lake Ōkāreka Community Association, Collins said it was time for “a fresh approach”.
“The biggest current issue is the disconnect between board talk and community results. Our lakes currently face very urgent threats - irreversible biosecurity risks like golden clams and impacts on community resilience, in particular, flooding.
“I’ve already spent this summer holiday lobbying the [Bay of Plenty] Regional Council to ensure flood maps reflect reality, not just simple models, and working with Te Arawa Lakes Trust and councils on immediate biosecurity action at our local ramp at Ōkāreka, then sharing those learnings.
“My plan is to devolve funding directly to community associations, and transition the board into a high-impact advocacy body that delivers long-term resilience and genuine representation.”
Lake Rotoiti resident Dixon said the lake “matters deeply” to her and she would be “honoured” to be voted on to the board.
“I’ve spent most of my working life in the health sector and have also worked in business, giving me experience across complex systems and practical decision-making.
“I believe good governance is quiet, consistent and accountable. I bring experience to the table, so our lakes are not used for experiments. The health of our lakes and the health of our people are inseparable.
“I’m not interested in noise or politics. I’m interested in outcomes.”
“I feel the biggest issue in our lakes communities is the lack of representation leading to our crucial voices and opinions not being heard when it comes to decision-making in our backyards,” said Tarawera Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Gilmour.
“As we’ve seen in recent years, major infrastructure projects, council service cuts and bio-security issues come and go, get under way and are carried out with us having very little to no say.
“I will reach out, attend local community meetings, hear what people have to say, what they need and want and do my very best to implement their ideas for their own unique communities.”
Morrison, who stood for the Rotorua Lakes Council at last year’s elections, said “ensuring growth and decision-making reflect the needs and voices of locals” was the biggest issue for lakes communities.
“Communities want safe neighbourhoods, well-maintained assets, protection of our lakes and taiao, and transparent, responsive governance.
“If elected, I will prioritise strong community engagement, advocate for local investment and maintenance, and ensure decisions are informed by lived experience, tikanga, and long-term sustainability for future generations.”
Water quality, sewerage and increasing rates were the main issues for Ngapo.
“The declining water quality is caused by extreme weather events, historic land use, nutrient run-off, and ongoing growth pressures.
“As an RMA Commissioner, I understand the options for minimising risk to our freshwater.
“All decisions made regarding sewage and rates spending require collaborative governance.
“I will work to balance environmental restoration with social and economic wellbeing, ensuring the lakes are protected and sustained for future generations.”
Tahana said his journey has been “shaped by a deep respect for the land and the people connected to it”.
“For me, the biggest issue is providing communities with safe reticulated drinking water.”
Some were still being served by bores, for example.
“I intend to advocate for private and/or public resourcing for community drinking water over the next three years if I am successful to serve the lakes communities.”
Declining water quality, invasive pests, stormwater runoff, extreme weather events, and legacy issues such as failing septic systems are the “multiple, interconnected challenges” facing lake catchments, said Vercoe.
“Addressing these requires exceptional leadership and strong, constructive relationships with Rotorua Lakes Council and the evolving regional council landscape.
“Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua — people come and go, but the land and wai remain.
“As a community board, our first obligation must be to our lakes and waterways, with environmental outcomes guiding our decisions.
“Smart, collaborative leadership, action, and tangible results are what our communities expect and what this board must deliver.”
By-election voting opens next Friday, January 30, and closes at noon on March 3.
Voter packs will be posted to everyone on the community board electoral roll, which includes residents enrolled on either the general or Māori roll who are aged 18 or over and live within the board’s designated area.
Preliminary results will be released after voting closes on March 3, with final results posted later on the council’s website.
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.