Bay's longest serving politician to step down

Regional councillor Alan Dick will not contest his seat at this year's elections. Photo file

An election for the three Napier seats on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council is guaranteed after the retirement of Hawke's Bay's longest-serving local government politician — former council chairman and former Mayor of Napier, Alan Dick.

Although nominations for the triennial local government elections don't open until July 19, at least five are expected to vie for the three seats, after Napier lawyer Martin Williams announced his second bid.

Lawyer and resource management and local government specialist Martin Williams is seeking election to the regional council. Photo / Supplied

Incumbent port-city members Paul Bailey and Neil Kirton have confirmed to Hawke's Bay Today they will be standing again in October, and first-time hopefuls Hinewai Hawaikirangi and Nichola Nicholson have already announced their candidacies.

Although unsuccessful at the last election, Williams was buoyed by the result, becoming next-man-in with the support of 7606 votes.

Running a campaign "Straight up for a ChangeUp," Williams says he's "absolutely committed", and the "huge" environmental issues facing the council, which covers the area from Central Hawke's Bay to Wairoa, will require "ruthless impartiality".

"I pledge to that, serving the region — for the region," said 52-year-old Williams who has been 10 years in the Bay, with a family history steeped in the farming of Hawke's Bay going back six generations.

There's also a steep history in the Anglican Church: his great-great-great-grandfather William Williams, was the first Anglican Bishop of Waiapu (1859-1876), and his son and grandson also later held the position.

Rev William Williams also compiled the first Maori-English dictionary, published in 1844, and the modern-era Williams is keeping up some of the tradition by studying te reo at the EIT, saying it's a form of respect in which "we all need to lift our game".

As a lawyer he's specialised in resource management and local government law, and says there's been too much "poor politics" around the regional council table in recent years.

"It is about returning to the old-fashioned ethic of service, being more the invisible hand than the front-page news, and tackling the issues of the future," he says.

The retirement of Alan Dick will be especially felt, for he is one of the country's longest-serving local body politicians, and says: "Definitely time for me to move on, after 33 years."

First elected as a Napier City councillor in 1983, he's stood in 11 of the 12 elections, so had 11 terms on either the city council or the regional council, including as Napier mayor, from 1989 to 2001, two years as chairman of the regional council and a lengthy stint as chairman of the regional land transport committee.

Neil Kirton has served five terms on the regional council, and Paul Bailey was elected for the first time three years ago.

Another seeking re-election will be former chairman Fenton Wilson who will be seeking the single Wairoa seat he has held since a by-election in 2009.