With Rotorua's local government elections looming the Rotorua Daily Post asked the city's five mayoral candidates five questions with a 250 word limit. Elections will be held by postal ballot beginning today and ending midday on October 12. Here are their responses.
The questions:
1. How do you see the relationship
between councillors and council management staff? Particularly the council's chief executive?
2. What's the most important quality a mayor should have?
3. Do you think the council has done a good job in the past three years?
4. Are you worried about the state of the CBD?
5. Do you support the proposed Rotorua Eastern Arterial (REA) or the widening of Te Ngae Rd?
Janine RangiMarie Bosma
1. Poor communication between CEO, finance executives, mayor and councillors, instead of team working together in unity. Lost adults need to find their way. The primary appointment of a chief executive is to clear debt - how to is everything. What's the purpose of your flash accounting reports when no one is being called to account?
2. I see the mayor's role as tohunga - judge and priest combined. Their purpose is to judge as local matters arise to be addressed in order of importance. Using the upside-down pyramid model of duty of care management. That's if people want leadership.
3. No, I do not. The out of control debt owing $158 million, with all these prim and proper reports presented. It's a complete failure of leadership desperately needed now. "In order for us to move forward we must look back."
4. Over 90 empty shops is a worry and driving around to see a business graveyard is embarrassing. This is a sign of the times of what a lack of money does. Out of control rental price rises may need a limiting crackdown. Coin-operated meters were more practical than what's current. A shopping mall, housed foodcourt, can be attractive and more practical with everything within close walking range. Is this what the CBD could become too, or an extension of the lakefront attractions - pools, garden, parks?
5. I support the widening of Te Ngae Rd only. Let's read the pattern of the landscape for the best decision.
Steve Chadwick
1. The CEO is the go-between, the channel that connects governance to management or the elected to the salaried. Councillors should not leapfrog that channel and go direct to management staff.
Respectful relationships, open communication, transparency and the transfer of information are key. That is the culture that I would encourage.
2. Leadership built on trust, confidence and teamwork through the talents of those elected to serve.
3. Perception is everything. Council appears divided. Thus the community has no confidence in its elected representatives. Splits emerge on costly issues such as the purchase of Museum Cafe, Western Rd subdivision and the Rotoma sewerage scheme. That overshadows good decisions. Being told we don't understand debt offends and alienates - honest answers and clear financial reporting is the way.
4. I don't talk about the CBD - I talk about the Heart of the City. That makes revitalising a must. A community project like this requires the collective talents available to make the seismic shift needed. All the stakeholders will play their part - retailers, developers, real estate agents, designers, planners and users. Already the inner city reference group is under way. Great ideas are out there like bikeways, apartments, parks etc. The challenge is exciting.
5. You can't have both. The Rotorua Eastern Arterial proposed route is where the future lies for all of Rotorua. There will be a cost to the Ngapuna community. This must be addressed through the cultural impacts report. We need this route for future growth and safety.
Helen Hindmarsh
1. Amalgamation with other councils will reduce costs for all. As mayor, I will lead real community conversations to contribute to plan, protect and promote our heritage, quality of life and future living standards. Unique Rotorua will not be lost to a larger council. There will be no "Supercity". Let's plan to achieve within six years. The CEO will work to arrange the amalgamation.
2. I have a lifelong track-record of forward planning. Generating equitable frameworks for all - based on universal foundational values - and remaining independent from old social networks of influence.
3. The incumbent council has served well under the old vision, providing new development to Eat Streat and with plans to add a sculpture walk in Government Gardens. I would not have supported either concept.
4. Real, face-to-face consultation will achieve the best solution for the CBD and all of Rotorua District. Let's not limit our aspirations to "yes" or "no".
5. I have actively and comprehensively researched the REA issue. I have attended three hui at local marae. I have travelled to Hamilton and to Tauranga to research. I have re-established "tatou tatou" by leading a delegation including two hapu members affected by the REA to Tauranga. We, together, met and discussed REA with NZTA and were thanked for the new style of communication I brought. Many false statements have appeared in the press. When challenged face-to-face, misinformation is exposed. There is only one option I will support - four-laning Te Ngae Rd.
Rob Kent
1. It should be the same as the relationship of a board of directors and management staff in a public company. Councillors should determine policy, objectives and direction, and set financial restraints and required performance standards. Council management should then be responsible for implementation and held accountable for achievement of objectives to that standard within the confines of the financial restraints set. Unfortunately, in the case of RDC, this has not been happening. Council staff have been permitted to manage the elected council, when it should be the other way around.
2. Honesty, integrity and intelligence are the paramount qualities that a modern mayor should have, closely followed by strong leadership qualities and extensive business management and financial skills.
RDC is a $100 million/year turnover business that the ratepayers and citizens are entrusting to the skills of the mayor and councillors. Its success or failure, and the future of our city, is dependent on their ability to manage that trust prudently on behalf of electors.
3. Much that the council does, such as front-office customer service, maintenance of parks, gardens etc is performed well. The failures, being over-zealous regulatory enforcement, bad town planning, over-expenditure and ballooning debt, are the consequences of policies set by management without being held to be properly accountable by our elected councillors.
4. The central city needs a total rethink and some proper planning for the future.
5. I am opposed to the Eastern Arterial and believe there are better solutions to transport issues that have not yet been properly investigated.
Kevin Winters
1. There is a great deal of respect between staff and councillors. I have found the transition between the former CEO of RDC Peter Guerin and Geoff Williams, our new CEO, to be very smooth and well managed. Geoff has picked up the issues facing RDC very quickly and has met all the staff of RDC. Geoff and I have formed a very good working relationship as mayor and CEO.
2. The ability to listen to all sides of the debate and to lead the council in making well-researched decisions on behalf of the community.
3. Yes most definitely. The Office of the Auditor-General also confirms this. This independent analysis of RDC is that we are a well-run council. In the past three years RDC has rebuilt the museum, civic theatre, library and customer service centre. Under my leadership great progress is being made on restoration of our lakes.
4. Yes of course, that is why RDC has introduced the Inner City Enterprise programme to concentrate on CBD revitalisation. We are introducing free two-hour parking from December, free Wi-Fi is now operating in the CBD, geothermally heated Eat Streat is under construction, city safe guardians continue to have my full support - however, we need to realise people shop differently.
5. The New Zealand Transport Agency have identified the designated option as being the preferred option for REA. I also support this view. However, I am mindful of opposition from local iwi and hapu.
Jetstar's first planes to Sydney and Gold Coast have taken off from Hamilton this week.