He also announced he would run for council in the 2022 election but had to pull out after tripping on uneven footpaths while delivering pamphlets.
Milne said he wasn’t running for the council because he wanted to.
He felt he had to, to curb the spending of “fat cat councillors” which he believes will cost his friends and neighbours around $30 more a week in rates by 2028.
“None of the current councillors are in touch with how my neighbours feel about that size rates rise.
“I’m in this to help my neighbours,” he said.
“I shouldn’t be standing for council at my age. Some younger person should be doing it.”
An avid writer to The Beacon’s letters page, in recent years, Milne had railed against what he called “dumb plans and actions, like the $800,000 kiddies pool fiasco, the Civic Centre tart-up, and the crazy and thankfully aborted marina shambles”.
“The scoping for [the boat harbour] site condition and location so far from the river mouth were ill considered, and commercial skippers not consulted.”
He has also opposed further spending on the proposed Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub.
“Some people in our wealthy classes want all ratepayers to spend more than $100 million replacing it and on nice-to-haves at the Rex Morpeth Park complex, whilst we are still reeling from recent headwinds,” he said.
“The October election gives us all a great opportunity to reject that idea until there is a turnaround in our finances.”
Milne is a strong supporter of Mayor Victor Luca, whom he said was “best placed to lead us for the next decade”.
Also on the agenda, Milne wanted to improve the town’s health services and encourage the council to take a proactive role in the provision of housing and education for all.
“As a councillor, I would focus on supporting Mayor Luca, opposing big spenders, and striving to improve healthcare for residents who cannot afford (or oppose) private medical insurance.”
Born in Scotland, Milne immigrated to New Zealand in 1965 and first stood for a council position in 1968.
The former Whakatāne Hospital laboratory manager was recognised in the 1986 Queen’s Birthday Honours with an MBE for the vital role he played in combating the Hepatitis B epidemic in New Zealand and overseas.
He has also led a campaign to have microbiology laboratory services returned to Whakatāne after these services were privatised and outsourced to Tauranga.
“I’ve done the hard yards,” Milne said.
While Milne said he was feeling fit at this stage, he did not intend to lodge his nomination to stand for council until the August 1 closing date.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
