Local election 2025: Waikato District mayoral candidate Aksel Bech shares his views

Waikato District mayoral candidate Aksel Bech.

The Waikato Herald invited Waikato District’s mayoral candidates to answer questions on key issues for local voters.

Name: Aksel Bech

I live in: Tamahere/Matangi

1. What skills and experiences would you bring to the role of mayor?

I served six years as a councillor, with the last three as deputy mayor. Prior to that, I was an owner-manager in NDA Engineering, a large stainless steel fabricator supplying the dairy and wine industries with their tanks and equipment. I have also worked in dispute resolution as an accredited mediator.

2. What would you do to ensure the local infrastructure is keeping up with the district’s development?

Local infrastructure was keeping up, but now, after the current triennium, has “red zones” in the Pokeno and Tuakau areas due to wastewater constraints. Greater opportunity for temporary MBR stand-alone developer-funded wastewater plants (similar to the council ones at Te Kauwhata and Raglan) need to be explored. A bigger national conversation must also be had with the Government about the drinking water standards pushing up costs in millions locally.

3. How would you approach the impact of climate change?

The climate has changed and we need to respond to more frequent and more heavy rainfall events, greater tides and coastal erosion as evidenced at Port Waikato and impacting lower-positioned pump assets at Raglan, for example.

4. What - if anything - would you do to balance the needs of low socio-economic communities with the needs of affluent communities?

The community masterplans (BluePrints) that were commenced in 2019 and not substantially progressed this triennium started to identify what the needs are in all our major towns. There is opportunity to achieve greater equity across our district by addressing shortfall by continuing the BluePrint work.

5. Would you support an amalgamation of all Waikato councils?

Yes - starting with greater sharing of services that will not require any legislative changes. We still have five CEOs, five CFOs, five accounting teams, five billing teams, five comms teams, for a combined population smaller than Auckland. There must be efficiencies to be gained by avoiding this duplication (well, quintuplication to be precise!).

6. In your view, what is the biggest challenge the district is facing over the next term? How will you approach it?

Rates affordability. Achieving that is in part addressed by my prior answer on shared services, coupled with right-sizing of staff. Longer term, community empowerment through voice, choice and control is the bigger challenge with communities that have become disengaged from council. We need new forms of participatory democracy by strengthened community boards, along with other groups who know their own communities best.

7. What new projects would you like to see the next council support?

Introducing public forums ahead of council meetings; more innovation around wastewater solutions to progress already approved development.

8. Why should people vote for you to become mayor?

You either believe that the unprecedented high rates rises and near doubling of debt in just three years under the current mayor is what’s needed. Or, if you find rates now to be unaffordable, you are worried about ballooning costs, and don’t feel listened to, then vote for change.

9. What is your view on the future of Māori Wards?

The fate of the Māori Wards is now in the hands of the voters and their decision will be binding on council. My personal view is in support of their continuation given that for Waikato District Council, some 20% of voters choose to be on that roll [and] two seats out of 13 is actually a democratic underrepresentation [and] not a special veto or extra vote.