Waipā District Council urges candidates to get the paperwork in. Photo / Supplied
Waipā District Council urges candidates to get the paperwork in. Photo / Supplied
Nominations for the local government elections have been open for almost two weeks now, but as of yesterday , Waipā District Council only had four verified nominations.
Other potential candidates have been asked to provide more information. Nominations close at noon on August 12.
Waipā governance manager Jo Gread urges candidates to submit their nominations with sufficient time to spare.
"While very few candidates delay their election campaigning, they shouldn't ignore the need to submit their nomination form within good time. People could literally miss out because they've not had their paperwork done on time. Don't leave it until the last minute," Gread says.
If the nomination paperwork misses details or contains mistakes, potential candidates need time to resubmit their nominations.
Waipā has 11 council seats plus the mayoralty and 10 community board seats up for grabs in these elections, including the new Waipā Māori Ward vacancy.
The council decided on Tuesday that its community boards will be given more support in the next electoral term.
Councillors unanimously agreed to five recommendations aimed at lifting the performance of the Cambridge and the Te Awamutu/Kihikihi community boards.
Dr Steven Finlay of Local Government NZ says: "This is about us giving boards the tools and training they need, as well as providing clearer and more community-focused delegations."
However, there were no verified community board nominations at the time of writing.
Waipā District Council chief executive Garry Dyet. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, Waipā District Council chief executive Garry Dyet says poorly informed candidates should think twice about standing.
"Waipā has some huge opportunities ahead. But the [government] reform programme alone makes it essential our district has astute, strategic and well-informed leaders.
"We need decision-makers who understand the implications of these reforms and will take a considered and long-term approach to important issues and opportunities. The bottom line is that poorly informed people will struggle around the council table."
He urges candidates to do their research, ask questions and get up to speed with key issues.
"If not, they risk doing our community a real disservice."
Dyet, like other council chief executives around Waikato, has just released an independent pre-election report which lays out council challenges, priorities and key projects.
Managing huge growth well, alongside the development of Ahu Ake, Waipā's first spatial plan, will be big priorities for the council. In addition, the council is also developing a better way to work more effectively with tangata whenua while considering "substantial and far-reaching" changes to its District Plan.
"This is a pivotal time to be a Waipā elected representative [but] it is not an easy role."
Hamilton City Council chief executive Lance Vervoort. Photo / Supplied
Hamilton City Council chief executive Lance Vervoort also released a pre-election report. He agrees with Dyet saying it is an "extraordinary time" to be in local government.
"The list and scale of issues that are here now and in the pipeline are staggering - the global Covid-19 pandemic and associated long-term social and economic recovery, supply chain shortages, a cost of-living crisis, the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine...Climate change. . How we fund our city's growth... to name a few."
He says this all means Hamilton would face "one of the most significant leadership challenges in living memory".
"We need expert and decisive leadership to embrace the situation we're in... We need elected members who... will focus on key priorities, and operate at the strategic level with the experts.
"Over the next three years, business as usual won't cut it. We're going to need to see a new level of innovation and agility to be ready for what's around the corner."
