Local Elections 2022: Whanganui District Council candidate Gill Howard has experienced life at the top and on the edge

Whanganui District Council candidate Gill Howard thinks her varied life experiences can provide valuable insights for council duties. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui District Council candidate Gill Howard has seen the best and worst that life can offer and wants to share the insights she has gained at the council table.

"I feel like a woman who has experienced two lives," Howard said.

"In the 1990s, I was earning an annual salary of up to $130,000 and travelling the world, then I was diagnosed with a rare condition that changed everything."

Howard was diagnosed with Oculodentodigital Syndrome (ODDS), a rare genetic condition that has affected her ability to work and maintain the lifestyle she previously enjoyed.

In recent years she has experienced financial deprivation and homelessness.

"Because I have experienced those things first-hand, I think I can offer the kind of depth of understanding that most people don't have," Howard said.

"I'm 60 now and I feel stronger than I have for a long time so I want to put myself forward to serve the community."

Howard said she had gone from holding governance roles with clubs and charities to having to accept charitable assistance herself.

"It has been very humbling," she said.

"I have experienced amazing kindness from individuals and organisations in Whanganui so if I can play a part in enabling that for others, I will be very glad to."

As a current tertiary student who has gained qualifications in everything from "concrete technology to social policy", Howard said she is used to reading a lot of dense literature.

"I'm not fazed by the idea of reading long policy documents and I know that is an important part of a councillor's role," she said.

"Having said that, I would really like to see Government policies written and presented to the public in ways that make them accessible to everyone."

Howard said she had read up on the Three Waters reforms as well as the new Resource Management Act, due to become operational in November.

"There are likely to be some changes after the review of the Future of Local Government and there might be strong opposition from the community to some of them and councillors may disagree as well," Howard said.

"I think it is a really good discipline to find common ground when you're involved in decision-making. If you start from the point of what you can agree on, you can then work through the disagreements to find a resolution."

Howard said if she is successful in her bid for election, she would advocate for inclusiveness in Whanganui and speak up for those in the community whose voices are often not heard.

If elected, what do you want to be judged on after your first year?

I would want to be judged on how effectively I have listened and conveyed the concerns of the community back to the council.

How will you do that?

By encouraging people to share their concerns with me and by making sure I can convey the council's intentions to the community. People need to feel included in decisions that affect their lives.