Whanganui district councillor Peter Oskam announces bid for mayoralty

Peter Oskam is in his first term as a Whanganui district councillor. Photo / NZME

A second district councillor will challenge incumbent Andrew Tripe for the Whanganui mayoralty.

Peter Oskam joins three-term councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay in the local elections race in September.

Oskam was elected to the Whanganui District Council in 2022 and is a former Whanganui Rural Community Board chairman.

Announcing his mayoral bid, Oskam said, in his opinion, there was too much of a gap between elected members and council officers.

“I want a much better relationship between the two and, if we’re all in the same waka, we can really move ahead.

“It’s about harnessing that collective knowledge and expertise, and bringing it together.

“There is talent there and I don’t think it’s being utilised 100%.”

A closer relationship between councillors and staff could be achieved through more workshops “where the actual work gets done”.

“In the chamber [at meetings], honestly, it should really be a tick-box operation.

“There is a little bit of grandstanding that goes on.”

Community-led projects, with the backing of the council, would lead to better outcomes in suburbs such as Whanganui East, home to the city’s only public outdoor pool, he said.

The council has formed a 40-person citizens’ assembly to have a say on the future of outdoor swimming in the district, including the pool.

It was saved from closure last year, following a vote from elected members.

“Go ask the people. Do they really want a lap pool?” Oskam said.

“From the feedback I’ve had, they go there for a place to play in water, do manus and have a barbecue.”

His new website has a lengthy list of policies, ranging from establishing a permanent Toitū te Whānau advisory committee with representation in council’s decision-making, to creating a publicly available “transparency checklist” to show how projects are tracking and what is being delivered for the money spent.

The council’s annual plan for 2025/26 includes a $650,000 annual increase in debt repayments.

Oskam said that was not enough.

“Debt is your enemy, it really is.

“If you’ve got $200 million in debt, you’re paying a hell of a lot of interest and you’re vulnerable to interest rates.”

He said he was “an operations man”, not someone who was after the limelight.

Peter Oskam wants to fill the gap between council officers and elected members.

“You’ve got to get off your butt, go out there, and actually listen and show respect.

“I don’t want to cut ribbons, say a spiel and disappear.

“All councillors should have the same mana and respect the mayor does. Again, utilise your team, use what you’ve got.”

Tripe said he welcomed Oskam’s announcement.

“Peter and Josh bring their own views on what they want for Whanganui and I applaud both of them for that.

“Personally, I think we are in a good place and we’ll likely have the lowest rate increase in the country.

“I look forward to hearing how they are going to do things differently.”

Whanganui ratepayers are set to have an average 2.2% rates increase for 2025/26.

Oskam said getting to that figure meant service cuts, something he did not support.

He had pushed for a far higher rate increase during council workshops, but that “went down like a slap in the face with a wet fish”.

“We can do stuff with that [extra revenue] and put a great big proportion on your debt.

“Personally, I think our cuts are too deep.

“We are relying on less and less [council staff] and there is no succession plan.”

Oskam said he had been in the district since the age of 5.

Outside his council duties, he and his wife Louise Oskam run a 52ha property near Kaiwhaiki.

It houses the That Place mountain bike park and the Takahuri Trust, an environmental stewardship programme with 70,000 trees.

“I’m running [for mayor] because I care,” he said.

“For my whole life, I’ve looked at businesses, seen where the gaps are and joined them up.

“That’s where the success comes.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.