Six years ago, I decided to run in the local government elections for Whanganui. I have been living in Whanganui since 2002 and I had been getting a bit frustrated at the lack of development and progress and discouraged by our decreasing population. Whanganui now faces different challenges and while I have enjoyed being involved in steering the city over the past six years, I will not be seeking re-election this time around. I need to focus my time and attention on my other responsibilities.
I have generally been very impressed with the Whanganui District Council as an organisation. As a council, you may not have been entirely happy with all the decisions we have made, but I do believe that we have all made these decisions with the city and district's best interests in mind. Be assured, the council does hear you and values any input we receive.
The council is a large organisation and it is hard for any one person to make a significant difference. I have thought of being on council as being "part of the conversation". Each councillor and the mayor are one of 13 votes and voices that contribute to the governance of Whanganui and we do this as a team. The one thing that I am particularly proud of is having up to $10 million incorporated into the council's long-term plan towards solar installations on council buildings and infrastructure which will reduce our operating costs, increase our resilience should disaster strike and help reduce our carbon emissions.
So, a sincere thank you to all who have encouraged, supported and challenged me over the past six years and, while I will be stepping away from my role at council, I will continue to do the best I can for this wonderful city.
Ngā mihi me te aroha nui.
