I love Hamilton & am proud to have raised our children here.
I have over 26 years of business experience & 16 years of governance experience. I launched Kiwi Air which transformed our airport forever.
I completed the General Management Programme at the University of Cambridge.
I’m passionate about the city of Hamilton. I have a unique set of skills as a businessman and current city councillor. Hamilton is a significant and complex organisation. At this election there will be at least 6 new councillors, you will need experience around the table and the ability to hit the ground running. I offer this. I am the current chair of the Councils Hearing Committee, I am also a qualified RMA Commissioner. I have helped drive our economic development strategy and would like to be part of the team that implements the new $ 50 million dollar endowment fund. I drove the policy that now enables kids under 5 to swim for free at our council facilities. I strongly oppose the 3 Water reforms. I am concerned with the type of intensification we are seeing.
I will fight for the rights of Hamiltonians and feel I have much more to contribute.
I am asking for your #1 vote in this election.
We have a tsunami of changes facing local government. We will need experienced people around the council table to make sure Hamilton’s voice does not get lost. We need to prioritise our spending to ensure that we invest and maintain our current council assets and facilities ensuring they are still fit for purpose while looking at growth opportunities. Our ratepayers cannot keep absorbing rate increases so we need to learn to cut our cloth to fit.
Intensification is a must, but must be limited to appropriate areas like the CBD and along transport routes and larger urban hubs, rather than across all suburbs.
We need to invest in multimodal transport options, safe cycleways and pedestrian paths.
We need to be very mindful of our level of debt, not all debt is bad, for example, debt to fund capital expenditure (Infrastructure with a long life) is appropriate, however, currently, we are borrowing to pay for our operational expenses, i.e. our electricity. Council needs to take a more prudent financial approach. It starts with how our operational budgets are set, currently elected members focus mostly on CAPEX, where the true savings are buried in operational budgets. If I am re-elected I intend to focus my attention on this area.
No.
I have strongly opposed Three Waters from the outset. Put simply it is a flawed piece of legislation. I believe water reform is necessary, but the current suggested model is not fit for purpose. It is an unwarranted asset grab and the suggested governance structure is inequitable.
I support Maori wards but do not support having both Maori wards and Maangai Maaori representation as well. It should be one or the other.
I do not support co-governance.
There is unnecessary tension currently. Central government is driving an agenda of centralisation creating a tsunami of change for local government.
It has been poorly thought through. Central government has introduced 4 major legislative reforms that affect local government all at once.
Going forward local government needs to work cooperatively with Central government. It starts with respect from both parties and a desire to develop solutions through a constructive consultative process. This is currently not happening.
No. Local government, however, needs to prioritise the way it allocates its funding to ensure the fundamentals are done well.
The mail-in voting process is outdated and cumbersome. A move to a secure digital process is a must. In addition, significant education in our schools that highlights what councils do and the importance of participation is a must.
The election period is far too long.
No, but must declare if they don’t.
No, voters will determine whether voted members are still contributing.