Invercargill residents eye change at the top as mayor Nobby Clark stands aside
Photo:
RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Invercargill will soon have a new mayor but for the first time since the 1990s an incumbent isn't in the mix.
Most of the time it has been the country's longest serving mayor,
Sir Tim Shadbolt, who was pipped to the post
last election by then councillor Nobby Clark.
This election would be different with current mayor Nobby Clark stepping down and eight candidates competing to take the mantle, a mix of current councillors and new faces.
Grey Power Southland seniors advocate Stephnie de Ruyter said rates affordability was top of mind for many ratepayers.
Grey Power offered emergency grants in times of financial need and more of those grants were going toward rates arrears and to cover power bills, de Ruyter said.
It was something it had helped with in the past - but never in the numbers she was currently seeing.
"I do get phone calls from people who say 'Look, it's gone up to this. My income is $500 a week, superannuation that's all I've got. We've cut back on food, we're not heating the house to pay the rates, and that's really quite depressing," de Ruyter said.
Older people should be able to afford to live in warm, dry, comfortable homes, and eat well, she said.
"Even people who have more income than just their superannuation are struggling to pay their rates."
The pressure was not just coming from being a smaller rating base, she said.
"Over the years, more and more work has been transferred to local bodies by government, successive governments, but there's not been the funding come with it and so the ratepayers are picking up the tab."
Sir Tim Shadbolt was the mayor of Invercargill for 24 years the second time around. The first time he was mayor for two years, from 1993 to 1995.
Photo:
RNZ / Lydia Anderson
She would like the council to lobby the government to make sure councils were fully funded for all the additional services they were now expected to provide.
The eight candidates would get the chance to pitch their case at the Southland Business Chamber's mayoral debate in Invercargill on Tuesday night.
Chamber chief executive Sheree Carey said they wanted to hear about how candidates planned to make it easier to do business and invest.
"Business are the lifeblood of the region. They employ all the people, which are then the ratepayers so if business isn't doing well, then we don't have ratepayers so it is a big council issue," she said.
"Economic development hasn't necessarily been a huge discussion point around the council table over the last term so I'd like to see it being discussed more."
She wanted attention on what the council was doing right, not what it was doing wrong.
"We've seen a lot of distractions in the last term. We had a lot of Code of Conducts.
"We're in the paper for all the wrong reasons. We're on national TV for all the wrong reasons," she said.
"We would like to see the focus be really on council and them doing their job rather than all the distractions that go around it."
Incumbent mayor Nobby Clark cost his ratepayers $60,000 last year for investigations into his behaviour.
Photo:
ODT/Supplied
Carey said the region was punching above its weight and it needed a leader who had good government connections and communication
"Our unemployment's still really low. We've got new industry coming, but the council has a big part to play in that and as the leader of the council, we want to hear the thoughts about how they will lead new industry, how they will welcome investment, how they'll get skilled workers to the city."
Invercargill resident Nathan, who didn't give his surname, wanted the city to attract more young people to live here.
"There is a whole lot of young people down here, which is quite cool to see but there's just not enough of them," he said.
"It would be quite cool to see Invercargill become a hub that people want to come down to and grow career-wise and professionally.
"There is a lot of opportunities down here so that's what's important to me."
He would like to see more involvement in engaging rangatahi in the high schools and showing them what the city could offer.
But did he think the city was ready for change?
"Aww, s*** yeah. One hundred percent... let's get stuff happening, we need it."
Another local, Kayne Fletcher, agreed.
He wanted to see the council do more to support the city's rangatahi, their mental health and wellbeing.
The city was absolutely ready for change, Fletcher said.
"It's a need I think. There's always a need for change at some point or another. I think it will be a good time for a bit of change and maybe a bit of a spark into what can be."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
23 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Leadership rumour laughed off as Willis and Sepuloni clash
Minister of Finance Nicola Willis. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone You can listen live to RNZ's political panel on Morning Report at 8am every Wednesday. Analysis - Finance Minister Nicola Willis' seven interruptions in 30 seconds is a targeted attack on Labour's rumoured capital gains tax policy reminiscent of Sir John Key's "show me the money" moment. But the strategy this early is not the slam dunk Key's jibe - less than a month before the 2011 election - was hailed as by columnists. Speaking on Morning Report' s political panel, opposite Labour's deputy Carmel Sepuloni, Willis interrupted her opponent to ask - six times - how Labour would pay for its promises, with a distinct seventh interruption half way through for good measure. Labour's promises at this point are, however, only promises to reveal policy at some point including a tax policy before the end of the year, which could explain how other promises would be paid for. This takes some sting out of the Finance Minister's criticism, but also leaves Labour without an effective way to combat it. The panel started with host Ingrid Hipkiss asking about Willis' recent trip to London. "If we're really quiet, Carmel, do you think we'll be able to hear the gentle whispers coming that we may be speaking with New Zealand's next prime minister?" she said, referring to a social media post by a former gossip columnist Willis had laughed off the previous day as coming from "an exuberant fan". Sepuloni was quick to emphasise the rumour of division, saying "the conversations around rolling the leadership really ramped up" during the London trip last week, Labour Party Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni and Labour Leader Chris Hipkins. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Willis again laughed the suggestion off, saying a leadership spill was "not on the cards" and suggesting that while plenty were quick to criticise, "every now and then, there's a fan who's just as exuberant in the other direction, and that's all there is to it". She said the trip had been "fantastic" and allowed her to speak lenders the government was borrowing from, and "they can see that we're a sensible government, doing the right things to manage the public finances, they back our plan". Sepuloni said Willis needed to recognise "much of that debt has actually been built up under her watch". "They decided to give out tax cuts that they were told were unaffordable and give tax breaks to places like landlords, 2.9 billion to landlords, tax breaks to the tobacco industry. I think New Zealanders are questioning the priorities of this government." Hipkiss asked Sepuloni the inevitable question about what Labour would do, leading to the following exchange with Sepuloni talking over Willis' interjections: Sepuloni: Our priority would certainly be on what I've mentioned already. We need support Willis : How would you pay for it? Is the question. Sepuloni : need suport for New Zealanders to get into work.... Willis : How would you pay for it? Sepuloni : Well, we certainly wouldn't be giving tax breaks.... Willis : How would you pay for it? Sepuloni : ... value of 2.9b ... Willis : so you wouldn't give tax relief to people struggling. Sepuloni : to landlords, our focus would be on work ... Willis : how would you pay for it Sepuloni : ... and jobs. We wouldn't have been pausing and ... Willis : How would you pay for it? Sepuloni : ... and ending up with 18,000 fewer jobs in the ... Willis : How are you going to pay for it? Sepuloni : ....construction industry. It's about choices Nicola, and your government have made choices that are completely out of step with what New Zealanders want. Willis : Okay so she gave a long answer, and this is exactly Labor's problem. They want to promise everyone everything, and they will not front up with how they want to pay for it, because the way they want to pay for it is putting new taxes on an economy that is already struggling. The discussion soon veered back to the coalition's approach, with Willis again highlighting the crackdown on local councils' spending and the government's "concerns" about keeping food prices under control. "The last government attempted some reforms in that area. It's pretty clear they're not delivering enough. So we are working hard on what the next steps are," she said. Sepuloni came in with an interjection of her own - Labour's frequent refrain that the government has been unable to find a single family receiving the maximum $250 a fortnight from the FamilyBoost scheme. Willis had to rework the scheme after it was revealed to be less effective than expected . "This was a government that promised thousands of families $250 extra a fortnight through their FamilyBoost scheme and now they can't identify one family who have received it," Sepuloni said. "I am just going to correct a factual error there," Willis said, "because there are more than 60,000 families that have received a cheque - money into their bank account." "Everyone who has applied has received their full entitlement, and actually now there's a human reality to that I saw at Parliament a couple of weeks ago, an Uber driver, he stopped me, he said 'I want a photo with you, because that family boost money has made such a difference to my family'." It was unclear what "error" Willis was referring to: many families are receiving some funding but no evidence has been forthcoming of any families being eligible for the maximum amount under National's tax policy from the last election. "I'm glad you had another exuberant fan," Hipkiss observed, "let's move on to teachers and correcting factual errors". Public Service Minister Judith Collins corrected herself on Tuesday after claiming last week striking teachers were earning an annual salary of "about $140,000", far more than what most would earn . "It's actually really disappointing that we've got a government who have been pointing the finger at our teachers and blaming them for going on strike when actually this is off the back of them having their pay equity claims pulled, and now what we're seeing is that they've been offered a 1 percent [annual] increase," Sepuloni said. "We're just saying 'look (secondary teachers' union) PPTA, represent your workforce fairly, come and do your job which is negotiate with us, let's strike a deal," Willis replied. "We value teachers very, very much. They are going to be the key to us lifting educational achievement in our schools. They're going to be the key to getting a replacement to NCEA working and we want to negotiate with them to get a fair deal." Collins last week billed the strikes - taking place today - as a "political stunt". On Tuesday she said it was a case of mixing her messages up a bit.
RNZ News
23 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Police receive 1000 submissions over Canterbury changes
Superintendent Tony Hill Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon Police have received around one thousand submissions, including petitions, on a controversial proposal to restructure Canterbury staffing . The changes could see some roles disestablished to focus on road policing and 24/7 hubs created in Rangiora and Rolleston. Federated Farmers has expressed its outrage, organising two public meetings in North Canterbury and Selwyn. Police are now working their way through the feedback, which includes 200 staff submissions and 800 from the public or external parties. District commander superintendent Tony Hill says the feedback shows police need to take more time examining some aspects of the proposal. Earlier, Hill said the proposal was designed to focus on core police services and meeting demand now and in future. He accused Federated Farmers of scaremongering over the proposal , which was a "refocusing" rather than a reduction in sworn officers. Some roles would be disestablished, but those officers would be encouraged to apply for other roles, he said. However, hundreds of North Canterbury residents turned out to a fiery meeting in Culverden , angry about the proposal to remove the town's two police officers. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Invercargill mayoral candidates pitch back to basics approach ahead of election
Invercargill will soon have a new mayor. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Invercargill's mayoral candidates are pitching a back to basics approach ahead of this year's election. For the first time since the 1990s an incumbent was not standing for reelection, and instead ratepayers have eight candidates to chose from, including sitting councillors and fresh faces. The Southland Business Chamber hosted a lively debate in Invercargill on Tuesday night to help community members decide who they want to lead the city. With the rubber chicken of shame for those who overran their time and some favourite pie chat, the debate had a healthy mix of tough questions and meaty answers. Candidates tackled questions covering council amalgamation, water reforms, rates caps and project spending. Sitting councillor Alex Crackett said she wanted the basics done right to keep costs down. "I've heard from pensioners who are having to choose between buying a loaf of bread or paying for their rates. This is not the Invercargill that we should accept," she said. "We need steady, experienced hands on the basics - the roads, water, waste, because our strong foundations give us room to dream bigger." Current deputy mayor Tom Campbell backed the investments and projects that helped to revitalise the city, but said they did inevitably feed into rates. Now his priorities were affordability of rates and finding efficiencies in the council. "The new building phase has to be over. There are infrastructure projects to do, but that has to be it for capital works funded by ratepayers," he said. Current mayor Nobby Clark has opted to stand down, watching from the audience instead on the stage last night. The mayor's brother, Andrew Clark, copped flak for standing for the top job in both Tasman - where he currently lives - and the southern city. He was after responsible, disciplined spending. "Without hesitation as your new mayor, I would find an alternative water supply as a priority for Invercargill," he said. "You are completely solely dependent on the river. In the event of an earthquake or severe drought, there would be real problems in the community." Sitting councillor Ian Pottinger said he wanted to help the city's citizens and has an open door policy. The council's two mana whenua representatives can only vote on committees before votes go to the council, but he would like to see some changes. "I would give each committee delegated authority that made the decision, it stands, and then their vote has purpose," he said. "I do like the way it is now with both the reps. I think it works great." Sitting councillor Ria Bond also wanted to focus on the essentials and cutting back costs that were not core council business. "I know the frustration when councils choose vanity projects or short term wins that leave ratepayers paying the price for decades," she said. "As mayor, my focus will be clear and it will be disciplined." Tom Morton was not onboard with amalgamating councils, and said he had gone door to door to speak with people "Speaking to urban people, not rural people because we're in an urban environment and urban people have different needs to the rural people," he said. "Just to save money is not a good reason. We need to keep Invercargill for Invercargill and worry about what's happening in Invercargill." Stevey Chernishov, who used part of his introduction to spruik his men's conference, said the city was spending too much on businesses from outside the region and he wanted money to circulate around the district. "If you want a personality for Invercargill city, if you want somebody who's going to smile and challenge the system that's currently in place, I'm here to tell you that what we need to do is build a localised and enterprising southern New Zealand," he said. Gordon McCrone, whose party website has content described as disturbing and dangerous , was barred from the debate. The website has since been taken down. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
