My Account
Bruce Rogan
Kaipara District is trading while insolvent. That’s usually illegal, but not for councils. The Council is hiding behind the Local Government Rating Act to cover this up. The Act empowers councils to force rates out of their community. The current council is living in a fantasy world that suggests that if the population of Kaipara is increased to that of Calcutta, all the problems will melt away. So, they are waiving all their own development criteria in a desperate attempt to attract property developers to build cheap houses here. No money for the needed infrastructure is being generated, so the insolvency problem will simply get worse and worse. Now for the elephant in the room. There is a debt of about $100 million that is illegal. The High Court has declared it illegal. My priority will be to get that debt identified and sheeted home to those who really own it. Anyone who took it on after the High Court declaration is in for a very bad shock. If I am not Mayor after this election, nothing will ever happen about that huge illegal debt. Last chance, folks. Either you get this fixed now or live with it forever. A bit about me. I am Bruce Rogan. My wife, Heather, and I have lived full time in the Kaipara for 10 years and have owned our place here for over 20. For six years, I have spent most of my time and money on fighting illegal actions of the Kaipara District and Northern Regional Councils.
Peter Wethey
In October 2016, I stood for Council to represent the Otamatea Ward on the platform of A Fresh Start for Kaipara. I strongly believe that after four years of governance by the commissioners, Kaipara had to move forward and regain its position as a thriving community with much to offer its residents. Your elected Council has met its first year’s goals and is well positioned to achieve measurable progress in the last two years of its term. It has a clear vision, and I would like to lead it through the rest of its term so that the existing momentum can be maintained. Catching up the shortfall in funding the district’s road network, which occurred during the time of the commissioners, is progressing. This year’s budget has a total spend on the road network, which is 50 per cent ahead of that in 2016/17. Debt reduction continues to be a key focus for Council. The goal is to reach a debt level of around $40 million, which is sustainable for a district the size of Kaipara. In 2016, I was appointed deputy mayor and have been deeply involved with the many issues that were worked through during the first year in office. My platform for this by-election is Leading Positive Progress and, if elected, I will focus on the future.
Jason Smith
Tena koutou nga tangata o te rohe o Kaipara. I am Jason Smith and the words on my billboards mean a lot to me. They say we need to have a fresh start in Kaipara, and I ask you to choose me as your Mayor to make that happen. My family has lived in the Kaipara district for five generations, I have lived and farmed here for much of my working life. I know the past challenges we have faced – so do you, so I am not going to dwell on them here. My focus is on the future. My focus is on harnessing the human energy I see here in the east and is now flowing swiftly to the west. There is a thirst for change; a need to provide employment opportunities for our young people, to get the district’s debilitating debt under control, to provide stable leadership and to bring tourism back to Kaipara. It is not going to be easy, but it has to be done. And I believe it can be done. Which is why I put my name forward and why I am asking you to choose me for Mayor for Kaipara. Nga mihi nui.Christian Simon
Here in Kaipara we are living in peace in a very rich country near an exploding mega-city. We have options. While it is necessary to dream on a large scale to develop the vision, actual progress relies on taking small, affordable constructive steps. Concepts of traffic reduction and electrification are essential. We need a rural public transport network, such as an on-call bus system. Marsden Point will become a major transport hub. We need to revitalise and link up our railway. Dairy farming is by far the worst cause of water pollution. Clean water must be the bottom line, non-negotiable basis of sustainable healthy farming. Let the Kaipara District Council create an information exchange about holistic organic farming and foster the promotion of holistic farming strategies. The centralised “one pipe fits all” waste water system is not good enough. Further improvements need separation systems and separate treatments. Once we have established examples of sustainability, these better ways of developing our environment will spread to create a clean, green world. Solutions needed to fix the problems will develop mainly from the bottom, not from the top. Community issues and assets need to be managed by the community. Waste water schemes need to be managed and 100 per cent financed by those who are connected. “Bigger is better” is the ideology of yesterday. Smaller is smarter.
Brian McEwing
My wife Marion and I are third generation Kaipara residents, married for 43 years. We have five adult daughters, two whangai (step) daughters and six grandchildren. Marion has owned the Dargaville Sewing and Curtain Centre for 24 years. We love being at home in the Kaipara. My background is in contracting, land development, subdivisions, road construction, and as a logging contractor in Waipoua. After a spell farming, I owned a timber processing plant. I’m currently working in the agricultural contracting industry. Having previously been a councillor, I am under no illusion about the demands on the Mayor, and I am prepared to commit full time to putting Kaipara first. I was elected to Council’s Dargaville Ward in 2004 and after serving eight years, gained considerable experience in local government. You don’t know what you don’t know, so having been there is an advantage. I will encourage robust, fair, inclusive and transparent decision-making from Council to deliver the best possible outcomes for individual communities. Council must focus on the basics, especially rural roading, it must be done better. Getting the basics right is essential for economic development. A vote for Brian McEwing is a vote for putting Kaipara first.
Stephen Soole
I am standing for Mayor to bring a fresh approach to the Kaipara District Council and to bring back much needed credibility to the position and Council – to work on behalf of the people of the Kaipara as their advocate and district champion. Kaipara’s geographical location and proximity to major centres brings with it new challenges and opportunities. As a district, we must be proactively engaged to ensure Kaipara is best placed as a district to realise both its impact and potential. Having worked for over 20 years in local government – at both governance and operational level – this has given me a broad understanding of how local government works and the never-ending challenges it faces and is dealing with. My aspirations should I become Mayor are simple: to facilitate and lead a well-informed and enabling Council that is actively engaged with its communities; to unite a council that’s working to strengthen the Kaipara as a vibrant, diverse and prosperous place to visit, do business and call home.
As Mayor, I will challenge the Council to think smarter and do more with the resources available, listen to its communities and to lay the groundwork to realise the aspirations of the district. To not forget the lessons of past, as we move forward focused on our future.
Invitations to contribute were also extended to candidates Jay Ben Tane and Craig Woollam, but neither responded before deadline.
