My Account
I’m a trained architect, town planner and timber joiner, and have worked in Germany, Sicily and development projects in West Africa. I have enjoyed living in Mangawhai, a place with the most beautiful people on Earth, for the last seven years. In Sicily, I learned how Mafia organisations could use the goodness of councils. In West Africa, I saw how the poor looked to developed countries for a blueprint for their local government. In Kaipara, I found too many people frustrated by bureaucracy and government arrogance.
What will be the biggest challenge for the new mayor?
We need a structural change in local government. We need to empower the communities to make their decisions! The east coast communities are at risk of becoming just another uniform Auckland suburb. The development contribution fee does not cover the needed carparks, footpaths, bicycle ways, recreation facilities and so on. The current $250 fee that every ratepayer in the district has to pay for the Mangawhai Sewage system could easily triple. The lesson from the Mangawhai wastewater disaster has to be that such facilities need to be discussed locally, 100 per cent user-financed, owned and operated and not from the District Council.
For the West coast communities I see the risk of losing more farms to multinational investment companies that have no interest in a long-term, healthy environment.
Searching and finding together the best solutions for our community will enable politics to be fun. That is what we need! The active people in each community should start the discussion: “How do we want our community to look in 10 years?”
I am standing as candidate because I see the chance to motivate, especially our younger ones. I am able to develop from our global ecologic needs sustainable local business.
With a little group, we have prepared some suggestions for a long-term plan for our community in Mangawhai as the basis for discussion. Only when we know what we want and stand together do we have a chance to stand against the powerful growth addicted corporates.
