My Account
Like many, a childhood spent holidaying in the region drew me back. After a 25-year business management career in IT we sold and spent two years driving around the world, before I was recruited as director of consulting at KPMG. We moved to Leigh in 2014 to farm cattle and live in a smaller community. I am passionate about community and local issues including sustainable local food, and I helped start Oooby Matakana.
What are the three main issues facing Warkworth/Rodney?
Infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure.
- Transport issues on both sides of Rodney are choking local development and putting both communities at risk. I intend to continue lobbying NZTA and Auckland Transport to drive the community’s wishes for effective transport improvements. As a founder member of the Fix Hill Street Now Action Group, this has allowed an unmatched view of the eastern transport issues.
- Council has listed Warkworth as a future urban growth area. Significant infrastructure upgrades are required to make this happen in a managed fashion. Our team is focused on keeping Rodney at the forefront of Council budget allocations. Once we have the budget, then we can keep the pressure on to make it happen.
- The expansion in domestic and international tourism in Rodney is happening now. We are blessed with innovative business owners ready for the growth. Council needs to step up and help get people in and out of the region to enable the growth to continue.
What would you hope to achieve over the next three years?
The community needs smart, strong leadership with a focus on the future. Council has let investment in the region drop while the merger process was worked through. That is starting to change and I want to help community groups plan, fund and deliver their projects as they know what is right for their region. Intense lobbying is needed to address the infrastructure issues. Our team is focused on these areas with a strong personal interest in the region’s transport needs.
