One Mahurangi – What is your vote worth?

It’s local government election time and so often when I mention it to people, they say they can’t be bothered and they don’t believe their vote will bring any change. I have always believed that if you don’t vote, then you have no right to stand back and be critical. By taking the time to engage, even if your preferred candidate doesn’t win, at least you’ve been part of the process.

We are in the middle of enormous change in our area and a lot of this will be driven by Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and our Local Board. This means that we need to have people in place in these organisations that both understand this region, are open to ideas from the people who live here as to what we want, and the type of development that will enhance rather than dominate our landscape.

I went to the Auckland Mayoral debate the other night at the Warkworth Town Hall and was interested to hear each candidate say they had been up here and had consulted with locals. It is interesting that none of them have tried to contact One Mahurangi Business Association (OMBA) or the OMBA Transport & Infrastructure Forum that we host every two months!

So, the question needs to be asked, who exactly did they consult with? Did they just ask questions from people who have the same thoughts and agenda as them?

We would love to meet with each mayoral candidate to explain to them the real issues facing this area.

It’s not just always the Hill Street intersection that the town is concerned with. There are major issues in the Mahurangi region that need clear headed and commonsense solutions instead of short-term quick fixes dictated by budgets set three years ago! We need to be thinking what we will need in 25 years from now and plan, develop, and build according to that.

We need champions for this region. So, my plea to you is this – get involved, get interested, research what each local candidate stands for, and vote on that! Policy not personality. If everyone gets involved we will then get the right candidates who will fight for us at each level of Council. Don’t disengage because you don’t think your vote won’t count. It really will because we are Stronger Together.