With nominations officially closed, 114 individuals are running for seats on the five Hawke’s Bay councils … an excellent turnout. Let’s respect their courage by voting!!
BayBuzz will now start digging into the candidates and issues. Follow our coverage, and see what they candidates have to say about themselves at our Election Central domain.
Nest week, we’re sending issue questions to each candidate next unique to the council for which they are standing. We’ll publish our questions next week in case you’d like to pursue any of them on your own with the candidates.
Meantime, here are some topline observations.
Each of our four mayoralty races offer real competition:
- In CHB, incumbent mayor Alex Walker faces current regional councillor Will Foley.
- In Wairoa, incumbent mayor Craig Little faces deputy mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare plus Camden Gaskin and Kurawari Panere.
- In Napier, incumbent mayor Kirsten Wise faces current councillors Richard McGrath and Nigel Simpson.
- And in Hastings, it’s wide open, with current councillors Marcus Buddo, Damon Harvey and Wendy Schollum mixing it up with newcomers Steve Gibson and Darrin Wilson.
Several of the councils’ wards are especially competitive:
- In CHB’s Ruataniwha General Ward, 8 candidates, including only one incumbent, are competing for 3 seats.
- In HDC’s Hastings-Havelock General Ward, a whopping 17 candidates, including only 3 incumbents, are vying for 7 seats.
- In NCC’s Ahuriri General Ward, 9 candidates, including 3 incumbents are seeking 3 seats.
- In HBRC’s Napier constituency, 6 candidates, including 2 incumbents, are seeking 3 seats.
- In Wairoa, a convoy of 17 candidates is contesting 6 seats!
And finally, in the ‘already elected’ category, by virtue of wards/constituencies not having more candidates than seats, honours go to ‘walk-ins’ Thompson Hokianga (HBRC-Māui ki te Tonga Māori Regional Constituency), Alwyn Corban and Hana Montaperto-Hendry (both representing HDC-Heretaunga),
There are no ‘walk-ins’ in CHB, Napier, or Wairoa.
All in all, the election promises to deliver some fresh faces.
Let the games begin!
Good luck Nigel and Richard, time to dethrone the bad decision queen who is completely out of touch with her ratepayers.
Also, good luck Louise Parsons, time to dethrone the other bad decision queen from HBRC.
Let’s all vote in October, make your voices heard.
Unfortunately 2 against her will weaken both there chances…. & the dumb sheep will allow her to get back in.
Good luck Louise parsons ..
All the best Nigel and Richard.
Come on Napier, we need an active council that cares for the PEOPLE of Napier!
Kirsten Wise for Napier mayor; she has done an outstanding job, and led a progressive group of councillors.
Congratulations on establishing a Night Shelter.
What has been so outstanding Leonie… nothing I have seen or heard of . A night shelter huh – go ask 20 kids at a primary school & 2 or 3 of them would have that initiative aswell. In her terms as mayor we have a near 400 million dollar increase in debt for very few real assets – Open your eyes
Thanks for your feedback, Leonie, but I and many people in Napier won’t be voting for Kirsten because she does not listen to the ratepayers, including giving our money away to things like a homeless shelter, HB Tourism, Waka Hub, Ahuriri Station and questionable consultants, when the majority of these things could get their funding from other resources not the ratepayers. Check out think link https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360776243/how-your-council-performing. Where is a third of our money going, Madam Mayor? Vote for a cool change in October.
I think you will find Kirsten Wise listens to ratepayers, however the views of everyone must be accounted for, not just irrelevant old men. You may well consider that building a night shelter to house the homeless is giving money away – from the comfort of your retirement village armchair, however investing in those less fortunate is money well spent. Homelessness is a growing reality. Perhaps you are happy to see those people sleeping in doorways which ultimately also requires investment from rates to manage.
Agree with you there Charles D. Now they’ve come up with a citizens assembly? They don’t listen to what their current ratepayers want so tis is at best a front fir them to say we listened to this group of people that wee Habs picked to represent the community and at worst is another cog to support their turning wheel of ripping off the ratepayers. I’ll be voting for people who care about the community over vanity projects. Almost here.
I’m hoping for a mix of experienced and new candidates.
I hope Bay Buzz asks questions of candidates related to accessibility (for disabled people) and inclusion, and the environment.
I’m hoping for forward-looking candidates with clear vision: we are where we are, so what’s important now is where next and how will we get there, more than how we got here. We need councillors with leadership and teamworking skills, able to make the best of the resources available. Achieving shared objectives means us all pulling together – councillors, central government and the entire HB community, aligned, motivated and enabled.
Robert, agree, all views must be accounted for, not just the minority Mayor Wise lovers. The elections will show what the people really think. P.s. people apart from ‘old white men’ think the same as Charles. Ratepayers shouldn’t pay twice for an issue that should be funded elsewhere.
Why make issues about race? all people become old. Whether Charlie boy is ‘white’ or otherwise is irrelevant. You would be happy for others to pay for services to assist homelessness in your own back yard then? Each region needs to address the issue of homelessness and not all solutions rely on the Government. You old timers enjoyed the boomer years of massive capital gain on property and today people cant afford their first home, so I agree with you, homelessness could be addressed elsewhere, perhaps a massive capital gains tax on boomers would be a solution towards the cause.