BayBuzz has invited all candidates to respond to a series of questions on the issues. Each set of questions includes some that are unique to the given council, plus a few we asked across the board.

We have given candidates until 22 August to reply, and we’ll then publish all responses verbatim as given.

In the meantime, pasted below are the BayBuzz questions (or download this PDF), in case you’d like to put any of them to candidates yourselves. Go for it … smoke them out … that’s what elections are for!

BayBuzz Questions for Council Candidates

NCC

  1. NCC plans to spend $701 million through to 2034 to improve water infrastructure. Is this appropriate and who should pay?
  2. Does Napier need a new aquatic centre? If so, where?
  3. Do you support NCC continuing to dump partially treated wastewater into Hawke Bay?
  4. Name 2-3 specific NCC projects, policies or spends over the past three years with which you personally disagree.
  5. Do you support building homes in these two controversial areas – Riverbend Road, around Ahuriri Station?
  6. Should residential water metering be introduced in Napier?
  7. Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table?
  8. Do you believe councils’ rates should be ‘capped’ by legislation?
  9. Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form?
  10. Would you support Councils appointing an independent “HB Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?

HDC

  1. HDC has struggled over allocating land to housing/industrial development versus protecting productive soils in the district. Do you believe the right decisions are being made?
  2. HDC plans to spend $80 million over the next three years to improve water infrastructure? Is this appropriate and who should pay?
  3. Name 2-3 specific HDC projects, policies or spends over the past three years with which you personally disagree.
  4. Should residential water metering be introduced in the Hastings District?
  5. Do you believe councils’ rates should be ‘capped’ by legislation?
  6. Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table?
  7. Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form?
  8. Would you support Councils appointing an independent “Hawke’s Bay Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?

CHBDC

  1. CHB Council has just reviewed its spending plans for improving the district’s water infrastructure, deferring some projects considerably. Do you support this approach even if it delays important improvements?
  2. Name 2-3 specific CHBDC projects, policies or spends over the past three years with which you personally disagree.
  3. Do you support construction of the ‘new’ Ruataniwha Dam? Do you believe Council should invest ratepayer funds in it?
  4. CHB seems on its way to becoming Hawke’s Bay’s solar capital. Do you support that development?
  5. Do you believe councils’ rates should be ‘capped’ by legislation?
  6. Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table?
  7. Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form?
  8. Would you support Councils appointing an independent “Hawke’s Bay Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?

WDC

  1. Do you support the flood diversion scheme for North Clyde recommended by Crown Manager Lawrence Yule, the Regional Council and current Wairoa Council?
  2. Name 2-3 specific WDC projects, policies or spends over the past three years with which you personally disagree.
  3. What Council spending or other initiatives would you support to improve Wairoa’s economic well-being?
  4. Unlike Napier, Hastings and CHB Councils (who are forming a joint water entity), Wairoa Council has decided to ‘go it alone’ with respect to delivering water services. Do you agree? 
  5. Most WDC debt relates to the need to maintain and improve its water assets, with significant improvement required. Should WDC step up its borrowing to make these improvements?
  6. WDC current policy aims to limit rate increases to 5%. But this assumed WDC joined a regional water services entity, off-loading current debt and borrowing costs, which it has now declined to do (as noted above). Do you believe WDC rate increases can be kept to 5%? How?
  7. Do you believe councils’ rates should be ‘capped’ by legislation?
  8. Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form?
  9. Would you support Councils appointing an independent “Hawke’s Bay Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?

HBRC

  1. Do you believe HBRC is ‘tough enough’ in enforcing environmental protections when challenging actions (or omissions) by other HB councils and businesses
  2. Current estimates put the cost of all feasible flood control options for the region at around $600 million. How do you believe HBRC should approach this huge challenge … how much is ‘safe enough’?
  3. To help reduce the ratepayer cost of such a major potential scale of flood protection, do you believe HBRC should consider selling down its shares in Napier Port in order to invest instead in better earning financial assets?
  4. HBRC has committed about $3 million to investigating the feasibility of a storage dam on a tributary of the Ngaruroro River. At the same time, an effort is underway to revive construction of a ‘new’ Ruataniwha Dam in CHB. Do you support either initiative? Would you support HBRC Council putting ratepayer funds into the construction or future operation of either dam?
  5. Do you believe HBRC is doing enough to develop potential reductions in the region’s water demand? What possibilities of this sort do you see?
  6. Do you believe HBRC is doing too much or too little with respect to adapting to and/or mitigating climate change impacts in the region?
  7. Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table?
  8. Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form?
  9. Would you support Councils appointing an independent “Hawke’s Bay Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?

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6 Comments

  1. The answers for NCC that I’d vote for from a seasoned ratepayer:
    1) NCC plans to spend $701 million through to 2034 to improve water infrastructure. Is this appropriate and who should pay? No, but it is more appropriate to spend on necessary infrastructure than vanity projects. Relook at the budgets once new Council is sworn in.
    2) Does Napier need a new aquatic centre? If so, where? No, if you’d maintained the existing one it would be fine. Kids swam outside in the 90s and they turned out fine! $4+ million has been spent on Onekawa, Annette, it’s not lipstick on a pig, you used to like Onekawa until you moved to Marewa. What changed?
    3) Do you support NCC continuing to dump partially treated wastewater into Hawke Bay? Yes, it works. The sea has much worse going in it. We are a small population. Let’s budget accordingly, we aren’t Tokyo, Hayley.
    4) Name 2-3 specific NCC projects, policies or spends over the past three years with which you personally disagree. Waka Hub, Ahuriri Station, Te Aka, Leasing land opposite Airport Roundabout, Homeless shelter, traffic calming measures, creating CCOs, consultants to support bad decisions, FDS, PDP and increasing our rates significantly on these and other items despite an outcry of public submissions, shame.
    5) Do you support building homes in these two controversial areas – Riverbend Road, around Ahuriri Station? No.
    6) Should residential water metering be introduced in Napier? No, how can you meter our water when it’s still not drinkable!
    7) Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table? No, there is too much systemic influence that is biased to this group already. Listen to your community. We are all one, until it doesn’t suit you. Merit based only.
    8) Do you believe councils’ rates should be ‘capped’ by legislation? Yes, dear God, yes!
    9) Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form? We need Councils that care about the whole community and stick to budgets. There are pluses to both. The ratepayers should ultimately decide, not the Councils themselves.
    10) Would you support Councils appointing an independent “HB Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance? If it reigns in the spending and questionable practices, great. If it’s like Wellington City Council, an umpire filing his nails rather than making tough calls, I’m happy to step in and would likely be much cheaper.
    The answers for HBRC:
    1) Do you believe HBRC is ‘tough enough’ in enforcing environmental protections when challenging actions (or omissions) by other HB councils and businesses. No.
    2) Current estimates put the cost of all feasible flood control options for the region at around $600 million. How do you believe HBRC should approach this huge challenge … how much is ‘safe enough’? Ask the people that were affected their thoughts – your ratepayers. Start by not letting NCC intensify flood prone areas. FDS is a farce.
    3) To help reduce the ratepayer cost of such a major potential scale of flood protection, do you believe HBRC should consider selling down its shares in Napier Port in order to invest instead in better earning financial assets? These shares are keeping HBRC afloat. Suggest reducing costs in other areas e.g. the bus network and free subsidies to people who don’t need it. Well done removing funding to HB Tourism, a shame other Councils took money from ratepayers to pay the fat cats.
    4) HBRC has committed about $3 million to investigating the feasibility of a storage dam on a tributary of the Ngaruroro River. At the same time, an effort is underway to revive construction of a ‘new’ Ruataniwha Dam in CHB. Do you support either initiative? Would you support HBRC Council putting ratepayer funds into the construction or future operation of either dam? Perhaps the iwi could stump up some $ for this if they want it? People need to know the real pros and cons before decisions are made.
    5) Do you believe HBRC is doing enough to develop potential reductions in the region’s water demand? What possibilities of this sort do you see? There is enough water. Saying there is not does not make it so. It’s in the ground, get it out. Or reduce our rates if we are forced to restrict our use.
    6) Do you believe HBRC is doing too much or too little with respect to adapting to and/or mitigating climate change impacts in the region? Respect that they are against some aspects of FDS but not others. Questionable relationships again, right Hine?
    7) Do you personally support retaining Māori seats at your council table? No, there is too much systemic influence that is biased to this group already. Listen to your community. We are all one, until it doesn’t suit you. Merit based only.
    8) Does Hawke’s Bay need five councils, or do you support amalgamation, in any form? We need Councils that care about the whole community and stick to budgets. There are pluses to both. The ratepayers should ultimately decide, not the Councils themselves.
    9) Would you support Councils appointing an independent “Hawke’s Bay Auditor General” to monitor councils’ spending and programme performance?
    If it reigns in the spending and questionable practices, great. If it’s like Wellington City Council, an umpire filing his nails rather than making tough calls, I’m happy to step in and would likely be much cheaper.

  4. More direct questions such as “do you think there should be Maori Wards” and “do you support co-governance measures” are what ratepayers want clear answers to. Yes or no answers rather than the chance to fudge views and fence sit. After all, we want to clearly know who to vote for.

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