BayBuzz has prepared several analyses of the Council and DHB elections issues and candidates.

Hastings Council

Hastings Council: Back to Basics
By Tom Belford

Economy Tops ‘To Do’ List
By Lawrence Gullery

Personal View
By Lawrence Gullery

Regional Council

HB Regional Council: Environment First!
By Tom Belford

Napier City Council

Napier Council: Barbara’s Way Or the Highway
By Tom Belford

Napier: Who Will Be The Peoples’ Choice?
By Katherine Edmond

Hawke’s Bay DHB

District Health Board: 60 Days A Year
By Tom Belford

Writing on all of the above is Anna Lorck
Experience & New Blood Is Healthy Choice

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9 Comments

  1. What is of considerable concern to me, is that none of the candidates, DHB included, see the Hawkes Bay’s abysmal health statistics … predominantly respiratory, migraine, cancers … worthy of comment. A focus on water quality in our rivers is not causative of this issue, our drinking water is chlorinated, fluoridated, calcium carbonated (to reduce degradation of pipes), etc. It may result in e-coli ingestion by recreational users with predictable associated effects from the Waipukurau – ed populace, but not the respiratory issues we face in the Hastings area in particular .. respiratory irritants do that.
    The dearth of turn-out of Regional Councillors at the ‘tourism meeting’ was not surprising, for what have they really done, except endeavour to replicate the success of Rotorua tourism? .. they have effectively condoned the dispersal of hydrogen sulfide/sewer gas/the distinctive Rotorua odour both from the Hastings sewage works and perhaps the predominant horticultural practice in this area … mind you that it be elemental and organic one presumes makes it all alright … and all this without geysers. That it is so omni present does not seem to violate their regulation as to no off site drift … nor that they are the regulatory authority to ensure that there is no degradation of any air shed, nor that they are mandated to record and mitigate areas where people are most at risk … Flaxmere perhaps, just perhaps.
    Indeed, the perception that is being conveyed, is that Hawkes Bay air quality is good … & they, the Regional Council,(government mandated) publicly state when PM10 particulate matter criteria are exceeded … this giving the impression that all is well aside from those few, and far between events. The Regional Council do not have the necessary equipment to make such statements, nor are these sufficiently placed to proffer generalised statements … this is but a convenient blindness and perhaps driven by a dangerous notion that first and formost they are protecting employment opportunities in the Hawkes Bay.
    In my view, the situation described and the ensuing 100 day virus and sore eyes, is of considerably greater importance to the people of Hawkes Bay than any other – greater indeed than covering logs with tarpaulins and pumping methyl bromide under them, arguably without Marlborough established guidelines – but then, it is from there derives the funding for ‘environmental issues.’
    That this issue, the health and well being of residents, has not been broached by any candidates is simply beyond belief.

  2. In his Personal View, Lawrence Gullery says, 'Hawke’s Bay might only become a super council if Mr Yule is voted in for a fourth mayoral term.' None of the other leaders have said, 'we support one council for the Bay.'

    Yule has the connections in Wellington, he knows what they want, he's President of Local Government. His salary from serving the people is nearly $200,000, including $15,000 as Chairman of the Sports Park Trust, which he championed. He's hooked up to the trough and maybe he wants to deliver HB Super Council as a notch on his C/V.

    If Yule really served the people of Hastings he would have opened the consultation process on amalgamation at the same time as stating his political intentions. But that's not his style. Like Nelson Park, Ocean Beach and the Sports Park, Yule takes a stance, then drives the process to achieve the result.

    There's general agreement that changes in Local Government are needed. Amalgamation of Council services and functions to achieve efficiencies are an obvious target. But how this is done in Hawke's Bay should be for the people to decide, not Lawrence Yule.

  3. How come the likes of some of “our” elected members, and wannabe elected members, who get “convicted of crimes”, the likes of the disgraced former Act Party MP David Garrett. And more in particular considering it’s now election time, those convicted Drunk Drivers etc who are seeking re-election – to be the people’s representatives on our local councils – get their “names suppressed”, when ordinary folk – the “voters” – get their names plastered all over our local newspaper’s front page?
    Clearly a case of rules for some and Not for others!

    For that, I challenge those now seeking public office with “any” convictions during the past ten years to come clean. Because I sincerely believe Voters should be entitled to know now! Not find out after.

  4. DHB's are not the business round table. I have done a Public Health post Graduate diploma, so I fully understand that the board must have a strong business acumen. However, the board also require people that offer other skills and knowledge such as policy and health systems services.

    My goal if elected is to ensure that our DHB makes responsive decisions not reactive, that the board considers the long-term implications of decisions made and that we do not return back to the bad old days of the RHA's. The board needs an analysis and that is one of the skills I will bring to the table.

    Let us avoid the squash of the fat cats>

  5. Morton, if health is a big issue then how about doing some research on Fluoridation. Treating health effects is not the best option when one can remove causal factors.

    You say – our drinking water is chlorinated, fluoridated, calcium carbonated (to reduce degradation of pipes),

    Start here with Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3y8uwtxrHo
    then track parts 2 and 3 to see the dishonesty initiated with the New York state towns of Newburg and Kingston.

  6. Mark Sweet continues to get the facts wrong.

    I do not get paid a cent to be Chairman of the Regional Sportspark, or the Pettigrew Green Arena or as a former Board member of the Hawkes Bay Cultural Trust. These are all done to support our community.

  7. Lawrence is correct on the pay issue.

    That said, his various dual roles hold the inherent threat of conflicts of interest, as has been especially apparent during the sports park saga.

    The Audit NZ review of the infamous Higgins 'contribution' to the sports park commented on the Mayor's dual roles: "Clearly these two roles could give rise to a conflict of interest situation." Unfortunately the auditor bought the farcical arrangement where the Mayor vacates the Mayoral seat during Council discussions of the sports park … on the ridiculous presumption that this public setting would be the place where a conflict would actually work its result.

  8. agree. the RSP trust should be a sub-committee of council. then it is fully transparent, and such behind-the-back deals are fully accountable – without conflicts of interest. there is no reason why private individuals with the requisite will (and expertise) cannot be co-opted onto such a committee. to pretend (as Lawrence does) the RSP is some more-than-arm's-length organisation is a farce. that that (lack of) governance situation directly impacts on people's perceptions of the worth of the park is a blindspot Yule seems unable to appreciate.

  9. My apology for getting the money bit wrong Lawrence.

    It's Venture Hawke's Bay you take a salary from, yeah?

    But glad to see you didn't challenge my main assertion about amalgamation of Councils: that if you're true to form, you will have decided what outcome you want, and will play the process to achieve the result.

    And you seem to always be playing to someone else's tune.

    With Nelson Park it was to please The Warehouse who wanted a big inner city site. With the Ocean Beach Charette, parading as a consultation process, it was to please a Developer. And with the Sports Park you followed a Banker with a history of drunkenness and assaults.

    Who is it this time?

    Amalgamation is your big issue in the next three years because you must be experiencing, more than any one of us, the intense political pressure coming from Wellington to radically change Local Government.

    This from the Local Government Asset Management conference in May 2010.: Council administrators paving the way.

    'Privatisation is a contentious issue due to amendments in the Local Government Act 2002. Water will be the first area of local government which will move towards privatisation but what about the rest of local government controlled functions? What will the impacts be on asset management if more functions become commercialised in the future?' 

    The implications here are radical: 'commercialised functions', 'privatised water,' 'assets.'

    Main point of my previous post, Lawrence, wasn't about your income, it was about changing the culture of decision making that marks your Mayoralty.

    If you are returned as Mayor then you owe it to the people of Hastings District to conduct a fair and open consultation process on amalgamation, as required of you under the Local Government Act , without you pushing the agenda. That means neutral.

    The proposed changes to Local Government are the most radical in 40 years and it should be up to the people of Hawke's Bay to decide what form amalgamation takes. Could be we don't want to sell the water or have a Super Council with reduced representation.

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