BayBuzz has received responses from each of the 20 candidates standing for election to the HB Regional Council. 

Here are the nine questions we put to HBRC candidates:

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 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?

The candidates’ full responses – about 15,000 words in all – are reported in this PDF, grouped by question and HBRC constituency so you can readily compare the candidates competing in your constituency. 

Each candidate also has a ‘page’ in the HBRC section of Election Central on the BayBuzz website, so you can find each person’s complete response there as well. 

HBRC candidates – in general – tend to:

1. View HBRC ‘enforcement’ as adequate/appropriate, maybe tougher on repeat offenders. Māori candidates more critical, see enforcement as inadequate.
2. Regard how much to spend on flood protection as a ratepayer call requiring substantial community involvement/buy-in, given the potential scale, not a councillor call.
3. Are cautious/wary about any sale of HBRC’s Napier Port shares, although only a few would flatly rule it out at this juncture.
4. With just a couple of exceptions, reject HBRC committing council funds to any dam construction or operation.
5. Want to see HBRC do more with respect to pursuing opportunities to curb water demand.
6. Believe HBRC more should do more, or act with more urgency on addressing climate change, but with a focus on adaptation as opposed to mitigation.
7. With four exceptions and one waffle, candidates favour retaining Māori seats.
8. Some favour greater collaboration; some support outright amalgamation in one form or another. No one endorses the status quo.
9. No real enthusiasm for an independent ‘auditor’ for HB; most think self-review is satisfactory.

But don’t rely on this summary, the full responses reveal far more nuance and detail.