Thursday night BayBuzz reported Sandra Hazlehurst’s announcement that she would not be standing for re-election as Hastings mayor.

Friday we caught up with the Mayor for a chat about her decision and what next. It’s four months too soon for a valedictory, but here are some initial observations.

Timing-wise, first elected mayor in a 2017 by-election, Sandra said her view had always been that three terms is the appropriate length of mayoral service … a term to get educated, a term to really plow into things and make necessary changes, and a term to consolidate and chart next steps. In her case of course, with the interruptions of Covid and Cyclone Gabrielle, with the latter overtaking everything else for urgency and attention. 

While Cyclone recovery has dominated since February 2023, the Mayor can still point to a raft of achievements that she now considers securely established – heaps of housing (including lower income), improved water infrastructure (she delights in being titled ‘The Infrastructure Queen’), and revitalization of Hastings CBD, starting with the renewal of the Opera House and Municipal Building and spreading from there.

Listening to her, her passion about providing housing opportunity and what it means to people is what comes through most. And HDC has certainly made huge strides on that front.

What about the next four months?

The Mayor mentioned two priorities – settling the course on future water service delivery and moving forward with key recovery bridge works in the district (e.g., Puketapu, Rissington) to re-establish normal and permanent connection for the rural community.

She seems confident that current consultation on water services (Local Water Done Well) will yield endorsement of a regional entity, with the consequence of that being a shift of one-third of HDC’s ‘business’ to a new entity. She terms this a “catalytic” change that will invite a broader re-think of HDC’s future focus, as well as prod pursuit of other areas for regional collaboration, from consolidating all building control functions across the region to animal control.

This sounds like amalgamation by stealth to me. When pressed, Sandra suggested that amalgamation was probably still politically a “step too far”.

Hazlehurst was first elected in 2010 and prior to that served four years as Chair of the Hastings City Business Association, so nearly twenty years of community service. She’s been an activist mayor with significant achievements. When she talks about issues, her wisdom about the Hastings district and about the workings of local government in general and her council in particular is hugely impressive. She knows where the bodies are buried and how to leverage the office through community partnerships.

Given that depth, I actually find it difficult to imagine her replacement. She was unopposed in 2022.

I asked if she was worried about future council leadership. She insists … ‘not to worry’. She was “terrified” when she was first elected mayor, but learned on the job, she says. 

Additionally, she cited various factors that would foster a certain stability – HDC has a clear 3-Year Plan in place that will provide structure for a new mayor and councillors; current councillors have been highly informed and participatory in the council’s business and those re-elected will provide leadership; and HDC has a seasoned chief executive and management team to provide institutional knowledge and continuity.

That said, the public mood about councils is decidedly sour, and many voters might decide in October that the last  thing they want is ‘continuity’!

So now it’s game on. The Hastings mayoral seat is now officially up for grabs, without an incumbent to de-throne. Only one hand has popped up so far, Councillor Marcus Buddo. He is unlikely to be unopposed!

Stay tuned.