Hastings Councillor Steve Gibson is a master of presenting two faces. Kind of a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Here’s a recent Facebook post from Dr Jekyll-Gibson:

“One of the most basic rules of good governance is this: you do not borrow to fund day to day operations.

“Borrowing for operational costs is how councils lose control of their finances. It shifts today’s bills onto tomorrow’s ratepayers and locks communities into an ongoing cycle of debt that only gets worse over time.

“Yet in Hastings, we are being asked to do exactly that. Borrowing money not for long term infrastructure, but to cover this year’s operational shortfall. That means pushing the burden onto next year’s ratepayers and beyond.

“That is not responsible. That is simply delaying the problem and making it bigger for the future.

“Far better to find operational savings and keep rate rises affordable like I have and will continue to stand up for our ratepayers!”

Now, someone with knowledge of HDC’s finances might argue that the situation is more nuanced, or defend the Council’s position, or challenge Councillor Gibson to identify the savings he would capture, and so on.

But there’s nothing objectionable about pushing for cost savings versus borrowing. It’s simply a proposition to examine on its merits.

And if this were all you ever heard from Councillor Gibson, you might well be inclined to cheer him on as your long-awaited saviour for rates reduction.

However … hold off on your adulation and 

There’s clearly a quite disturbing side to Mr Hyde-Gibson, which frequently emerges when he switches agendas and reveals his underlying value set. That’s what happened in a recent interview with podcaster Duncan Garner.

The most startling of Gibson’s comments were these, characterising his ‘colleagues’ at the Hastings District Council:

“But the problem with council, it is full of middle aged woke women, and they’re running the show. You’ve got demasculated (sic) males surrounding them that won’t stand up because they’re afraid of being called a racist or a sexist.”

He goes on to characterise Māori as camels sneaking nose-first into the tent:

“And this carries on and camel’s inside the tent, and pushes the mate out of the tent. And, you know, keep giving an inch. And then Māori will eventually take over everything, and they’ll be charging us for water.”

You can watch the podcast yourself here, or read this transcript, to get a full flavour of Councillor Gibson … before you award him your unreserved respect, admiration and Facebook accolade.

Personally, I can engage with Dr Jekyll-Gibson … no problem with reasonable debate over the wisdom or efficacy of any council’s priorities, programmes and spending. But Mr Hyde-Gibson is another entirely distasteful matter.

Having chatted with Councillor Gibson, I don’t think he really cares that his more rabid comments and sulking demeanour actually preclude any prospect he might have of generating change, whatever the merits of any of his views. So heaps of posturing, but no results … other than letting down his supporters, some of whom might prefer constructive action.

But why worry about having no impact, this term? His dual persona works just fine for generating Facebook likes and soaking up disaffected votes. And maybe well enough to get elected mayor next time.

That contest would present a real test of values in the Hastings District.