Three of Wairoa’s mayoral candidates — Craig Little, Denise Eaglesome-Karekare and Camden Gaskin responded to BayBuzz questions. Not responding was Kuraware Panere.

Here are the nine questions we asked:

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?

The candidates’ full responses are reported in this PDF, grouped by question so you can readily compare the candidates. 

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

To preview some differences amongst these candidates:

• Both Little and Eaglesome-Karekare firmly support the North Clyde diversion; Gaskin does not, raising other factors re flooding that the believes need more attention.
• Gaskin offers some ‘out-of-the box’ ideas for improving Wairoa’s economic well-being, ranging from free Wifi to a medicinal cannabis growers license to horse racing.
• All agree WDC should go it alone with respect to providing water services (i.e., not join the regional entity proposed by NCC, HDC, CHBDC).
• Little and Eaglesome-Karekare oppose amalgamation; Gaskin wants to join Gisborne.
• Little and Eaglesome-Karekare underscore Wairoa’s continuing need for central government funding support. Gaskin talks more ‘entreprenuerially’ of local/council opportunities to grow revenue.

Don’t rely on this summary, however, get full detail and nuance in their complete responses.