Gisborne can expect new faces around its council table this October for more reasons than the recent representation shake-up.
The Gisborne District Council is made up of 13 councillors plus the mayor. Representation changes will take effect at the next election with the introduction of Māori wards and axing of rural wards. Photo: Supplied / LDR
In addition to the introduction of Māori wards and axing of rural ward councillors at the next election, a group of existing councillors have already ruled out standing again.
Only one of the existing 13 councillors have confirmed they will stand this October, along with Mayor Rehette Stoltz.
Three councillors confirmed they will not be seeking re-election - Bill Burdett, Shannon Dowsing and Isaac Hughes - while nine would not disclose their intentions.
Burdett, a councillor for 24 years, said it was time to let the next generation come through.
"I don't think they want an 80-year-old at the council next time around. It's time to step aside and hopefully we get one or two good people to stand . . . you need a bit of fresh blood occasionally."
Dowsing, a second-term councillor who heads a commercial studio and educational facility called Rangai, said he would not be running due to business reasons and other commitments.
He had enjoyed learning more about the region during his term and encouraged others to stand.
"It's unfortunately too much to grow my business and continue the local democracy work at the same time," he said.
Isaac Hughes, who at 27 was the youngest person to be elected to Gisborne District Council (following a by-election for the city ward in 2020), said his first term would be his last.
Hughes told The Gisborne Herald two weeks ago that juggling work around his democratic duties, which normally required between 20 and 40 hours a week, had become too difficult.
The flexibility required to attend meetings, workshops and other events at different times made even part-time employment a challenge, and councillors were not paid particularly well for their time.
Meanwhile, major representation changes are afoot at the council following the outcome of a Local Government Commission hearing in March.
The council, which is made up of nine city ward councillors and four rural ward councillors, will be shifting to a make-up of eight general ward councillors and five Māori ward councillors.
Rural ward councillors, of which the council planned to retain two, will be dissolved entirely.
Existing rural ward councillors, aside from Burdett, were tight-lipped on whether they would seek re-election under the new district-wide general ward.
Sandra Faulkner said she did not wish to comment while Pat Seymour said she was yet to determine her position.
Kerry Worsnop said she was undecided whether she would stand again because it was unclear whether spending another three years at the table would improve things for people outside of the city.
"I'm not keen to be a councillor just for the hell of it and I'm also aware that a number of my urban friends are champing at the bit to try their hand at representing rural communities," she said.
"Definitely no mayoral aspirations. You couldn't pay me all the money in the world."
Mayor Stoltz said she would be putting her name forward for re-election and was proud of the work the team had achieved in spite of the pandemic.
She looked forward to tackling the big issues facing councils at the moment, such as Resource Management Act reforms, Three Waters and the review of Local Government.
Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said he had not given the upcoming election much thought because it was too far away.
Deputy mayor Josh Wharehinga said the election is too far out to confirm if he will stand once more. Photo: Alice Angeloni/LDR
City ward councillors Debbie Gregory, Tony Robinson, Terry Sheldrake and Andy Cranston would not say if they planned to run again, but Larry Foster confirmed he would be throwing his hat in the ring once again.
Meredith Akuhata-Brown, in her third term, said she was still deciding what she would do but did not rule out taking another shot at mayoralty.
If she ran for the council, it would be under the general ward because she wanted to support those who could bring mātauranga (Māori knowledge) to the Māori ward seats and fulfil the "essence" of why they were created in the first place.
The local body election is set for 8 October. The cut-off for candidate nominations is 12 August.
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