Where are they now? City councillors share what's next
American-kiwi at the helm as Te Puke gears up for event
It has been four months since the Local Government Minister announced she was sending in commissioners to replace Tauranga City Council elected members, who have since been discharged of their duties. But where are they now? Kiri Gillespie catches up with the councillors to see what they are doing now, whether they would enter politics again, if there were any lessons learned from the ousting and whether or not they had moved on. This is what they had to say:
Tina Salisbury, deputy mayor
“I served in our city for years before I was elected, so whether I am being paid for it or not, I will continue to find ways to serve, contribute and make a difference.
“I am currently the Interim Independent Chairperson of the Welcome Bay Community Centre. A volunteer role to help the centre through a rough patch, to refresh, set a healthy culture and strategic direction for it to support and empower wha¯ nau of Welcome Bay and surrounding communities.
“Would I consider entering politics again? At this point, yes I would. I discovered a love for local government, thoroughly enjoyed serving our city in this role, and feel I could have a valuable contribution in the future.
“I have learned much in a short space of time. Local government in New Zealand needs a major reform to be able to serve our communities well into the future. The situation we found ourselves in was years in the making. The issues in Tauranga are complex, they will not be solved in the next two years, even with the commission.
“I am staying connected locally and nationally and would like to contribute to reforming and improving local government over the next few years.”
Kelvin Clout
“I’m actually doing my real estate papers. I’m doing it all online. I’m ripping into it fairly quickly.
“That is the big thing for me, doing my papers for real estate. I’m hoping to get my licence pretty much early April. That’s my objective. I’m also looking at buying a small business on the side. I’ve always enjoyed the business side of life, entrepreneurial endeavours as well.
“Change is a good as a rest they say but I’m never one to rest on my laurels.
“I’m just keeping an eye on what’s going on with council. I’ve got a meeting with the commissioners ... I’ll be keeping an eye particularly on the Long Term Plan when that is out for consultation, there’s every likelihood I’ll make a submission.
“Being very frank, if the election arrives on schedule, I’ll definitely be having another go.”
Larry Baldock
“I have no paid job but lots of jobs helping with eight grandchildren and catching up on jobs around our property in Pyes Pa since the broken leg.
“I remain interested in looking at trying to develop some housing on our land for social housing or senior citizens in need but have a lot to work through with RMA and building consents through this year before there is any certainty ... Mortgages, rates and bills still need to be paid.
“I will always be interested in politics and the progress of our city and country and don’t feel quite like retiring yet but whether I can re-enter involvement will depend on what opportunities open up or come my way.
“I have taken the opportunity to meet the commissioners ... I will continue to offer to engage with them or take any roles that they may think I can help with over their term of leadership.”
Andrew Hollis
“I’ve just moved house. I live in Pahoia. I’ve bought myself a place there, 1.7ha and I’m looking at what to put in there. I’m thinking avocados, so that’s what I’m doing right now. I’ll also be running in the [Western Bay of Plenty] byelection.
“I’ve obviously had time to work this through. I’ve got a business of my own, I don’t really have to work anymore and while I’ve got just enough money to survive, it’d be nice to have a little more.
“I’ve learned that there’s very little that could have been done in local government. As a councillor we are effectively toothless, we can’t individually make decisions at all. If we go against what the machine [ government] wants, it becomes extremely difficult.
“I will be watching the Longterm Plan closely and I will be submitting on it.”
Bill Grainger
“I was going to retire anyway, it’s just been brought a little bit early. So I’m just going to enjoy retirement for the next few months and enjoy a good break.
“I’ll be 67 soon so no, I’ve had enough – nearly five terms – of council. That’s nearly 15 years. That’s enough for me, full stop.
“I just don’t think it was a good decision. Here we are with commissioners coming in to take over and take control and they’re consulting with people ... I’m reading a letter they sent us [invitation to meet].
“When you get kicked about like we did, it takes a bit to try to show a bit of interest but I will follow it up for sure, I always had an interest in the city.”
Steve Morris
“I’m working out of town, I’m just about to start actually. But that’s probably all I’ll say on that.
“I haven’t really left the role. I’m still meeting with constituents in a voluntary capacity. People are still contacting us. They did elect us for three years to represent them.
“Obviously, I pay close attention to Bay of Plenty politics.”
John Robson
“I retired in 2001 so I’m still doing the same ‘job’ I was doing from 2001 to 2013 and between 2018 to 2018. I’m busy doing unpaid stuff. [consultancy work]
“I can’t do national politics ... I’d have to be terrible and I’m not a terrible person. But local politics, yeah. I’m always involved, I’ll always express a view. I’m passionate about democracy.
“What I’ve learned, what is regretful, is that human nature is pretty much unchanging.
“Nothing much has changed with the challenge for council. The big issues they are still here. I’m prepared to give the commissioners a run, let’s see what they do.”
Heidi Hughes (resigned in December)
“I have a new exciting project that I’m doing. It’s a business case for transport ... to encourage mode shift. We have funding from Bay Trust.
“I would consider it [politics] but possibly not in the short term, not the same role.
“[Lessons learned] Probably the positive benefits of moving forward. We’ve got to keep finding the positive. If we don’t and we keep litigating the past then how do we make this an opportunity?
“I’m still following [council] yes, especially around urban city design and transport. ”
Dawn Kiddie
“I’m still doing my work in the community. I’m still a Justice of the Peace, a celebrant and a life coach and I have no intention of stopping any work I do for the community on a volunteer basis.
“I haven’t finished with politics, it teaches you a lot. You can’t learn everything in 12 months.
“I’m still a ratepayer and a resident and I’m passionate about the community, even more so with what’s going on now ... I’ll be fighting for the community, that’s what I’ll keep doing.”
● Tauranga’s councillors still keep their titles until the next election in 2022, but in name only. They can no longer act in their roles and have no official responsibilities.
After a hiatus partly planned and partly enforced, Te Puke’s Business Excellence Awards are back in 2021.
Last held in 2018, the awards were next to be held in 2020.
However, like many events last year, they were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year’s awards promise a fresh look to the presentation ceremony, with American-kiwi Sabrina Harms coming on board to co-ordinate things from start to finish, with the start coming this week as nominations open, and the end the awards ceremony on July 9.
Sabrina has a theatre background and says she sees her role as stage managing, or producing the awards.
‘‘That puts it in my language,” she says. But she will also be communicating with the community.
“I want to light the spark in the heart of Te Puke and get everybody excited about this and then throw a bit of a ‘do’ in July which will be quite fun.”
The awards are a Te Puke EDG initiative and managing director Mark Boyle says Sabrina has good organising skills. “It’s good to have somebody that’s got high energy and it’s fair to say she is going to be visible.
“Sabrina says the website www. tepukeawards.business is the place to go to make nominations.
“We’ll also have information for the community and also for businesses so the businesses understand judges are just coming in to look at the wonderful things they are doing and looking at the great communities they are creating within their businesses and also within Te Puke and ease any stress they may have and help them understand what’s going to be involved.”
Sabrina is also working on creating a mascot for the awards.
Sabrina’s mum is a Kiwi from Rotorua and her dad is from Illinois in the USA.
While she was raised in Colorado, there were regular visits to New Zealand staying in the family bach at Pukehina Beach, but now the family have moved here permanently.
Sabrina went to study acting in Chicago.
“I was there for a while and had just shifted out to LA when the pandemic hit so I’m hoping I can make my big break in New Zealand instead,” she said.
Sabrina is represented by Tanya Horo of TMH Management and conducts some classes with her in Tauranga.
“I was fortunate with the theatre communities that I, literally, grew up in,” says Sabrina.
“The one in my local school was incredible and did some awesome things, but it was all hands on deck, so if you were in the play, you also went back and built the set, you went to the supermarket and asked for sponsorship.” Working in Chicago was similar.
“There are a couple of theatres that are well off, but also a lot of people go there to create things that are really new and edgy and different, so that means you are all hands on desk — you are multitasking and you’ve got a day job and you’ve also got your acting job.”
Sabrina has also put together a one-woman comedy show that she performed in bars and theatres and has produced stage read-ins.
“It’s where you still have scripts and can throw things in or work with a script that’s not finished yet. I produced one through Women’s History Month.
“As an actor you’ve got to get excited about stuff and got to be able to fall in love with just about anything and I think what I have done will lend itself really well to [the awards].”
While Sabrina’s will be the face of the awards, she wants to create something that focuses on the spirit of Te Puke.
“But I will be the driving force behind getting it out there and coming up with ways of engaging people.”
There are five categories for nominations — retail, food and beverage, service, hort and ag and employee of the year — and a supreme winner.
‘‘Step one is the nominations,” says Mark. ‘‘There’s an online portal where people can nominate. Then the big job is collating the nominations, qualifying the nominations because they’ve got to want to be in it, then Sabrina will get the judges in.”
● Nominations close on April 9.