Fox: ‘Keen to contribute’
Nola Fox is one of seven people running for a Te Awahou Foxton Community Board seat.
She is passionate about her community and believes a community is better the more you contribute.
“I am keen to contribute my time and energy in seeing that Foxton and the Beach residents' views are heard. I also believe increased communication on how decisions are made - before and after, can ensure communities and local governments are in relative agreement on actions going forward.”
Fox has an education background; NZCC - Accounting, Post Grad Diploma in Adult Learning and Teaching (Massey) and Toi Paematua Diploma in Ma¯ori Visual Arts - Raranga Level 5 (TWoA).
She has worked overseas and in New Zealand for large companies, while also running her own consulting firm, mainly as a business analyst and technical writer.
She has experience in governance too.
“In the late 1980s I helped set up a Community House in Petone, moving through Playcentre Aotearoa levels of training and governance to be an adult and child educator as well as Central Districts Playcentre Association president for four years alongside many other community efforts.
‘‘As a result, I also came away with a strong Te Tiriti o Waitangi understanding and policy writing at multiple levels of an organisation.”
Re Three Waters she said; “Based on current information the answer to this question depends only if councils are to be reimbursed the actual value of investment council (and therefore ratepayers) have made in losing the assets.
‘‘If that happens then council shouldn't retain ownership as reimbursement funding could help so many other areas of the growth issues we are facing. If councils are not going to be reimbursed then they should retain ownership. Financing Three Waters then becomes a central government issue''.
She is in favour of closure of the Levin landfill, but also wants to see significant investment in recycling processing in Horowhenua to reduce carbon emissions in transporting landfill elsewhere.
Repair Cafes are a growing network already in place here at Levin.
Funding from waste minimisation funding needs to be acquired to have permanent events in all townships.
Fox believes housing can be made more affordable by making rates more affordable and building more affordable social housing (probably in partnership with NGOs).
She would like to see the provision of affordable housing, good community facilities as attractions and strong lobbying of the new health organisation to promote better access to health services in the district.
As this is mainly funded through Horizons, lobbying to get cheap, regular circuits of electric bus routes will reduce emissions and vehicles on roads. It will also connect communities and residents, allowing more to participation in their communities - this would be an important contribution by council. She supports the expressway.
Experience has shown that tackling a pandemic needs a multiple agency/organisation lead. Council can support this through providing facilities, funding equipment and staffing and supporting food distribution to those struggling to gain income.