Candidates get to hear residents’ concerns

open later this year.

But given that senior housing residents were only one-person households, whether every resident needed their 140-litre bin could be something to consider during consultation, he said.

Arbuckle told the room that regardless of the outcome of this election, there would be at least eight new councillors.

‘‘That’s a lot of change. Whatever you do, it is critical you look at some experience.’’

Blenheim ward councillor David Croad, chasing his second term, said his motivation for standing in 2019 was a ‘‘genuine desire’’ to give back to the community, but he did not believe a councillor could do this in just one term.

Marlborough deputy mayor Nadine Taylor, who is chasing the mayoral seat, said she was looking forward to some continuity, saying the current ‘‘settled’’ council was a good thing.

‘‘We all know what it looks like when a council is dysfunctional,’’ Taylor said.

Blenheim ward councillor Brian Dawson, looking at his fifth term, aired similar views to Taylor.

He said that while new faces were good for bringing fresh ideas to the table, the council also needed stability.

‘‘You’ve only got six councillors and a mayor who have made the decision to put their name forward for council,’’ Dawson said. ‘‘You do need these wise old heads.’’

Dawson said he was very proud of the things the council had achieved, ranging from fixing Seddon’s water to supporting businesses through Covid-19. But he said there was much more to do, including convincing young people to stay in the region.

Wairau-awatere ward councillor Gerald Hope said he was embedded in the Marlborough community, and wanted to have one more term to finish the work that had yet to be done. Meanwhile, among those chasing their first term on council, Deborah Dalliessi, for the Blenheim ward, said she was standing because she wanted to ensure that nobody fell ‘‘short of the essentials’’. Marlborough Sounds ward hopeful David Mcinnes, who had attended every council meeting for the past four or five months, fielded a question from one group about renaming Picton. It came after Sir Thomas Picton – the person the port town is named after – was revealed as a slave trader who was also convicted of torture during his time as the British governor of Trinidad.

Mcinnes said any decision would probably require consultation with ‘‘probably’’ the whole of New Zealand.

He also said the latest estimate for road recovery costs in the Marlborough Sounds was ‘‘frightening’’.

The Government had fielded 95% of the cost during the 2021 storm event, and while Mcinnes thought there was ‘‘no doubt’’ that it would come to the party again, it would not be to the same extent.

Marlborough Sounds ward candidate Frith Chamberlain said she was a very big people person with interests in waste management and the environment.

It had previously been revealed that Chamberlain was a Voices For Freedom member, but she did not disclose this to the room when she introduced herself.

Wairau-awatere candidate Sally Arbuckle said running for council was an opportunity to put