Mayor Holdom’s 2018 stocktake
New Plymouth’s mayor believes 2018 had been a ‘‘big year’’ for the district, but admits it hasn’t been all been plain-sailing.
Two years into his first term as the city’s local body leader, Neil Holdom can rattle off a series of wins for New Plymouth but also took on the chin some of the criticism that has come his way.
One of the challenges he highlighted in 2018 was the ‘‘stress and anxiety my Fitzroy golf course land sale proposal caused in our community.’’
Holdom had floated the idea of selling off part of the golf course for residential housing, which caused a furore and ultimately led to him taking the proposal off the table.
‘‘I have to take personal responsibility for this,’’ he said.
Other trials over the last 12 months included the resignation of deputy mayor Craig McFarlane, due to illness, which Holdom described as ‘‘a real blow’’ and the Government’s announcement to stop issuing offshore permits for oil and gas exploration.
‘‘The red-stickering of Yarrow Stadium and subsequent impact it has had on our rugby union is another challenge which we will have to solve as a region,’’ Holdom said.
But as a civic leader known for his passion for the region – his catchphrase is ‘‘love this place’’ – Holdom is also proud of the gains made in the district in 2018.
The scope of the achievements Holdom identified covered a wide spectrum.
They include new skate parks in Oakura and Inglewood, the completion of the New Plymouth District Council (Waitara Lands) Bill, which passed its third reading in December, the beginning of construction at the new airport terminal and dealing with the water shortage following ExCyclone Gita.
A recently published report regarding the council’s performance, in the wake of the weather event, which Holdom described as a ‘‘warts and all’’ assessment, highlighted 28 areas for improvement for the organisation.
Holdom said other highlights were the recruitment of new chief executive officer Craig Stevenson, the announcement of the KiwiBuild programme in Marfell and the development of the Tapuae Roa regional economic development strategy.
Regarding the year ahead Holdom, who previously announced his intention to stand for mayor again, said there would be a ‘‘step change’’ in terms of community investment.
Some of the projects in the pipeline include new water reservoirs at Henwood and Mountain Rds, upgrades to Oakura’s water supply, stormwater improvements in New Plymouth, the construction of the Coastal Walkway extension from Bell Block to Waitara and creating a collective vision for the city’s CBD.
Another ‘‘high level’’ goal on Holdom’s radar is ‘‘repositioning Taranaki as the energy-innovation centre of New Zealand.’’
He said it was a privilege to be part of a team which worked for the community.
‘‘The most important thing I have learnt in the past two years is how incredible the people of Taranaki are, how much energy they are prepared to contribute to our ongoing success, how generous and positive they are and how much potential we have as as region.’’