Two long-standing councillors yet to put names forward
Big changes are imminent in the South Taranaki District Council, no matter who wins in the 2019 local body elections.
Three councillors are standing down and a number of new hopefuls are putting themselves forward.
Kirsty Bourke, who has served 18 years as a councillor, and Ian Wards, who has been a member for around 21 years, are both retiring.
Councillor Bonita Bigham is stepping down but will run for the Egmont Plains (which will be renamed the Taranaki Coastal community board after the elections).
Councillors who are standing again include Gordon Lawson, Bryan Roach, Andy Beccard, Gary Brown and Robert Northcott.
Two councillors, Steffy Mackay and Jack Rangiwahia, are as yet undecided.
This could mean a decided lack of women around the council table, although current Ha¯ wera-Tangahoe Community Board chairperson Celine Filbee has announced she will stand for a council seat instead of continuing her current role. Two long-standing Taranaki Regional councillors have yet to decide whether to stand in the 2019 local body elections in October.
Deputy chairman David Lean, and Tom Cloke were undecided to put their names forward when contacted by the Taranaki Daily News.
Sitting regional councillors who have decided to stand again include chairman David McLeod, Mike Davey, Donald McIntyre, Charlotte Littlewood, Craig Williamson, Michael Joyce, Bev Raine, Matthew McDonald, and Neil Walker who has
Three men have so far declared themselves as mayoral candidates – deputy mayor Phil Nixon, current councillor Clem Coxhead, and Ha¯ wera businessman Craig Baylis.
Both Nixon and Coxhead have elected to stand only for the mayor’s served seven terms.
Sitting chairman David McLeod has served six-and-a-half terms as a regional councillor, including four terms as chairman.
Littlewood, Raine and McDonald are all first term councillors. Joyce has served four terms
Nominations open for candidates from July 19 and close August 16. The names of candidates standing will be published on August 21. The postal ballot will run from 20 September, when voting documents will be delivered to every household, until midday October 12. Preliminary results are expected late on October 12. There are 11 councillors to be elected to the Taranaki Regional job, while Baylis is putting his name forward for a council role as well as the top job.
Mayor Ross Dunlop, who has served four terms and was unopposed at the 2016 election, announced in May he was stepping down at the election.
Candidates will vie for the position of mayor and 12 roles as councillors. Nominations open yesterday and close on August 16.
Nominees have to pay $200 for each position they apply for and need to be a New Zealand citizen and on the electoral roll.
The Local Body Elections, for district and regional councils, community boards and the Taranaki District Health Board, will be held by postal vote on October 12.
The official declaration of results will be announced on October 17.
An information day for anyone contemplating being a candidate will be held at the Ha¯ wera administration building today from 9.30am to 11.30am.
The session covers governance roles and responsibilities and how the organisation operates.
A change is also on the cards in the Stratford District Council elections, with four of the 10 councillors not standing again – its second big shake-up in three years.
The council, which is made up of six urban councillors and four rural, saw five fresh faces at the 2016 elections – the first significant change in more than a decade. Council from four constituencies in North Taranaki (two councillors), New Plymouth (five), Stratford (one) and South Taranaki (three).
A candidate for the Taranaki Regional Council seat cannot also stand for the New Plymouth, Stratford or South Taranaki District Councils, and can only represent one constituency. Candidates, or their spouses, can also not have an interest in contracts more than $25,000 with the Taranaki Regional Council although this can be waived on seeking advice from the AuditorGeneral.
TRC staff members are also restricted from being a regional councillor. school, and volunteers go out with a trailer every second day for several weeks to transport them from the farms to a central depot.
A processor collects them from there and the skins are harvested to make leather.
Although he grew up on a farm, Grindlay said he dislikes handling the dead animals.
‘‘It’s quite funny, it’s amazing how all that stuff becomes yuck. Now I’m more used to grabbing marker pens and paper, but you’ve just got to get over it for the benefit of the kids and the school.’’
In Manaia, the Lions Club coordinates different organisations which do the slink runs around the area.
Manaia School acting principal Laila Kivell said the annual slink run, which raised between $1200 and $1400, was the school’s best single fundraiser.
‘‘We don’t do the big gala days we
‘‘Everyone you talk to knows it’s a good fundraiser but it’s not the most fun fundraiser there is.’’ Manaia School deputy principal Kepa Grindlay
used to do because the reality is a lot of parents have to dedicate their time to having to work.’’
Ngaere School in Central Taranaki makes around $5000 to $8000 a season from the slink collection it manages around its area, principal Megan England said.
‘‘We’ve been doing slink calves for a long, long time. Each parent is rostered on to collect. It goes for 15 or 16 weeks,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s a revolting job, but we get good money off it.’’
The money had helped pay for a new heat pump for the school hall and the leased laptops used by students, as well as subsidising bus trips.
The PTA had also grown and sold crops of potatoes and sweetcorn in previous years, but found the ongoing effort and work involved, even with seed and fertiliser and contractor time being donated, a lot to ask of a small group of people.
‘‘It relied heavily on other people donating their goods and services.
‘‘You can ask once, you can probably ask twice but the third time gets a bit much in a small community.’’