Last minute decision to enter mayoral race
Last minute decision creates three-horse Southland mayoral race.
Thirty minutes before local election nominations closed last week, Southland District Council candidate Don Byars suddenly found himself also running for mayor.
The first-time, would-be councillor had put himself forward for the three-member Waiau Aparima ward, with Ron Hibbs, Michael Marron, Karyn Owen also in the race, and councillors George Harpur and Nick Perham seeking re-election.
However, he felt strangely compelled to also tick the mayoral nomination box. ‘‘I didn’t really want to, but I felt I had to.
‘‘If I was nervous applying for the role of councillor, the happenings at the end of the week have left me in a state of shock. With 30 minutes until the close of nominations, we had only one candidate for mayor. One person’s ideas and no choice. As the enormity of the situation dawned on me, I hung my head and wept.’’
‘‘[. . .] So at the last minute, I took a deep breath and put my name forward.’’
He did not know at that point that author and publican Tim Hanna would also be challenging two-term Southland mayor Gary Tong, making it a three-horse mayoral race.
He said he was unfazed by this, and having no experience in office.
‘‘I’d have as much political experience as our current mayor [when he started out] – none.’’
In response to Byars’ claim that he had no experience in office before becoming mayor, Tong said he had governance on a board of trustees, representation on the Tuatapere Community Board and the Manapouri Manapouri Community Development Subcommittee.
The 50-year-old, who was originally off a Southland sheep station, had a finance and marketing background.
Before moving to Riverton four years ago, he was based in Queenstown. He and his wife, Nami, decided to move to the country, and chose Riverton. ‘‘The impetus was to move out of Queenstown and search for a small community, and I can’t think of a better place.’’
For the past three years, his focus had been on their daughter, Mio, 3, who was being treated for leukaemia and doing well. His wife was training as a nurse, while he developed their rural property, just outside Riverton.
‘‘Between now and voting day, sporting a campaign budget that had the lid blown off it by the first long black, we will make progress on some of the issues in our community. By election day you might just tick Don,’’ he said.
‘‘I’d have as much political experience as our current mayor [when he started out] – none.’’ Don Byars
‘‘If I get zero votes, I will still get involved in something.’’
Incumbent Southland mayor Gary Tong said competition was healthy but had not expected the last minute challenge from Byars and Hanna.
‘‘One can never get comfortable, and it comes down to the midday close off. However, I was surprised that both Don and Tim put in their nominations so late.
‘‘It is unusual for those wishing to stand for the office of mayor not to announce their intentions, however, that was obviously their decision.
‘‘I wish both Don and Tim well in what will be a strong campaign on my behalf while ensuring the business as usual as the mayor of Southland is sustained.’’
■ Yesterday, it was incorrectly reported that Hanna also ran for mayor and was defeated by Tong, in 2013. Hanna ran for council in the Mararoa-Waimea ward and was not elected.