From hospitality to politics
He used to own The Cook, has towed water skiers along the Waikato River, and now he’s going for city council.
Hamilton East businessman Chris Rollitt is taking his first tilt at local politics, standing for the east ward spot left vacant after the death of councillor Philip Yeung in September.
The 51-year-old describes himself as a plain speaker with business acumen.
He says his attitude can be summed up as: ‘‘You always have a go and never let it beat you.’’
On the day Rollitt spoke to the paper – shortly before the mayor’s 16.5 per cent rates hike proposal – he biked to Steele Park.
Later that evening, he was back at the park to run a touch module – ‘‘never played the game in my life’’ – and he was preparing to drive a friend’s boat in the Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Classic the following day.
The hardest thing about being a councillor will probably be holding his tongue, he said.
‘‘I’m a very plain-speaking man. I’ll just always ask a direct question rather than beat around the bush.‘‘
He thinks there should be a library in the central city, loves bike trails and wants playgrounds for the city.
‘‘Those areas where the community comes together, hubs, are really, really important to me.’’
He has a background in hospitality and experience running up to four businesses at a time, he said.
Rollitt, who sold The Cook in October, has a history with other venues, including Eastside Tavern, and Junction Hotel in Thames. He still owns the Putaruru Hotel.
‘‘With running businesses, and particularly those styles of businesses, you’re very aware of things like overheads, cost structures behind things and benefits. When you’re putting a proposition together, what’s going to be the benefit out of it? Is it worthwhile?‘‘
He’s also keen on conserving heritage – something he did with The Cook and Junction Hotel.
Rollitt has a history with the Hamilton East Village Business Association and is co-chair of the Hamilton East Community Trust.
That’s probably what sparked his interest in council, he said.
‘‘You get a passion for doing something for your local area and [I] really just want to expand on that.’’
A campaign for the Steele Park playground upgrade was one of the community trust’s missions, along with protecting heritage and making trails, and submitting on council’s long-term plans.
Rollitt is also on Marian School’s board of trustees and, since he sold The Cook, has been studying management fulltime.
Rollitt was born in Paeroa but has been in Hamilton since his late teens. He and wife Jane have three children.
As of November 27, Hamilton City Council had received no official candidate nominations, but Matthew Small, a 23-year-old disability worker, has also publicly announced he will run.
Candidate nominations close at midday December 22, and election day will be February 17, 2018.