Experience, courage distinguishing qualities

Tom Morton

Age: 61 Occupation: Business owner Marital status: Married

What sets you apart from the other mayoral candidates?

The voters of Invercargill should vote for me because I am the only candidate who has the wealth of experiential knowledge and the courage necessary to be able to solve the problems Invercargill faces; and because I am the only candidate who will answer everything unscripted and honestly.

The housing crisis is the major issue. On November 18, in the ODT, Southland Housing Forum stated 1659 housing dwellings need to be built this year, and 3415 by 2025. Too few houses are being built, unfortunately.

City councils throughout New Zealand are wrongly overly stringent on enforcing their own unnecessary building regulations as well as the national government’s regulations. City councils zone places as industrial land, therefore causing it to remain undeveloped and useless, when it should be used for highdensity, upmarket private residential properties.

How would you promote function and unity within the council governance team?

Twopronged problems. Many past councillors have not acted with the decorum fitting to their position.

Naturally, Sir Tim’s wife should have gone to the Palmerston North conference at his expense. The No 1 reason why people pull out of conferences is spouses being unable to attend the conference their spouse got invited to for flight and other reasons.

All of these matters should be passed through the structures of the bureaucratic side of the council, privately, not through newspapers.

What are your personal views on the Three Waters reforms?

Three Waters should be allowed to be voluntarily adopted by city and district councils because some regions may benefit from Three Waters, while others including Invercargill, I think would not. How would you promote Invercargill as a place to live and work?

Invercargill is an outdoors city, full of adventure. The upgrading of Stead St wharf, before it collapses forever, is urgently needed. It would make a wonderful trailer restaurant area with coffee and snack areas atop a reinforced wharf. Also to have Stead St wharf become an outrigger canoe area, with simple storage sheds nearby.

If Invercargill City Council ever increases rates, it’s imperative that the ICC significantly, appreciably improves upon the services it provides.

What do you believe the problems are with the existing Local Government Act and how would you fix it?

No answer.