Dalziel unsure on running for second term
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel is undecided as to whether she will seek re-election next year but says she does not like leaving jobs half-done.
The local body elections were only 15 months away but Dalziel said on Friday that she had yet to make a decision.
‘‘I don’t want to leave a job halfdone . . . but I said right from the outset I was committing to a term in office and that I would decide whether I felt I was still needed. And that would be very dependent on where we had got to.
‘‘As a I keep saying to people a week is a long time in politics. Something could happen in a week’s time that changes the face of everything we’re having to confront but then again the negotiations around the transition might leave the city in a good position and I may not be needed,’’ Dalziel said.
When asked if she was satisfied with what she had achieved so far, Dalziel said: ‘‘I’m never satisfied. I always believe that I and others can do better but given where we started from I think the city is in much better shape from a governance perspective than it was when we arrived and although I was somebody who was reluctant around the Long Term Plan, now that we have a Long Term Plan in place I believe it was the right thing to proceed with.
‘‘We will be doing significant changes to it as part of the Annual Plan process ahead of us but it has put the city in a position where we know, absent any additional funding support, we can actually put the city back together again and that to me is a very strong position for the city.’’
Dalziel said given the council’s finances were sorted she was keen to spend the remainder of her term in office tackling some other issues, such as social housing.
‘‘I’m feeling quite positive about the next year and quite excited about what the transition can mean but we have to step up and show we are capable of taking a strong role. The establishment of Development Christchurch Ltd is a step in that direction.
‘‘We’re indicating to central Government that we have got the capacity to do things differently and that we’re willing to do things differently.’’
I’m never satisfied. I always believe that I and others can do better but given where we started from I think the city is in much better shape from a governance perspective than it was when we arrived.