Hooked on political life
Logan Savory sits down with Sir Tim Shadbolt in our final Invercargill mayoral candidate profile.
Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt is coming into this year’s election slightly on the back foot, having to answer questions about whether he is still capable of doing the job.
His current deputy, Rebecca Amundsen, and former deputy Darren Ludlow, both of whom are standing against him, are loudly saying it is time for a change of leadership at the Invercargill City Council.
For all but one term, Shadbolt, 72, has held the Invercargill mayoralty since 1993.
No-one is saying Shadbolt should go because of his age but rather some existing councillors have questioned his ability to run council meetings.
But Shadbolt is having none of it. Age shouldn’t be a talking point, he says. His role model is Winston Churchill, who remained in parliament into his 80s.
‘‘Some middle-aged people, not all, do look down on anyone over 70 as being past it. I don’t.’’
It’s natural for others to cast doubt on whether he should retire because they want his job, he says. Shadbolt believes he can still continue to lead the city and adds that his zest for the political game has not waned.
An office in the middle of town, a car and a job without a job description are the other perks.
Shadbolt used his casting vote to decline a recommendation from WasteNet for a recycling contract to go to a new company. The fallout from that vote has fractured his councillors into two camps.
Shadbolt has latched onto the WasteNet debate this election as he tries to convince Invercargill to reelect him. He believes votes on the WasteNet decision will be the deciding topic in the election.
‘‘Without being cynical about it, if a group of people who are disabled come to us and present a huge petition, you’ve got to listen to those people.’’
It has been a challenging three-year term for Shadbolt and the city council. Shadbolt says the defamation court case with councillor Karen Arnold was ‘‘hellish’’ and adds that transitioning with a new chief executive and dealing with the Southland Museum and Art Gallery closure added to the difficult term.
‘‘I think council did need to have a few changes. But how many and at what spend is always questionable,’’ he says, in regards to the introduction of the current chief executive, Clare Hadley.
Shadbolt first started working with the council’s former chief executive Richard King in 1993 and he says the pair clashed at the start.
‘‘I thought: ‘Man, this is going to be such a battle.’ At the start, it was the showdown at the O K Corral, but after that, we got on like a house on fire,’’ he says.
‘‘With Clare, it has been a more lowkey coming together. There is a fair bit of trust needed – it takes a good few years of working to build that trust.’’
Along with the councillors, Shadbolt voted last year to close the
museum when Hadley advised them of safety concerns.
When people mention safety you listen intently, he says, although he admits he still ponders if it was the right decision or not.
He’s a staunch supporter of indoor venues in Invercargill because of the climate. It is why he wants the museum redevelopment sorted in the same site as soon as possible, and also backs the council’s continued financial support of ILT Stadium Southland to the tune of $700,000 a year.
He also wants the council to get cracking and sort out Rugby Park’s problems. ‘‘The next council will be taking a fresh look at that issue and look at the different alternatives.’’
He supports investing in Rugby Park to ensure Invercargill has an outdoor stadium.
Shadbolt points to the start of direct Auckland to Invercargill flights as something to be proud of in his latest term. He says it was satisfactory given his push 20 years ago to extend the Invercargill Airport runway to cater for jets and a trans-Tasman service.
It was a $4 million investment that caused an outcry from some – and when jets from Australia didn’t arrive, those doubters felt justified.
Shadbolt later described it as his biggest failure. However, he was glowing with pride in August when Air New Zealand brought jets to Invercargill for the direct flights to Auckland.