Campbell to contest mayoralty
Invercargill’s deputy mayor Tom Campbell will contest the mayoralty in October 2025.
Mayor Nobby Clark has repeatedly confirmed his intention to serve only a single term, and Campbell deputised for him from December 27 to March 11, during Clark’s recovery from a minor heart attack and bypass surgery.
Campbell said he had earlier intended to leave any final decision until the end of this year, but he now felt confident that he knew enough about the role and could do a good job.
“So many people have asked me on an almost daily basis, ever since I was acting mayor, whether I’m going to (stand),’’ he said.
Having reached his decision earlier than intended, “I wanted to be truthful”.
“So yes, I’m putting my hat in the ring,’’ he said.
Serving his first term as a city councillor, Campbell is a company director.
He was previously the general manager of the Tiwai smelter, and steered the development of the Southern Regional Development Strategy (SoRDS),
Campbell said he had considered standing for the mayoralty in 2022. “But I decided I really needed a bit of experience on our council. I think that was a wise decision.’’
His business experience was important, he said – the council was a large business, “not that much smaller than Tiwai’’ – but the council was a democratically elected body that also required contact with the public, which he had particularly enjoyed.
Clark has described the pair’s styles as different – his own focused on a more direct path to the outcomes he wanted, whereas Campbell’s was more collaborative.
He said each approach had its strengths and weaknesses. Campbell accepted the difference. He did not like decisions, particularly significant ones, to be based on a narrow majority, he said.
“It’s much better to get – you could call it a compromise if you like – a solution that isn’t necessarily everybody’s first choice, but a decision that they can all get behind. “With that, you’ll get a better outcome.’’ The council’s 10-year plan, currently out for public consultation, showed that once the “absolute must-do’’ infrastructure decisions had been made, there was only a small remaining gap for projects that the council would really like to do, and could afford, Campbell said. His top priority for extra attention was housing, as a lot of people couldn’t afford houses any more.