Mangawhai Matters: Local body election season will soon be upon us

28 Mar, 2022

With local body election season soon to be upon us, things are hotting up in our Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward where an electoral review has led to an increase in local council seats from two to three.

Announcing her candidacy early, Kaipara deputy mayor Anna Curnow has been first cab off the rank to indicate she will travel the 62km from her home in Ruawai to represent the people of Mangawhai where she has a holiday home. Anna was appointed deputy mayor by mayor Jason Smith in 2019, stepping over Peter Wethey who had held the position under the previous administration. Peter is retiring from the Council this year, but we look forward to his continuing contribution to the Mangawhai community in other roles.

Incumbent Jonathan Larsen will stand again and we look forward to the prospect of him continuing to serve the interests of Mangawhai and the district for another three years.

So, we have two known candidates and a likely third, local concrete contractor Craig Jepson. Mr Jepson came third in 2016, trailing Jonathan Larsen by only 10 votes.

Mr Jepson did not stand in 2019 and has not yet confirmed his candidacy, but Mangawhai Matters Inc expect he will stand, particularly now there are three councillors and the well-known and popular Peter Wethey is retiring.

Anna will be seeking her third term as a councillor. In her press release she says that although she lives in Otamatea and not Mangawhai she “knows the people and the place well” and that she will bring “stability and continuity to the issues facing the fast-growing Mangawhai and Kaiwaka communities.” She says she already makes sure “that the voice of Mangawhai is heard loud and clear at the council table.”

If only Craig Jepson stands along with the already announced Curnow and Larsen, there will be no election and the three will be declared elected on the day nominations close. This is what happened in 2019 when only Jonathan Larsen and Peter Wethey put their names forward (when Mangawhai only had two councillors out of eight).

More than ever before this is an important election for Mangawhai. The current council was asleep when Mangawhai Central submitted its infamous PPC78 (Mangawhai Central development).

As chairman of Mangawhai Matters Inc., Doug Lloyd has commented: “It was a poor Plan, it would have been bad for Mangawhai, destroyed its coastal character, damaged the estuary and risked becoming a financial burden on ratepayers long into the future.”

Now that Mangawhai Matters and the developer of Mangawhai Central have agreed critical changes to the Plan, it is important that councillors representing Mangawhai guide those changes through responsible and responsive council processes, ensuring that as development proceeds it meets all its infrastructure needs, is consistent with the character of Mangawhai, and meets community expectations.

More than that, Kaipara is facing a number of challenges that call for well-informed decisions by our council, and local representatives that can bring a combination of reason and advocacy to the table.

Issues include the review of the District Plan currently underway, the review of options for future wastewater collection and disposal, the stormwater provisions for a growing coastal community in the face of climate change, and question marks around future water supply for commercial and community facilities. The Council is also facing challenges, with the Three Waters reform proposal still on the table and a review of local government likely next year.

To this end Mangawhai Matters believes it has an important role in the upcoming election, as follows:

· Ensuring that all the best possible candidates submit their names for election.

· Asking and publishing questions and answers to all candidates on a variety of topics critically important to Mangawhai.

· Encouraging residents to take an active interest in the elections and councillors’ ability to protect and advance the interests of Mangawhai while working to make Kaipara an effective and strong council.

· Ensuring candidates engage with the community by hosting election meetings where candidates face the residents and ratepayers.

n Want to join the Mangawhai Matters Society Inc. as a member and have a say? It’s only $20 per family per year. Please make deposits to 01-0204-0160241-00. Following your payment please email us at mangawhaimatters@gmail.com giving us your name, phone, and address so we can keep in touch.