On the 1st of November a new form of Auckland city comes into existence. Before then you'll have the chance to vote for a mayor, a councillor and a new community board. There are 18 candidates standing for 5 positions on the Waiheke Community Board.
In this first of two opportunities to hear from the candidates Waiheke radio has given each of them two minutes to answer the question, "Why should Waiheke people vote for you?"
After you've listened to the statements we encourage you to make comment and ask questions. Later in the election process we will ask each candidate back on-air for an interview which will include your questions. We look forward to your input.
UPDATE: We have now conducted an interview with this candidate incorporating some of the community feedback and questions. Take a listen
All Candidates
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Island Life
Ewen, what's your position on Waiheke becoming a Biosphere reserve?
Yes I do support the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve initiative. I believe it would be an important resource to take us forward in a sustainable way. Waiheke is not a suburb and this why most of us live here. We have a unique environment which we need to protect not just for the imediate future, but for generations to come. The last thing we want is high density development that threatens what we already have. The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve projects are well established around the world and we could draw on the experiences of other examples to better enable us to plan for the future..
Thanks for working for affordable housing. Do you think that sewage reticulation would help provide more affordable housing (allows higher dwelling density)?
I see that in the future there will definitely be a need for affordable housing. Many who work in the wine industry, hospitality, constrction industries and those on fixed income, on the Island do not necessarily have high income, but still need to live here. These people are essential to the economy of the Island and so there needs to be provision for affordable housing for these people.
From a practible view point, higher density housing makes sense and along with this septic reticulation for such projects also makes sense. In the event of one being built, the evapotranspiration field could potentially be a resorce such as a wood copice, where timber is managed and harvested over time for either fire wood or timber. I would against an Island wide septic reticulation scheme however. We already manage our septic waste adequately
Hi Ewen
I'm interested in knowing more about the candidates 'collective' view on some of the 'things' that help people work effectively together, so have posted the same 3 questions to all candidates
cheers - dougal
1. What do you see as being the 3-4 key ‘things/areas’ the new board should focus on or understand within the first 90 days of being elected?
2. What do you believe are the 3-5 key capabilities/skills the new board need to have/develop in order to work effectively
3. What would be your answer to the question “WHY does the community board exist?” (WHY it’s meant to be doing whatever it does)
Hi Dougal,
1. The first thing the Board must do is form a cohesive team, that has clear leadership, so we can assert ourselves within the new Super City environment. We need to identify what people's strengths are in terms of what they can bring to the table and work on.
2. One of the most important things the new board must do is listen to what the people want, so that it can facilitate actions around community needs. Team work will be essential to be effective in this new environment, drawing each individuals expertise to bring meaningful results.
3. The Board should exist to be a voice for the Island, to acheive outcomes that are relavent to our community. I beleive encouraging participation of all the community is important, including those who are in gainful employment and commuters, we all need a voice in what happens to our Island.