Whakatāne District Council Profile Statement & Video: Make Whakatāne A Happy Place

I was invited by the Whakatāne District Council to record a video and submit a profile statement for the Local Body Election.

I was pretty careful how I wrote the Profile Statement but I chose to do the video ‘off the cuff’ and not prepare for it and just answer the questions direct from my heart rather than my head.

I thought by doing that I would be able to give really honest answers to what were probably going to be really difficult questions.

I think that’s what voters want – honesty.

This is me being honest.

Profile Statement:

Everything about politics is about choices and I want to offer Whakatāne voters a clear choice.

While some push for supporting Wellington over Whakatāne, I think Government has too much to say in local politics and I offer a choice to push back on that.

Why should ratepayers wear the bill for central government’s decrees and projects?

There are alternatives to selling the municipal assets that ratepayers own so that someone can operate them on a ‘for-profit’ agenda.

Decades of neglect is staring us in the face.
That’s not acceptable to any of us.
There are alternatives, and they require a different approach.

Let’s have courage. Vision. Long-term thinking. A mayor and councillors who are eager to work together for all of us – motivated not just by managing the now, but by building a strong foundation for the future.

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