Dayle Harwood

During my term as Mayor I will be working with all of South Wairarapa on what I have termed the 4 x S’s, they are sustainable spending and solutions not sorry’s.

Sustainable spending:

There is much talk about climate change and the effects, change is apparent, the level of change is still subjective.  Another more immediate challenge is the level of spending within local government, for South Wairarapa this is for waste water schemes, replacement programs for underground infrastructure and the potential for spending due to climate change.

With a new CEO, a new team of Councillors, a spatial plan being consulted on, a review of the financial strategy along with public consultation is needed around the levels of Capital expenditure, should works be accelerated and maximise the advantages of historically low borrowing rates?, could there be a deferral of funding of depreciation with the intention of future generations funding that portion which could offset any additional funding now?.

Separately to the financial strategy and equally is important is a substantial amount of work on the Drinking Water, Waste Water and Storm waters (3 Waters) strategies and policies, this has been escalated by Council becoming a shareholder in Wellington Water, rationalisation of strategies to better reflect expectation of monitoring and reporting, ownership and continuing investigation into new technologies and methodologies to ensure the success of the new partnership. 

Solutions not sorry’s:

It was refreshing to see Council acknowledging the shortcomings that they faced in recent times, specifically the insufficient consultation for Featherston Waste Water and Martinborough Water supply, both had been highlighted and should have been acted upon earlier.

As Mayor I will be encouraging Councillors to question and ensure they are satisfied with advice and recommendations given, additionally it is imperative all Councillors and Community Board members receive extensive training at the beginning of the new triennium.

Just as important, more accessibility to Council is needed, my commitment to this will be achieved by:

• Continuation of rotation of Council meetings between all 3 towns.
• Trial of early evening Council meetings and Podcasts.
• Depending on availability of rooms, I will be present in all towns and rural areas on a monthly basis which will be additional to usual commitments in these areas.

My vision is to continue the good work that has been achieved by the previous Councils, it is time for new leadership in order to maximise their efforts.