Viv Napier, Mayoral Candidate

Though I was born and raised in Wellington, I have been a proud South Wairarapa local for over 40 years, raising our three children here and participating strongly in the community in many and diverse ways. Along with my husband, Martin, we have operated a number of local businesses – from apple orchardists (‘Homestead Orchards’); to gallery owners (‘Hangs Ups’); and now the selling of imported tractors, machinery and vehicles (‘Katson Imports’) .As a qualified primary teacher, I also spent many years teaching across the schools in our district mainly Greytown and Pirinoa.
As you bring up your children in a district as wonderful as ours, you also grow as a member of the community and want to share your voice and make a personal contribution. Personally I initially began this through volunteering for a number of organisations and causes over the years, including Plunket, our local schools, stream care, sports clubs, and community action groups.
I believe that if you want to voice an opinion about important issues in your local community, you should also be prepared to act and involve yourself so that you can do something on a personal level to contribute. This is why I became a SWDC councillor, as well as being a National Plunket board member and Wairarapa DHB board member in the past.
I initially stood for SWDC because of the interaction I had experienced with our council while subdividing our orchard. Our subdivision was the first of its kind in our district and it required many hours of discussion with the council of the time, some positive and some negative. I thought there should be an easier way to navigate the process and I wanted to be part of the solution.
And when the DHBs were in the process of being established, after being involved in many health-focussed interested groups, I decided to stand for the Wairarapa DHB. I served three terms on the DHB, broadening my governance skills further.
South Wairarapa has certainly changed over the years I have lived here. Tourism, both local and international, has grown enormously as our region and towns have developed as destinations. There has been an influx of new residents across the district, including a recent increase in young families to the district, which bodes well for the future. My own daughter has recently brought her family back from overseas to live in Greytown, which is wonderful for us as grandparents and gives me more motivation to continue to be a leading advocate for our district.
I look forward to having the opportunity to talk to you more about my plans and visions for our great district.
Viv Napier