Fresh Approach
What a time to be in Local Government! The last 5 years have been hectic. Global pandemic, huge interest and growth in Central Otago, reform of just about every thing council does, including water, resource management and the way we work with Central Government. Rates rises have been high on the agenda, (literally and figuratively) along with airports, gold mines, solar farms and development.
I am always open to innovative ideas, curly questions, fantastic initiatives and upcoming events that need support. My happy place is communitcating in person, and I am happy to be available at a time that suits you if you want to chat about a local issue or idea.
Feel free to contact me via the form below, or email directly: mayor@codc.govt.nz
Join me on my website, Instagram, Facebook, and keep an eye out in your local cafe. As a working mother with two small children, I enjoy a large part of my day caffeinated!
Prioritising Families
This is really important to me, and I don’t just mean “Mum, Dad and two primary school kids” – Prioritising families for me means affordable independent living and care options for ageing parents, so they can remain near their loved ones; economic growth so teenagers don’t “have” to leave Central Otago when they finish their schooling; sustainability so that our children can be engaged with nature and feel able to participate and achieve in caring for the planet; and ensuring that those who live, work and raise their families in our communities have viable options for home ownership and personal success.
COVID-19 created all sorts of new challenges for us as a region, but not in the way we initially expected! New Zealand has spent the better part of the last few years in recession following on from the pandemic boom. People’s budgets are really feeling the pinch, with inflation in everthing from power, to groceries, to rates, to insurance. I am working hard to weigh up any new spending council considers with affordability, recognising that some of the “nice-to-haves” are also part of what makes living here so great.
The Right Kind of Growth
We don’t have to look far from our boundaries to understand the issues too much growth, too fast, can cause to the infrastructure and long term prosperity of our small towns. There is a lot to be learned from what Queenstown and Wanaka could or should have done over the past three decades, and the best place to start is communication with the agencies involved in rectifying the issues. Our population growth has averaged 2.9% over the past 5 years, compared to 1.4% for NZ. We all want to maintain the wonderful reasons why we live here: safe, friendly, relatively crime free, with great schools, opportunities and social connection: we can grow and still enjoy this lifestyle if it is managed and planned for appropriately.
The recently adopted Plan Change 19 toegther with local spatial plans and updated District Plan chapters provide a great blueprint for developers to be bold, as well as enabling ratepayers to reassess what’s important to them in a family home. The ability for options to be more expansive is really exciting, and provides alternatives to continual “creep” of town boundaries, while also ensuring those who seek a rural life can do so with less impact on our environment.
Proven Leadership
Back in 2009 I was lucky enough to be awarded the inaugural Porirua City Council Leadership Award when I graduated from Police College. To be fair, I thought this award was going to be my first step on a skyrocketing Police career heading to Detective Superintendent, (it has a nice ring to it!) but life had other plans and I have never looked back from my move to Alexandra. I now know that community engagement is a true passion of mine. Twelve years with Police taught me endless (almost) patience, superior communication with people from all walks of life, how to have “courageous conversations” as well as a whole lot of empathy and understanding. I love to lead, but leading isn’t always about being at the front. Sometimes it’s about having the courage to communicate the hard sells, negotiate the fine print, or present a point of view with eloquence, even if you don’t agree with it. I’m the next generation of leader sitting at the Council table representing your views, alongside fantastic Councillors from all walks of life.
I would love to hear from you.
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