Councillor's opinion

What's on in council this week - 15 February 2010 

by Councillor Craig Bauld

In-between week, not much official on. Wastewater group meets Thursday, but that is more a monitoring role these days, with most major decisions made. Some councillors will attend a financial governance training session on Wednesday - wish they'd had that sort of thing available when I was starting out, instead of having to pick it up along the way. Not ideally timed, after the election would be more sensible, but we'll go along anyway because you learn something every day, and anyone who thinks they know everything is bound for a fall. Local government finances are complex - a lot more so than business, which is relatively simple in comparison, local government being ruled by all sorts of extra laws. We've got about $2billion worth of assets, an annual income of about $70 million, we collect rates of about $45 million each year - not pennies. We have difficulties over and above those of most councils, mainly caused by our lack of lucrative investments, our huge land area and roading network, and our relatively sparse population. We are always going to be struggling to provide appropriate services at an affordable price - if you compare us to Auckland it's a bit like comparing the corner dairy with the Warehouse - size matters. Being an election year I suppose it is fair to reflect - we have had a fairly stable council for the last nine years, which has good points and bad points. Good points - most of our councillors have a fair grasp of financial and other issues, meaning we are pretty good at handling the finances. I well remember sitting down in Douglas Birt's office (our manager of corporate affairs, due to retire within a year and sure to be missed) after a particularly harrowing session in Chambers on rates, when he said in exasperation "Don't you people EVER give yourselves any credit? You've cut rate rises beyond what I thought was achievable, you've cut what looked like being $90 million of public debt to half that, you've cut wastewater costs in half, you've done a damned good job. But you're STILL moaning!"

And I've said it before but I'll say it again, much as it pains me - a lot of that is down to our rural members. They drive me nuts, they penny-pinch, they grinch, they'd cancel Christmas if they thought it would save ratepayers $1.50, they have to be watched like hawks or they'll get special deals for farmers, they refuse to do the sensible thing and sell Tauwhareparae farms, but they care just as much about city rates as rural rates and they work hard on behalf of everyone.

That's part of the good points about experience - you can't improve things unless you thoroughly understand how they work. And newbies - well it took me a full three year term to get a real understanding of the system, and I consider myself pretty smart and experienced in bureaucracies.

But new blood is also essential, it adds new ideas, vibrancy, shakes up the status quo, forces a re-look at things the oldies have given up on.

I'm sure the election will be interesting and I hope we get a good crop of new aspirants - competition adds spice. At national elections I play a little game with myself, I ask myself "are these candidates among the very best, most competent, people in Gisborne?" (Usually not, unfortunately!) But Council elections are not tainted by political parties, you get to choose real people, not Party faithful. Remember - you don't have to agree with everything a candidate says, you're looking for people who will add value, who you can trust to do their best for Gisborne.