Western Bay's new blood on Council: Andy Wichers, Rodney Joyce, Richard Crawford, Tracey Coxhead. Photos / Supplied / NZME
Western Bay's new blood on Council: Andy Wichers, Rodney Joyce, Richard Crawford, Tracey Coxhead. Photos / Supplied / NZME
Four new faces have been elected to join incumbent councillors at Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
Richard Crawford and Andy Wichers have been elected as councillors to the Maketū-Te Puke ward, alongside sitting councillors Grant Dally and John Scrimgeour.
In the Katikati-Waihī Beach ward, Rodney Joyce was after candidate James Denyer, who was elected mayor. Joyce will serve alongside incumbents Allan Sole and Anne Henry, who received the second and third-highest votes respectively.
In the Kaimai ward, newcomer Tracey Coxhead will join sitting councillors Don Thwaites, Margaret Murray-Benge, and Murray Grainger.
Western Bay of Plenty councillor Rodney Joyce. Photo / Mead Norton
Joyce was quick to say he was not a typical councillor.
"A traditional councillor comes up through clubs like Lions and Rotary. I haven't done that. I'm a businessman, I have a young family. I'm there for policy reasons. I haven't taken the traditional route."
Joyce runs a wholesale business in Katikati and has a financial journalistic background. He campaigned on transparency and financial prudence.
"We were told this was about Generation Change - they wanted people from different backgrounds. The biggest thing we can do for the next generation is not spend all of the money and leave them with huge debt.
"I'm not there because I need a job. I'm there to hopefully achieve some level of change."
Asked how he hoped to do that when all of the sitting councillors from the previous council were re-elected, he said it was "about getting the team together".
"At the end of the day, all of the councillors and the mayor are there for the community, and we can work with each other and start from there.
Western Bay of Plenty councillor Richard Crawford. Photo / Talia Parker
"It is a teamwork exercise. I don't want to become the screaming person at the end of the row who makes a lot of noise but gets nothing done. We will need to work as a team to get what we can achieve. There's no point going there just to eat your lunch."
Joyce cited climate change as a future challenge for the council, particularly regarding coastal properties. Such issues would require money, he said.
Crawford said he was pleased to step into a councillor role after serving three years as chairman of the Te Puke Community Board.
"I feel good about it, carrying on serving our community in that way."
Crawford has long been involved in many community groups and projects including the volunteer fire brigade, The Daily Cafe, The Search Party Charitable Trust, and the Te Ara Kahikata Pathway.
Crawford said he felt his governance experience on the community board gave him invaluable experience while also providing the opportunity for fresh thinking at the table.
"I'm looking forward to being at that level. Obviously, I'll be learning a bit more, but I'm not foreign to it either."
Council chief executive John Holyoake said it had been an exciting few months.
The council had pushed hard to encourage more people to consider standing for this year's elections through its Generation Change campaign.
Holyoake said the relationship between a council's chief executive, mayor and councillors was "really important, and I really respect that relationship".
In response to Denyer's victory as mayor, he said: "I think James has been a great councillor and he'll be a great mayor.
"I'm looking forward to working with him."
Tracey Coxhead said she was eager to get involved and help to provide a fresh perspective to the council.
"I got a lot of feedback about the fact I have a financial background and some recognized the need for that."
Coxhead said she believed the mix of incumbent councillors with new blood such as hers provided a "great opportunity ".
She looked forward to exploring key issues like Three Waters.
"It's about listening to ratepayers. We need to remember we represent them."
Wichers declined to comment.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council results: James Denyer: Mayor - 4188 votes for mayor, 2525 votes for councillor Anne Henry: Katikati-Waihī Beach - 2911 Rodney Joyce: Katikati-Waihī Beach - 1842 Allan Sole: Katikati-Waihī Beach - 2282 Tracey Coxhead: Kaimai -2836 Murray Grainger: Kaimai - 2794 Margaret Murray-Benge: Kaimai - 2784 Don Thwaites: Kaimai - 3057 Richard Crawford: Maketu-Te Puke - 1786 Grant Dally: Maketu-Te Puke - 1829 John Scrimgeour: Maketu-Te Puke - 2432 Andy Wichers: Maketu-Te Puke - 1563 - Progressive results as of 4pm Sunday.
