Why? Because a majority of meetings are held at times that don't suit councillors that also are trying to hold down a job. The role currently suits those that are retired or have significant job flexibility.
Presently we have three of 15 councillors under the age of 45 years.
The current team of councillors are good contributors and are committed to making Hastings a thriving place for people to live, work and play but we need to ensure that we have a fair representation of the ratepayers and residents we represent. We are a mix of European and Maori residents but Hastings is much more culturally diverse.
For council to also have younger representatives it needs to ensure that councillors' other commitments are recognised, such as career and family.
As a business owner and a father of school-aged children I have tried to get the balance right but many council meetings and workshops are not at the best optimal time. You only have to look at the recent school holidays which were loaded with meetings when they could have been moved to the first week school was back (a week that I was only required to attend one meeting).
I would like to think that we could be much smarter and look at most council meetings starting mid to late afternoon and continuing into the early evening, like Hutt City Council does. It would enable councillors that have jobs to get their work done, so that they can then fully focus on council matters.
As chair of economic development and urban affairs I have moved pre-agenda meetings from 10am to late afternoon but I am told by staff that to move the full committee meeting to late afternoon requires a "council resolution". OMG - just imagine if the business world worked this way!
And it's not all about councillors. I am on the Community Grants committee and recently participated in the annual planning consultation process, both of which started at 9am and went over a couple of days.
We all know that in this day and age, councils are struggling to engage with the public, so why not look at holding these meetings at times more suitable for the many volunteers requesting funding or service support?
Many of these volunteers also have day jobs and are possibly taking leave without pay or are required to make up for that lost time. Council staff also outweigh the number of public attending - and this shouldn't be the case.
So if you are interested in running for council, make sure you do some due diligence. Attend some meetings, read some council papers, talk to some current councillors and staff as well as discuss the idea with family and friends. If you want to talk to me as a current councillor please contact me via the council website.
* Damon Harvey is a Hastings district councillor and director of Attn! Marketing PR.