Mayor Little finally has time to take a breather

Craig and Jan Little, the mayor and mayoress, at home the day after a majority of voters said "no" to amalgamation. Photo / Duncan Brown

A kitchen table is not all that different from one in a boardroom.

It is a place where discussions are had and decisions made. Yesterday it was the perfect spot for Wairoa Mayor Craig Little to debrief over a cup of tea with wife Jan.

Their homestead, 30 minutes from the heart of Wairoa, is a peaceful oasis interrupted only by four bleating baby lambs sunning themselves in a cobbled courtyard outside.

Jan runs around paddocks on the property to bring home any strays, taking on the responsibility of two-hourly feeds.

For the past couple of years she has had to pitch in on the farm so her husband could concentrate on council business - especially as the cloud of amalgamation hung over him.

Yesterday morning, for the first time in a long time, Mr Little finally had a chance to breathe deeply and reset.

Mr Little sits in the kitchen, with its dark roof beams, glowing fireplace and 1970s wallpaper which runs across the ceiling, to reflect. "I think Local Government New Zealand can learn from Wairoa," he announces proudly.

"They need to start looking at us, we are doing it well, bringing new businesses to town."

He was full of praise for CEO Fergus Power who was appointed in March 2014 and had breathed new life into the council.

"He's amazing, I never doubted the guy ... he deserves a lot of praise."

A passion for the people of Wairoa has seen the introduction of some exciting new initiatives, something they intend to focus on more in future.

Building up the centre of town, bringing life into empty shop frontages gathering dust and a potential new face for the old Clyde Hotel are all matters of importance, as is attracting new business and looking after long-established ones.

"Today is the first day I have actually felt we can actually do the business. [Amalgamation] has been like a festering sore out the side."

The pressure had not only effected Mr Little, it was shared with his wife and four children - without whom he says he would not have survived the past two years.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton had been, "like a big brother" throughout as had CHBs Peter Butler and many other mayors throughout the country - though Wairoa had seen little love from Lawrence Yule.

"First of all, they [Hastings] have to learn how to work with the rest of Hawke's Bay or have a willingness to work with us."