Lorna Johnson is learning Irish and says she has good experience in problem-solving, critical thinking and dealing with stressful situations. Photo / Supplied
Palmerston North City Council candidate Lorna Johnson answers Local Focus questions.
Last TV show you binged? An Irish language series called An Costa Thiar (The West Coast). I've been learning Irish for a couple of years now.
Favourite book? It's very hard to choose one, but I love the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.
Favourite music genre? Punk.
Beer, wine or neither? Wine.
PC or Mac? PC.
Palmerston North or Palmy: Palmy.
Drive yourself or take public transport? Both.
When did you last ride a bike? On Thursday.
Favourite evening meal you cook yourself? Chilli and rice.
If you were running for Parliament, which party would you be with? Labour.
What is your favourite restaurant in Palmerston North? Afghan Darbar.
What is the biggest issue facing Palmerston North and what are you doing about it?
Housing, both availability and affordability. We're fast-tracking the rezoning required to free up land for development, developing council land to provide affordable sections, partnering with a community housing provider to get more affordable houses built, and building more council units for seniors. We're also looking at what we can do to address homelessness.
Where do you stand on Three Waters?
I agree there is a case for change, and we do need central government investment to improve standards across the country. I'm a bit concerned about losing local influence and accountability under the proposed model, though. Ultimately, we will have to try and get the best deal we can for the city with whatever model government decides on.
The cost of living is affecting everybody - what tangible things should the council do to address it?
I don't see this as a council role, although we do need to be mindful of financial pressures on residents when determining spending.
A lot has been made of the city's potholes – how did it get so bad and what's being done to fix it?
It's been the perfect storm of Covid lockdowns, labour shortages, plant outages, and a change in contractors, coupled with an increase in heavy traffic through the city. We are working with staff to manage the contract as well as we can, but we need a heavy traffic bypass asap.
How do you propose to encourage people to stop using their cars for short trips?
We have to make it an attractive alternative to cycle, walk or bus. I'm in favour of free buses, separated linked-up cycleways and safer pedestrian routes.
The council says it can't reach its carbon target on its own. What do you suggest the community should be doing? And council?
We are making good progress within council on our target of 30 per cent emissions reduction (latest figures showed a 27 per cent reduction since the 2015-16 year). The area where we can make the biggest saving across the city is in transport.
Is crime an issue in Palmerston North? If so, what's the solution?
Some aspects of crime are causing a big impact, like car thefts. We need to work with police and social service agencies to prevent crime, and keep our young people engaged in education and training.
Who are the at-risk groups in your region? How will you help them?
There are a number of at-risk people, but I'm reluctant to label whole groups as at risk. Factors such as poverty, isolation, mental illness, unemployment and discrimination can impact to reduce people's quality of life. We fund many social service providers to help with these sorts of issues and work towards connecting people across the community.
Tell us about yourself. What life experiences have you had that make you a good councillor?
I've got good experience in problem-solving, critical thinking and dealing with stressful situations through my 30 years of veterinary work. I've worked with refugees for many years, mostly as a volunteer, so have a good understanding of the community sector. But mostly I think I have a sensible approach and I'm not afraid to ask questions.
