The women have their say

Ten female candidates for seats on the Far North District Council, Te Hiku Community Board, Northland Regional Council and Northland DHB accepted Kaitaia Business and Professional Women's invitation to front a gathering of voters in Kaitaia last week.

Questions from the floor covered subjects ranging from the need for a whanau room in the maternity unit at Kaitaia Hospital, a dearth of midwives in Dargaville and the rate at which hospital cleaners are paid, to the need to make the use of Maori land for housing and other development, as the owners see fit, and the need to provide safe communities and facilities that families may use free of cost.

Mining was also raised briefly, the majority of candidates either opposing it outright or in its more 'toxic' forms.

The candidates were also given five minutes in which to explain what they offered.

Tania McInnes (FNDC, Bay of Islands-Whangaroa): It was time to change the way the council thought and did things, and for a return to the basics of what the council should be about. She favoured community empowerment, and protection and enhancement of the environment, saying the Far North was lacking a "big vision".

Helen Munro (FNDC, Te Hiku, Look Up Te Hiku) wanted a community that would entice young people back from Australia and where they could find work.

She questioned how young people could be expected to participate when half the time their existence wasn't even acknowledged.

Clara Lugnet (Te Hiku Community Board, Doubtless Bay), who is seeking a third term, said her vision included a united Far North, fair and equitable rates, clean water, beaches, streets, parks and reserves, a marine reserve at Doubtless Bay, restrictions on commercial fishing in Doubtless Bay, and a strong Far North Unitary Authority.

Adele Gardner (Te Hiku Community Board, Kaitaia) expressed a keen desire for clean, attractive public toilets.

She also wanted a safe, healthy environment with good public facilities, was a strong supporter of Kaitaia's proposed sports hub and was anxious to engage youth in the community.

Ngawai Herewini (Te Hiku Community Board, Kaitaia) said everyone wanted the same things - safe, healthy communities, a clean environment, and for elected people to do the mahi they were elected to do.

Water, parks, sewerage and roading were the core functions but she wanted to be part of a board that held the council accountable. She wanted her 18 grandchildren, soon to be 20, that their grandmother had done all she could for her community.

Yvonne Smith (Te Hiku Community Board, Kaitaia), who is seeking a second term, said the board's limited funding had to be spread as fairly as possible.

The board served as the eyes and ears of the community, while she was a strong supporter of Kaitaia's proposed sports hub and wanted to see a regional development programme put in place.

Bronwyn Hunt (Northland Regional Council, Te Hiku), who is seeking a second term, said she embraced the concept of leading by serving. Her first term had been an interesting journey on an authority where she was the only woman, the only Maori, and much the youngest member. There was at times a need to be stroppy, which she had no difficulty with.

Pauline Allan-Downs (Northland DHB), who has served three terms, said she was the board's only elected member who was a nurse and Maori.

She had greatly enjoyed the last nine years, describing the board as a complex machine with an annual budget of $500 million. Seven members were elected, and four appointed by the Minister of Health.

Shirleyanne Brown (Northland DHB) said her experiences as a solo mother of five in Kaikohe had convinced her that change was needed in the way services were provided, particularly between 5pm on Friday and 9am on Monday, when they were not available.

The DHB also needed to invest in communities as partners.

Sally Macauley (Far North District Council, Kaikohe-Hokianga, Northland DHB), said she had served nine years on her local community board, six years as a district councillor and 12 years on the DHB, the last three as deputy chairman. As a councillor her main concerns included providing a future for youth, while in her time on the DHB that organisation's performance had improved dramatically in terms of emergency treatment and elective surgery waiting times, oral health, and the accessibility of services for the elderly and disabled.

Bay of Islands Hospital had been allocated $7 million for major refurbishment, she had promoted the patient shuttle service from Kaikohe to Whangarei, and was now promoting water fountains to wean children off sugary drinks in Kaikohe and Kaitaia.

Petrina Hodgson (Te Hiku Community Board, Whatuwhiwhi, Look Up Te Hiku) submitted a statement expressing her passion for the natural environment.

She was part of a team that was working for the greater good, and she believed a democratic society involved everyone taking part in its future.