K Gurunathan reflects on two terms as Kāpiti mayor

Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan. Photo / Rosalie Willis

When he became Kāpiti mayor there were a lot of things that changed for K Gurunathan.

Small things like no longer being able to jaywalk across the road outside council buildings.

That and his fashion sense – largely down to the fact that he only owned one suit which he bought when he became a councillor.

Bigger, was the intensity of being in the public eye, phone calls at all times of the day and being a target from anyone and everyone with an axe to grind.

Becoming the district's first non-Pākehā mayor to be voted in, Gurunathan Krishnasamy, who is of Malaysian-Indian descent and fondly known as Guru, has held office since 2016 and sees his tenure as a win for diversity.

But it is with relief that he will not be running for a third term at this year's local body elections.

Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan will not run for a third term. Photo / Rosalie Willis

"I won't miss the 3am or 4am calls in the morning saying, 'Mr Mayor, my driveway is flooding…'"

Spending most of his life as a journalist in Malaysia and New Zealand, Guru went from covering local government as a journalist to a councillor before becoming mayor.

"When I was a journalist I thought I did a pretty good job of getting in there, getting the facts, and putting it free in the public square as part of the democratic process.

"Once I got into council I realised what a crappy journalist I was because there were so many other things that I didn't know about or have access to before."

Guru said learning the protocols of local government was something he quickly had to do.

"When I became a councillor I realised there are protocols you have to follow such as ending a statement with "that's my opinion".

"When I became mayor I realised it's the office of mayor that holds the symbolic part - the person only sits there. But once you sit there, there is a framework around you that you need to uphold.

"Even as a councillor I could just walk across the road when it was clear, now I have to walk down to the crossing and wait even if the road is completely clear - there are constraints on your sense of freedom."

Guru said he has been able to use his office as mayor to make things happen that otherwise would have taken forever to get through the democratic process.

"I like using the mayoral office to facilitate community action.

"I started the Kāpiti Coast Communities Housing Taskforce and the Kāpiti Health Advisory Group - using this role to directly reach out to the community rather than going through the council machinery."

Finding the balance between what people want and what they need is "all about representing their best interest, not just mirroring what they currently want.

"Are you a mirror, or representing their best interests? Their best interests are not just about today but about tomorrow too.

"I think I found the balance."

Guru is also happy with the progress in the council's relationship with local iwi.

"There has been some tension in our relationship with iwi largely driven by legislation, but increasingly now we are starting to engage more which is happening right across the country.

"Once you've started change, one thing good is that you can't push it back, it has momentum."

Bringing in the portfolio system for councillors so they can "fly in those areas" has also been a highlight, allowing for more focused action and change.

Other highs of the job have been officiating the citizenship ceremonies several times a year.

This is especially close to Guru's heart, having come from Malaysia and finding a home in Kāpiti.

One of the biggest challenges Guru has faced is being a target for complaints.

"The biggest problem we have is the mayor is an easy target, but it's central government and parliament that churn out the legislation.

"We have to enforce the decisions they make but have no funding to do that.

"This makes us a target - we in local government are the front face, the ground face, we're close to the damage."

A champion of diversity and minority groups, Guru's legacy will reach further than his work in Kāpiti.

"When the news came out in Malaysia that I had become mayor, I became a poster boy.

"Becoming mayor was really important to me as I have been able to represent those minority groups.

"Kudos to the community who took the step to elect a mayor who was different."

While he was tempted to try and become one of the only Kāpiti mayors to be in for a third term, Guru has other priorities.

"The worst thing you can do is think you can run again and are knocked out because you lose that mana that you carry.

"If you step out when you're on a high, you hold that mana."

With so many changes to local government and the likes of Three Waters reforms, Guru has slowly decided over his last term that it is time to slow down and spend time with his family.

"My wife Claire has been very supportive throughout my time.

"I thought about staying on because there are so many changes happening not just in local government but with things like climate change, but I need to spend some time with my age."

"I have a grandson now and I'm going to be 70 in November.

"I want to spend some time staying put before going back to writing.

"My calling has always been journalism.

"This community is a fantastic community, it's been a privilege being the mayor of Kāpiti."