Barry Quayle to stand for WRC

Barry Quayle will run in the by-election for the Hamilton constituency seat on the Waikato Regional Council. Photo / Stephen Barker

The former general manager of the National Agricultural Fieldays will be running again for the Hamilton constituency seat on the Waikato Regional Council (WRC).

Barry Quayle contested the seat in the local body elections last year, but it was won by Lois Livingston.

However, following the death from illness of the councillor late last year, the seat became vacant and Quayle is running for the role with a new vigour.

"I've been a resident for 30 years now in Hamilton, and I've also had a number of jobs which exposed me to all the issues around the Waikato," said Quayle.

"Most people will know my name through [my] long time as head of the Fieldays in Mystery Creek, and that was all through its development times."

Quayle believed the important part of that role was the relationships he forged with the farming community through his position.

He said co-operation between farming, councils and other sectors in achieving sustainability was a plausible idea, and core to the ideals that he would bring to the council, having been involved with Generation Zero and Sustainable Waikato in the lead-up to the local body election.

"The Healthy Rivers Wai Ora aspect of the WRC is very important going forward, and it's going to require good judgment and that connection with the farming community to take that forward.

"Hamilton needs to ensure that it has healthy rivers as it's critical to the economic development of the region, but it also needs to ensure that the farmers are on board."

He said he had enacted some features at Fieldays which were focused on sustainable farming.

As a result, an increasing number of farmers are developing plans that recognise the importance of the environment in the context of their business operations.

Quayle said another important issue he would be considering in the context of the regional council was effective transport management.

"I'm keen on ensuring that we have transport corridors which don't end up with the problems that you have with the development that happened in Auckland, where things have become clogged."

He would also like to see increased environmental consciousness from individuals and businesses in the community, working toward sustainable development.

"That's really where things are going. Sustainability, certainly underpins even the corporate and businesses ventures now, which are certainly turning their minds more to this," he said.

"It needn't be a conflict element - it can actually be something that enhances their business and actually adds value to it as well as achieving the sustainable side of things.

"It's something that everybody should be doing, because it's the right thing to do. It's very much about being a part of the future of the Waikato."