What approach should Hamilton take on the Three Waters Reform?
Outright reject the proposed reform as it stands. The current reform would be to the detriment of Hamilton and New Zealand as a whole, this approach would have been different if the correct process was followed, as well as having democracy and community involvement as a cornerstone of the plan.
Overall, the reform itself is in good merit, however, it is poorly laid out and the ownership structure is confusing, leading to the view that politicians are attempting to pull the wool over our eyes rather than just say the real reason why this is happening.
Would you like to see Hamilton become a supercity, absorbing surrounding districts into one unified local body? Why?
Although consolidating the nearby districts into one unified body would be a great way to pool resources and to limit costs of projects, the resulting fully unified local body would possibly end up being fragmented due to the varied nature of Waikato and Waipa, although, I would encourage a unification at a top level to get the best of one local body, I would also encourage the other areas of bodies to remain separate until a time where a more cohesive unification can occur and makes sense without the risk of fragmentation and additional costs.
What else – if anything – should Hamilton do to encourage more use of public transport, walking, and cycling?
As an avid cyclist myself I have enjoyed the usage of Hamilton's cycle-friendly assets such as the river walk and roads.
Many of the new additions to the roads such as unnecessary speed bumps both frustrate and endanger cyclists so I would intend to put a stop to the addition of unnecessary and unsafe speed bumps as well as making the river walk more accessible as an arterial route for people-powered transport.
Other additions such as flexible bollards have proven frustrating to both cyclists and motorists, both impeding the flow of traffic and giving cyclists less room from the cars at intersections, and most importantly less visibility of cyclists.
I have had several near-miss events in my time cycling, both of them were intentional by the driver (who I had no connection with whatsoever and was wearing full hi-vis and had flashing lights). This I believe is one of the greatest factors of what makes cycling unsafe is the utter disrespect that some members of the community have shown in the past, going to the point of threatening to endanger my life because I was biking, this has to change.
All of the projects the city council are undertaking are admirable, however, items such as these that should improve safety do not actually look at the real problem that dissuades the usage of people-powered transport.
Does Hamilton need community boards with delegated authority and budgets? Why?
As this would be a separate board it would add another layer of cost and bureaucracy, both of which I will try to avoid at all costs. Looking at the current implementations of community boards in New Zealand, almost all of them are in vastly different areas of the districts, this warrants a community board to be established, as of now I do not see a need as it would end up costing the ratepayer more for a similar service.
What new projects you would like to see the new council support?
Enhance flow so you have more go, through more intelligently managed traffic lights and minimising unnecessary speed bumps to keep you moving.
Increasing community consultation and involvement through technology making it easy for Hamiltonians to provide informed feedback that the council will listen to.
Increase efficiency council-wide by reducing unnecessary pet projects and ones that will not benefit Hamilton as a whole, leading to lower costs both monetarily and environmentally.
Give businesses and investment groups in Hamilton Central the tools to enable Hamilton City Council to not get in the way but work alongside them, making Hamilton Central a destination where Hamiltonians can work, play and stay, easily and safely.
Promote Hamilton as the events centre of NZ, capitalising on our central location and assets that Hamilton has to offer.
Why should people vote for you to become mayor?
No matter what they say, previous councils have not delivered what all people require. They have overspent, under-delivered and kept increasing rates at an alarming pace. This needs positive change.
As a fresh face to local government, you can count on my council to align with you, listen to you, and actually make the right changes.
