Local elections 2022: Whanganui District Council candidate Rod Trott offers negotiation expertise

Whanganui District Council candidate Rod Trott is an experienced mediator with a passion for encouraging youth to paddle on the awa. Photo / Bevan Conley

KEY POINTS:

• Rod Trott

Whanganui District Council candidate Rod Trott has spent a lot of time listening to opposing viewpoints and working towards conflict resolution.

"Having worked as a government-appointed employment mediator, I can offer my experience to the council in working through the local Government reforms," he said.

"With the proposed changes the council will have to work through over the next term, I think my negotiation experience and abilities could be very useful."

Trott wants to put the experience to good use at the council table and make positive contributions to the hometown he loves.

"I am a fifth-generation Whanganuian and past generations of my family have been involved in local body politics.

"The time seems right for me to offer my service to the community."

After completing his education at Whanganui Collegiate, Trott did a law degree at Victoria University before leaving the country to study at the London School of Economics.

When he returned to New Zealand, he worked as a lawyer-negotiator for union groups, including airline pilots and doctors, in Wellington and Auckland.

His government roles were with the Industries Development Commission and NZ Airways Corporation.

"From the early to mid-2000s, I was a government-appointed employment mediator in Taranaki and Whanganui," Trott said.

"It's a very good discipline - maintaining neutrality and facilitating resolutions between parties who have opposing views."

Trott said he applauded the work the council had been doing in caring for the city's heritage architecture and that he would like to be involved with preservation.

"I was one of the initiators of the Old Town Group working to revitalise and refurbish heritage buildings in the lower part of central city in the late '80s and '90s.

"Whanganui's heritage buildings are really very special, and I applaud the work that has been done by individuals and groups to ensure they are looked after. I would like to be part of a council supporting those efforts."

Trott is involved with a number of other uniquely Whanganui community activities, including waka ama and rowing, the Cemetery Circuit, and the Opera School.

"Te Awa Tupua and the unique status of the river give our young people the opportunity to really understand its significance, and I encourage that by supporting them to spend time on the river.

"I am initiating an Awa Programme for all Whanganui 10 to 15-year-olds so they can be safe and enjoy the strengthening experience of paddling the Whanganui River. The programme includes waka ama, canoes, sculling, kayaks and paddle boards."

Trott said Whanganui, like the rest of the country, was facing tough times, and he believes the council needs to lead the community in building resilience.

"I want to help build that resilience, and I think we can do that with community action and co-operation."

If elected, what do you want to be judged on after your first year?

I would like the judgement of the community to be to what extent I have been able to support the council's capability to work with other levels of government, both regional and central. Also, my ability to work transparently with businesses and community organisations.

How will you do that?

By consultation - negotiation, mediation and arbitration.