Hope plays a role in our lives - Andrew Tripe

Whanganui District mayor Andrew Tripe.

By Andrew Tripe

THREE KEY FACTS:

• At a conference in August, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told local and regional councils to restrain their spending on “the basics” – or have their hand forced by central Government.
• The challenge received a frosty reception at the annual Local Government NZ (LGNZ) conference.
• There are 14 councils within a two-hour drive of Whanganui.

Andrew Tripe is the mayor of the Whanganui District Council

OPINION

Mayoral Musings

This month we welcomed the first day of spring – the sun was shining, the blossoms were out and the vibrant colours of flowers were all around. The start of spring is a symbol of resilience and renewal, of reaching a milestone where we have ground out the tough winter elements and short days.

It brings optimism and hope, two qualities that seem particularly important as we move forward from what has, for many, been socially and financially a winter of discontent and angst. Hope is free and hope is for all of us – we need it in our lives to lift us out of the winter or whatever it is that pulls us down. As Emily Dickinson wrote:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops - at all

I attended a Puanga celebration dinner in winter and I think this celebration perfectly captures the spirit of hope as it signifies wellbeing, reflection and renewal. It is a time for harvesting and preparing the land for the coming year, honouring those who have passed and gathering people together.

As we head into spring, I ask you all to think about the role hope plays in your lives. From conversations with numerous people I am still very conscious of the challenges we have financially – however, there is hope.

We have seen the official cash rate come down and banks appear to be gearing up for an interest rate battle. It was also pleasing to see some green shoots of optimism arrive with the spring weather with business confidence soaring to the highest level in a decade, according to the ANZ Business Outlook survey for August with top-line confidence lifting 23 points to +51 in August, including forward-looking activity indicators lifting strongly.

As your elected representatives, our job is to make decisions that enable and provide a platform for everyone in the community to have the best lives now and in the future.

While some may have differing opinions on how we approach this, the essence of our role remains the same. We are here to navigate through turbulent times socially and financially.

Whanganui District Council building, in Guyton Street, Whanganui.

Last month, a few of us attended the Local Government NZ conference in Wellington. There were two main takeaways for me; on the Prime Minister’s short, sharp speech: I agree that councils need to get back to the basics rather than focusing on nice-to-haves.

What I disagree with is his throwing a blanket over all local governments because this council, our council, has meticulously gone through our budget line by line and as quoted in the June council meeting: “A quick tally up reveals that of the total capital expenditure the council is undertaking over the 10 years of the LTP, 82% relates to infrastructure – Three Waters and roading. In addition, we are also maintaining parks and reserves, running libraries and delivering a range of essential services”.

I believe that is a record amount on the basics. We have had no new nice-to-have projects introduced this electoral term, our Standard and Poors’ credit rating is very strong, our debt is low, we have invested well in our Three Waters assets and our six-point efficiency and cost-saving plan means our council is one of the best performing in the country.

I believe we are a responsible and prudent council that is doing the basics while also preparing for when the time is right to deliver community assets and aspirations to improve our district’s livability.

The second takeaway from the LGNZ conference was the importance of collaboration. As I have said before, we have 14 councils within a two-hour drive of Whanganui.

That is ludicrous in my opinion. Fourteen chief executives, 14 chief financial officers, 14 HR functions, 14 Microsoft licences and myriad other duplications. It is not sustainable. I think it is also inefficient. The time is right, in my opinion, to pursue collaboration with the potential for amalgamation down the track while ensuring the local voice is heard loudly and cost savings and efficiencies are realised.

I am also very pleased about the start of the new portfolio structure, which aims to take our council closer to our community, with clear ownership from elected members as well as the community.

The closer we are to our community the better we are – that’s the way it should be if we are to embrace localism or subsidiarity, which is making decisions closest to where they will have their effect.

This goes hand-in-hand with supporting our community with community-led initiatives and projects so it is pleasing to see the Friends of the Aviary pick up the potential closure of the aviary and champion it to stay open. Whether we voted for or against this, I applaud this group for putting its hand up.

So let’s move forward with hope. Hope is not just an abstract idea – it’s a force that connects us and propels us forward. With hope, together we can face challenges and open the door to new opportunities for our community.