GUY Whitaker, Waitomo’s deputy mayor, bows out of local government after four terms. FILE PHOTO
IT has been 12 years of hard graft for Waitomo’s exiting deputy mayor – but he wouldn’t have changed any of it as this last election, he made the decision not to stand again for local government. Guy Whitaker’s community service record is impressive. A member of Te Kūiti’s prior business association (which morphed into Legendary Te Kūiti) for the past 18 years, chair of the Brook Park Incorporated Society for “nine or 10 years”, NZ Fire service for 22 years, chair of the DC Tynan Trust for 12 years, on the committee of the Tatsuno Sister City since its inception in 2013, chair of the North King Country branch of JPs (and soon to be the Waikato vice president), new on the B Trust of WSECT, on the District Licensing committee.
HE WAS THERE And not only that. If there is a community-driven initiative, whether it be cleaning up the Mangaokewa Stream, putting together the annual fireworks event, through to the formation of such assets as the indoor stadium from its get-go, he’s been there. As a long-time business owner, Guy said he got into local body politics at a time when the level of debt the Waitomo District Council had was of major concern. “There was some very real concerns about it, and I became part of the-then ratepayers association. Somehow I got myself talked into standing for council. “I think, back then, the group included people like Alan Goddard, Charles Digby and Lorrene Te Kanawa. “The level of debt was huge and like many others, I felt it needed to be addressed,” he said. But as others have found before him, the biggest thing he learned about becoming an elected member was how much of a learning curve it was.
STEEP “And it was a steep one,” he said. “If you think you can go in there, rattle the cage and make change, it doesn’t happen that way. Any council [has] very structured processes, it has to.” “There’s a lot of things you only get one chance, once every three years to actually make change.” And newbies, he says, have a great deal to learn in their first term. In the ensuing four terms, three of which were as deputy mayor, he said the drive was getting those debt levels to drop. “I guess some could say we over rated – but the point is, [the debt] dropped every year faster than it was forecast to do and all of those years we ended up with a surplus against the budgeted figures. “The result of that was by the time of the previous election [in 2019] we were in a better position than we had expected to be and on track for that to continue.” “We have lost some buffers in the past couple of years; things like the depreciation on the NZTA portion of roading.
RATES WILL INCREASE “The small buffers that were in place against interest rates [in our Long Term Plans], that kind of thing. That’s now been stripped – but inflation is going up, all the costs going up and we now have no buffers. My expectation is that all over the country, rates are going to be increasing and we’ll be no exception.” With Three Waters coming in, Guy said he sees it as inevitable that small rural councils like this will have no option but to join up with others with more centralised councils, rather than the three in 60kms the King Country currently has. “The likes of Ōtorohanga and Waitomo should have been combined as a [single] council a long time ago. But no one has had the balls basically, to make it happen. “Once you take water assets away from a council, then … I certainly hope they have the sense to make bigger population bases. Inasmuch as I hate centralisation, in some aspects, it has to happen.
HAS TO HAPPEN “Look at places like say, Mōkau – why should Te Kūiti subsidise a small community? But it does [have to] and this is the benefit of what Three Waters will do – small communities will be taken care of by the bigger [cities and their bigger ratepayer bases].” He says the issue of Three Waters is simply a reality that had to happen. “Over the years, the Health Department didn’t monitor, or make councils comply with the regulations that were in place. “But with Taumata Arowai, that is setting the standard, so basically, every water supply and wastewater [system] is going to have to comply. “I don’t know how quickly it can happen, but it has to and that is going to make sure it’s not just big cities that will get the lion’s share, it’s actually going to be regulated so the little ones, who need it most, have to get compliant. “And that’s the biggest problem with Three Waters at the moment. Politicians can’t make sensible decisions. Because all they are worried about is their political careers.” And this too, he said, can apply to local government. “Stopping Three Waters is not an option.” So what makes a good elected member? “Someone that is positive … forward-thinking, dedicated and community focused.” “Understanding governance is the big thing. Too many people think they need to get involved operationally; they don’t, it’s about governance of infrastructure.” Councils are made up of paid staff usually qualified in the roles, who create the cost scenarios of required infrastructure, for example, and then put forward recommendations that councillors use to deliberate on.
HIGHLIGHTS Highlights for Guy are wide-ranging. “Oh gosh… during Brian [Hanna’s] time when we got the railway station renovation done, the community house done, started the stadium, the fact we were able to get the resource consent for the wastewater discharge to 25 years instead of the 15.” The latter saved the council “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars.” The belief in the Timber Trail, which is now regarded as a jewel in the crown of Waikato and Hamilton Tourism, is another that has been borne out. What does Te Kūiti need moving forward? “I hope something positive comes out of the local government review. I’d like to see some sensible structure around local government in the district.” “There are a lot of people in local government who aren’t politicians, but there are some who are and who just ruin it. “People seem to like listening to the negative side of things.
PARTING SHOT “I just wish people would listen to the positive rather than the negative.” Guy did take a parting shot at the re-elected mayor, however. “I enjoyed working with all the councillors [over the years] and Brian [Hanna] as a mayor, but I can honestly say I did not enjoy the last three years working with the current mayor. I don’t find him a community-focused person. “My thoughts are, his only focus is about his own political career; his decisions are politically based and as far as I’m concerned, not good for the local community.” And moving forward? “Time to sit back and relax and think about retirement at some time in the next few years,” he said.
