Otorohanga mayor
Cathy Prendergast
Cathy Prendergast – Otorohanga mayor
Ōtorohanga District Council recently received a delegation asking for the banning of vehicles on the inner harbour beach to protect kai moana and stop environmental damage. Do you support the ban? Why or why not?
This issue is complex and while I agree with banning vehicles on the inner harbour beach in principle, this also brings a number of other considerations which need to be addressed before any permanent step is taken. ODC will need to liaise with the owners of the land further toward the Ocean Beach to see if it is possible to have another permanent access to the Ocean Beach and the hot pools which are so popular. There is a lot more work to be done in this respect before a solution can be enacted.
Local bodies were threatened with a rates cap at the latest Local Government New Zealand conference. This financial year Waitomo District Council would have escaped capping, while Ōtorohanga would have had the brakes applied. What’s your opinion on this, and your council’s spending over the last decade?
I would not support a rates cap as the risk is this will result in under-investment in infrastructure and a possible cut to services. Experience in Australia has proven this to be the case. Before rates capping is discussed there needs to be a wider acknowledgement and consideration of the annual cost of compliance at Government level.
Te Kūiti ’s ageing infrastructure has seen sewage regularly overflowing into people’s gardens. Is Ōtorohanga in the same situation? What needs to happen here and what will you do as mayor to ensure it does?
I am confident that Otorohanga’s sewerage infrastructure has been maintained at a reasonable level. It has been rated as ‘good’ in the Otorohanga District Asset Management Plan, with failures and blockages termed ‘moderate’ over the last financial year. There was a significant wastewater upgrade for Otorohanga approved in the 24 – 34 workplan and this work is ongoing for the 2026 and the 2027 financial year. This workstream will continue under my leadership.
Aspirational plans were recently announced by the local tribe for 5000 new homes across the region for Ngāti Maniapoto. How bad is the housing crisis for tangata whenua and for everyone else? What would you do if you were elected mayor to help solve this problem?
Census statistics indicate a significant housing shortage in Otorohanga. As a result of a community meeting the Otorohanga Housing Strategy Group was formed and has formulated a plan to move Otorohanga forward with. The group has recently presented the plan to council which was well received. I support the mahi of this group and will look to liaise with them.
Tourism took a hit as a result of the global pandemic. How badly have the Waitomo and Ōtorohanga districts been hit as a result? Have the good old days of tourism gone? What would you do, if you were elected mayor, to boost tourism in your district?
With the recent announcements from Waikato Regional Airport Ltd of recommencing both the international and national flights to Australia and Christchurch, and the summer months approaching, local business owners that I have spoken to, are hopeful of tourism picking up to pre-covid levels over the summer. As mayor I will continue to support the Otorohanga Kiwi House which is our star attraction. I would also investigate how Hamilton and Waikato Regional Tourism would promote the Otorohanga District if Council decided to engage with them again.
There’s talk of abolition of regional councils, and amalgamation of district councils. Waikato Water Done Well is being heralded as a way for the districts to work together. Do you support ditching the regional council, and your council taking on some of its functions? What about amalgamation? Which councils should you join with and why? Which would you stay away from?
Abolition of regional councils is a central government decision, and yes Otorohanga DC will take on some of its functions given the chance. Moving ahead as a district, ODC’s role is to deliver services as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Otorohanga DC is sharing services with both Waitomo DC and Waipa DC already. We need to continue and expand on this mahi and quantify the savings which are being made. If these measures are not enough to keep rates at an acceptable level for our ratepayers, we will have to consider amalgamation. Retaining our identity is paramount.
What other issues are people stopping you in the street wanting council and mayoral action on, and what is your response?
The conversations which I am having on the street are around the challenging business environment and the cautious optimism that business is starting to improve; what my position is on the Kiwi logo; and I have had several questions regarding extending the recycling collection into the more populated rural areas.
