Retiring councillors say city on right path

Set to depart the Dunedin City Council are (from left) Crs Chris Staynes, Doug Hall and Mike Lord...
Set to depart the Dunedin City Council are (from left) Crs Chris Staynes, Doug Hall and Mike Lord. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
A trio of retiring Dunedin city councillors say the city has been progressing nicely.

 

Chris Staynes, Mike Lord and Doug Hall have decided not to seek re-election after each served several terms.

Cr Staynes (71) had 15 years as a city councillor, including nine years in the role of deputy mayor.

Dunedin was poised for further growth and was looking at its best chance in decades of being restored to its "rightful position" among the big metropolitan centres, Cr Staynes said.

"We’ve got to maximise our opportunities," he said.

All of his time as deputy mayor was while the late Dave Cull was mayor and Cr Staynes said they had long, stimulating discussions about what the city’s future should be.

The council became more transparent and put a greater focus on environmental issues, he said.

Cr Staynes was heartened by progress in getting the city to become more sustainable, although he wished it could happen quicker.

Building Dunedin’s sister-city relationship with Shanghai in China was a highlight.

Cr Staynes felt a clear, strategic direction that most councillors bought into was less evident in the past term.

He also grew tired of some conduct at the council, such as a few members raising frivolous points of order.

Asked if he had advice for first-time candidates, Cr Staynes said a councillor’s role was to listen, read and learn.

The former Fisher and Paykel Mosgiel manager said councils were complex and wide-ranging organisations.

Both he and Cr Lord had misgivings about the Government’s push for Three Waters reforms.

There was a lack of clarity about Dunedin being able to manage its own destiny, determining where it wanted to develop and how, Cr Staynes said.

Both Cr Staynes and Cr Lord were elected to the council on Mr Cull’s Greater Dunedin ticket, which formed in 2007 and was dissolved in 2016.

Cr Lord (57) served three terms and his background included a stint as Federated Farmers Otago president.

Mr Cull led a progressive council, Cr Lord said.

Current mayor Aaron Hawkins had also done a good job and ran meetings well, he said.

Cr Lord said he wanted Dunedin to be a place where his children would love to live .

The council became more professional in areas, such as in the way it managed assets and delivered its capital programme, he said.

His advice for new councillors was to keep the big picture in mind, rather than sweating the small stuff.

Cr Hall (75 today) had major heart surgery this year and said he decided to give up the council role to put his health first.

The owner of recycling and transport businesses became a councillor in 2013.

He was not known as a talker at meetings.

"I did a hell of a lot behind the scenes," Cr Hall said.

He was reluctant to issue advice for new councillors.

"Everyone has their own way of doing it."

grant.miller@odt.co.nz

 

 

 

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