What do you know about the 11 candidates who are contesting the 2016 mayoral election? Chris Morris puts the questions to Barry Timmings.
Barry Timmings wants to bring "a different style of leadership" to Dunedin.
The 46-year-old former chairman of Tourism Dunedin (now Enterprise Dunedin) is campaigning for the mayoralty, but not also a council seat, saying he wants to make a difference.
His focus would be on providing a more "progressive, positive" leadership, while striving to get the council to work together and address challenges such as those faced in South Dunedin.
"You can’t do that unless you’re the leader," he said.
Why are you standing?
I’m standing because there’s a massive need, and a massive opportunity, for a change of leadership here.
You’ve got to get the tone at the top right.
It seems to me we have better opportunities now than we’ve ever had, and that’s because all of the positives that have occurred before now — look at our architecture as a result of the gold rush, look at the strong hinterland as a result of the agricultural boom ... it’s a marvellous foundation.
We’ve really just got to get on and make progress.
I believe there’s an opportunity to do that in a much more contemporary and action-orientated way.
Why are you standing for mayor and not council?
A different style of leadership is one of the key requirements, or key imperatives, we have right now.
A different style of leadership to lead council and lead the city in a much more progressive, positive way.
You can’t do that unless you’re the leader ... without a change of leadership, my opportunity or my ability to contribute within council would be restricted to a degree.
What other relevant experience do you have?
I’m comfortable I have a good grasp of most, if not all, issues that face us.
I appreciate I’m not inside the tent, so I haven’t perhaps had the privilege of some of the detail, but I think sometimes that objectivity and fresh perspective can be useful.
Why should people vote for you?
I’m not critical of the current mayor as an individual, but I think there are opportunities to lead differently.
They should vote for me because I’m strategic, I’m positive, I’m proactive — I’m a fairly busy person, but busy people get things done.
I understand business.
I can read a balance sheet ... as a chartered accountant, I do have a pretty useful set of skills when you think about the business of council.
People will vote for me if they feel it’s time for a change, it’s time for a more positive, progress perspective in council, which is partly about being a cheerleader ... without ignoring the challenges we face.
What do you see as the major issues this election?
Within council we’ve got some slightly bigger picture challenges and issues, and I think that’s around trust — trust of council and trust within council.
There’s some great people within council, but there’s also some people that might be a little bit too much influenced by the status quo ... Then we’ve got the tactical issues around sea level rise, stormwater management, dune and seawall protection, cycleway decisions ... and of course it’s all interconnected.
How would you deal with the South Dunedin issues of flooding and climate change?
It’s really important to not bog them all into one problem, because they’re not one problem.
I believe the stormwater [problem] is immensely solvable, and it’s largely about two things.
Sort out the contract scope and specification around the mud tanks and the cleaning ... and making sure we’re paying a little bit more attention to the roading performance.
Are you planning on engaging with as many council critics as possible?
I think it comes under a heading of "fronting up".
That’s something that’s not always easy to do, but my belief is it’s a key part of leadership.
You’ve got to front up, and front up when it’s going well and front up when it’s not.
What is Dunedin doing well?
I think we’re beginning to understand our positioning a lot better ... There’s a massive amount going for Dunedin.
I think the mindset can shift from "no-one’s going to come here unless there’s a job", to there’s a whole lot of people who potentially want to come here, and they’ve got their own resources, they’ve got their own investments, they’ve got their own business opportunities, and they will come here because they want to and they can.
The people who are perhaps a bit critical, and the bad decisions that might get made around the city, they get a lot of limelight.
I spend a lot of time with really innovative, really smart, really elsewhere-aware people, and there’s a massive undercurrent of those people, but they’re all busy getting on and doing it ... as a city the best focus we can have is on the elsewhere, because as a city we have got to make more than we spend.
What is Dunedin not doing well?
Clearly, there’s some challenges around mindset and getting everybody together, feeling like we’re going in the same direction ... from time to time we don’t make great decisions around things that are quite important, such as cycleways, such as contract negotiation around the likes of mud tank cleaning — a little bit too much complacency around the status quo.
If you’ve got an opportunity it’s only ever a timing opportunity.
Look at Gigatown.
I think you could say that has not gained the traction that it should have, and it was only ever a timing benefit ... We’ve lost that opportunity.
What is your vision for the city?
At the highest level, it’s about us achieving our potential ... I see a stronger university, I see a stronger polytech, I see a stronger medical school, I see a stronger tertiary-level hospital ... I see people living here because they want to.
I see a city that we all feel part of, and we all feel part of because there’s opportunities for our kids, which is about jobs and education and a safe environment.
I just see a city that’s vibrant and is actually taking advantage of the opportunities it has.
Who did you vote for at the last national election and how would you describe your politics?
I don’t have any particularly strong political leanings.
I can tell you that I have voted in a number of elections for a number of individuals and parties.
How are you campaigning and how are you funding it?
You’ve got to have part of your campaign as traditional grassroots stuff ... then there’s the more contemporary part of the campaign, which is around social media ... it’s being funded by people who are prepared to contribute to change and progress, and that’s quite a wide range of people.
I don’t have a single large benefactor.
The working target we’ve got is a $50,000 budget, but we’re not there yet.
Have you attended council meetings?
I used to be quite a regular presenter when I was on the board of Tourism Dunedin ... I’ve attended a range of council meetings and I’ve also participated.
Barry Timmings
Born: Dunedin
Brought up: Dunedin Schooling: Otago Boys’ High School, University: University of Otago (BComm, major in accounting)
Employment history: Royal New Zealand Air Force, chartered accountant, business owner, lecturer, director
Occupation: Chartered accountant, business owner, teacher
Age: 46
Marital status: Married, two children
Council experience: Chairman of (then) Tourism Dunedin, a council-controlled organisation