Darren Rewi is the only Queenstown Lakes mayoral aspirant who has not stood for council or the mayoralty before. However, he’s not lacking in public profile.
The 62-year-old is the founding chair of the influential Mana Tahuna environmental, social and cultural charitable trust, though he’d step down if elected.
He’s also, he suggests, had more dealings with council over a long period than rivals trying to defeat incumbent Glyn Lewers.
One involvement way back was with an alcohol-related violence programme with council and the police, and more recently he chaired the Welcoming Communities steering group.
Another involvement saw him take a week off his campaign to attend a climate change forum in Taiwan relating to his work on council’s biodiversity and climate change plan.
Of Ngai Tahu descent, he’s well known for delivering Maori welcomes, or mihi whakatau.
Rewi’s often referred to as a kaumatua, or Maori elder/leader, but "it’s something I’ve sort of pushed back on because it’s always in my mind about older people like Michael Skerrett and all those".
He’s stood in part due to issues relating to the Shotover wastewater treatment plant.
But, given his senior-level experience in many organisations, "the main part was when I looked at the issues the district has, especially around leadership and governance, I believe I have the skills to fill that space and and help the community".
By contrast, Rewi criticises Lewers for what he calls "a command style of leadership".
"He should be enabling and empowering all those people that sit around him because they’re the voices of their communities, and there is so much skill that sits within that council he should be using."
He believes outspoken councillor Niki Gladding was "hung out to dry" when blowing the whistle on council’s plan to discharge treated sewage into the Shotover River.
"She is protected under [whistleblowing legislation] that she should be able to come out like that, and there were very few voices that stood up for her, which is just shocking.
"If everyone’s just nodding and saying ‘yes’, we just go back three years."
However, Rewi says he didn’t think of standing for council first.
"I would just be a tick boxer — if people want change, then my ability to do that is as mayor."
Rewi is hot on reducing council costs, and is "horrified" by an ex-councillor’s claim council’s to blame for missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars of developer contributions.
"One of the main things I’ve been very clear about is the over-use of consultants, we spend millions and millions on them and they are normally based out of town.
"If we do have a need to bring in a consultant, I’m sure we have adequate consultants here, then we’re spending money locally — not going to France or Auckland or wherever it’s going."
He’d also like to see the local housing trust "super-funded" or super-charged to provide a lot more affordable housing.
Like Roy Thompson, who developed the first stage of Frankton’s Toru apartments for affordable housing, but who then didn’t proceed on plans for two more buildings, or another 152 units, Rewi’s critical of council not waiving development contributions to help him out.
He also believes council needs to have better dealings with Ngai Tahu, "because the council has a really poor relationship with them".
"And because of that, they tend to have the advantage over the council — the council are too scared to say ‘no’ to them.
"I have indicated to certain parts of the tribe that if I’m there, we need to have a conversation."
That conversation would include opportunities to invest in this area.
Rewi confirms local tech entrepreneur Rod Drury, who’s supported Lewers’ campaign to the tune of $10,000, also lobbed $5000 his way. However, after discussing it with his team — "we had decided anything over $1500 we would always discuss as a team" — he returned it.
"It’s absolutely the wrong thing [for Lewers] to accept $10,000.
"[Drury’s] a great guy, but he’s helping drive the regional deal and he’s got his vision for the town, so, by default, does that become Glyn’s vision for town?"
Rewi admits a lot of people are discussing whether he and principal rivals John Glover and Nik Kiddle could split the vote and let Lewers back in.
"I had a coffee with John Glover and he put that to me.
"I said I’m really confident in my policies, what I can do and achieve with it, and the time we’ve got left, I just need to show the separation between the others that I have."
On a lighter note, given Rewi and his wife Debbie have separated, he says he’s been asked who he’d choose as his mayoress.
"People have jokingly said I’ll be the most eligible man in town if I’m voted in."
