Peter Haddock’s motives for standing for council in Greymouth all those years ago were, you might say, less than noble.
But they led to a salutary lesson for the rookie councillor.
The enterprising builder had bought the historic Speight’s Ale House opposite the railway station and was busy saving it when he had a difference of opinion with a manager at the Grey District Council.
A mate — noting his frustration — suggested he stand for council and sort it out.
"Like a lot of candidates, I knew nothing about how a council works. I thought, ‘right, I’m going to change the world’.’’
After the swearing-in ceremony, attended by his proud mum and dad, he was approached by the manager at the after-match function.
"He said ‘you and I are going to get along just fine’. And I said ‘if I have my way, you won’t be here in a month’.’’
Cr Haddock was swiftly enlightened by the council’s chief executive, Paul Pretorius, who informed him councillors did not hire or fire staff — they were there to set policy.
"I was like every new councillor, I suppose, but I learned in a hurry. And now I realise you can’t just change things.
"Councils have a long-term plan, an annual plan and a budget and if you deviate from those you have to go out to public consultation.’’
It helped that many of the sitting councillors in 2007 were well-seasoned with good financial experience, Mr Haddock said.
"So I learned a lot. Back in 1990 I had PR Haddock Engineering and I’d built the Greymouth CBD floodwall and various roads. So the mayor [Tony Kokshoorn] gave me the roading portfolio.’’
He was also appointed to the regional transport committee — which he had never heard of.
"I never knew but it sets the priorities for NZTA spending on highways and local roads and bridges. In my naivety I immediately said, ‘right, that Taramakau bridge has got to go’.’’
The narrow one-way wooden bridge used by trains and motorists had been past its use-by date for years.
"The NZTA boss said it wasn’t even on their radar. But we got it on the list and pushed the living daylights out of it. He warned it could take 15 years.’’
After constant lobbying, paying for geotech surveys and a boost from the John Key government’s infrastructure advancement fund, the new bridge was built and opened in 2018.
It remains one of Mr Haddock’s most satisfying campaigns.
Others include the transformation of the Arthurs Pass road, where the perilous zigzag stretch was replaced by the Otira viaduct in 1999.
"It’s actually in Canterbury but we pushed really hard for that. West Coast people go to Christchurch all the time for medical appointments or family, and it’s a crucial supply route.’’
The transport committee is now bending NZTA’s ear on the need to store some of its Bailey bridges on the Coast for emergencies, a campaign Mr Haddock believes will be won, eventually.
But the best times on the Grey council were the days when local volunteers joined forces with councillors to work on projects such as Greymouth’s aquatic centre and sports stadium, he said.
"We saved so much money because we all got stuck in together. I would leave my digger or truck down there and so many contractors helped out , clearing for foundations and so on.’’
His constant absences to hop on the truck at weekends drove his wife to take radical action, he recalled.
"In the end Helen would come with me and we would spend the day together, in the truck happily hauling gravel around.’’
Another DIY project — building the new Greymouth town square — remains strong in his memory.
"We had a rural councillor, Anton Becker, who strongly disagreed with the project. But the first weekend we had a working bee, he showed up.
"I said ‘what are you doing here — you voted against this!’ And he says ‘well, we made a decision — that’s democracy. Let’s get it done’.’’
Mr Becker’s example was one he admired and promoted to this day, Mr Haddock said.
But collective responsibility has not been an easy principle to apply in the past three years of his local government career.
In 2022, he stood down from the Grey District Council, planning to retire.
But he was approached to stand for the West Coast Regional Council by people worried the council was dysfunctional after losing three chief executives in three years.
Cr Birchfield — the council chairman of six years — was an old friend.
"We’d been great mates over the years. I said ‘you’d better take some time off, Allan’ — and then I got thrown completely in the deep end.’’
Cr Birchfield had clashed with acting chief executive Heather Mabin, and her short-term predecessor Vin Smith, who left after claiming bullying and interference in staff matters. Cr Birchfield denied bullying at the time.
More was to follow: investigations showed the council had been losing staff and could not recruit; record-keeping, reporting and other systems were in disarray.
The council was now seen as unstable in Wellington and the millions promised for flood protection schemes were being withheld, Mr Haddock said.
"The first thing Heather said to me was ‘all our funding for resilience projects has basically gone’, I think because of all the discord there had been, and she was going to leave.
"But I said ‘you can’t. We’ve got a new council — we need you to stay while we fix this’.’’
She stayed until present chief executive Darryl Lew was recruited.
Under the new council, including Mr Lew and the late Cr Frank Dooley, a chartered accountant, things began to stabilise and the government confirmed the funding for flood protection. More unwelcome surprises were in store: many of the region’s rating districts, which pay for flood protection, had not had meetings with the council for years.
The council had done urgent seawall work in Hokitika on a hasty verbal agreement and had never been paid for it.
This year it was revealed the council had been using mining bonds as operational funding.
"I think we’re finally at the stage where all the surprises are out of the box,’’ Mr Haddock said.
The council has fronted meetings with all its rating districts; it is no longer using mining bonds as working capital, it now has a strict procurement policy and the Westland District Council has agreed to pay $600,000 for the seafront protection.
Its books are in order — the accounts will return to surplus in two years and, although borrowing has risen to a planned $24 million for flood protection works, its investment portfolio has reached nearly $15 million.
Once it did, interest could be used to offset rates, Mr Haddock said.
But over the past three years, Cr Birchfield has been a thorn in the council’s side, objecting to rising staff numbers, the use of contractors, environmental reports and delays in granting resource consents for mining.
Cr Birchfield and Mr Haddock have frequently clashed at meetings.
"At times it’s been a wee bit toxic ... I find it really difficult when one councillor votes against just about everything.’’
But what wounded him most was an attempt by Cr Birchfield to bar civil engineering firm MBD from winning major infrastructure projects because his son was a director, Mr Haddock said.
The Greymouth company recently completed the upgrade of stopbanks at Franz Josef, and is now working on the second stage of the project after a public tender process.
Mr Haddock said he took no part in the process and had no financial interests in the company.
But Cr Birchfield tried unsuccessfully to move a motion to the effect that the chairman had an unresolvable conflict of interest and MBD should not get the council work, Mr Haddock said.
"That’s caused a rift and upset in the family and it’s sad my son and I have drifted apart a wee bit.
"It’s a pity, because you know ... I’m so proud of what he’s done and where they’ve got with their company ... it really hurts.’’
That was "probably’’ the main reason he decided not to stand again for council, he said.
Cr Birchfield denied his actions were a personal attack.
"I thought he should have had nothing to do with the whole Franz Josef stopbank project. It wasn’t just about the tenders, it was about the direction of the project and the placement of the banks as well. He should have kept right out of it,’’ Cr Birchfield said.
There are other reasons Cr Haddock is retiring.
"Every day for the last 18 years, we’ve woken up and Helen’s asked ‘what’s on at council today?’ And there’s always something. Now we’d like to travel — I’ve never been to Stewart Island or Rarotonga; Helen wants to see north Australia.’’
The 72-year-old also has a couple of community projects lined up — but he is keeping mum on those for now.
It had taken three stressful years to restore the regional council but the result was a good note to go out on, he said.
"It’s a pleasure to come here now. We’ve got a great team, a happy workplace and we’ve rebuilt trust with the government. I just hope it doesn’t all get unwound.’’
