Cr Birchfield, who was deposed as chairman three years ago, is leading the charge after a bumpy last term — and this time he has four others standing with him on the Reform ticket.
"I’m very unhappy and upset about the way the direction of the council has gone — it’s working against the people of the West Coast and it needs to be pulled into line," he said.
The Reform ticket for five candidates contesting seats in the Westland, Grey and Buller constituencies — Sheila Julian (Westland), Allan Rooney (Grey), Glenys Perkins (Grey), Kevin Smith (Buller) and Cr Birchfield — was to get back to basics, he said.
However, he added the group did not yet have a formal policy platform.
"We just used that name [Reform], but the council needs to be restructured," he said.
Rates capping was part of their promise, promised with "a downscale" of the council to its core functions.
"It’s got to the stage where we’ve now got [minister] Shane Jones commenting because the council is not performing on its core functions."
Cr Birchfield said key to that was ensuring resource consent functions were delivered in "a timely and economic way".
This aligned with the government’s planning reform agenda and the fast-track legislation anyway, he said, which would inevitably result in a paring down of the council organisation.
"That legislation will help.
"Now, they’re talking about making gravel extractions a permitted activity. "The rates are too high — the staff need to be back to 30 to 40 people doing the actual council functions," Cr Birchfield said.
Sheila Julian, a Whataroa dairy farmer of 20 years, said councils "have run amok" with ever-increasing rates and the Reform idea "to pare back" the regional council struck a chord with her.
"I think they have forgotten who they are there for — they’re there for the people," Ms Julian said.
"I do believe councils have run amok with their core values and services ...
"I felt if there was some backing I’d like to see if we couldn’t change the direction, of getting back to where the [regional] council’s responsibilities lay."
Glenys Perkins, who is Cr Birchfield’s sister, said she brought her own 20-year experience in local government including the 1989 amalgamation and as a businesswoman.
She said the council impact on local wellbeing was behind her decision to stand, and the need for "better transparency".
"If the Reform ticket brings that, I will certainly align with that ... I’m concerned about the wellbeing of the West Coast economy."
Mrs Perkins said the criticism highlighted by Mr Jones about the regional council sector was not unique to the West Coast but something she had also dealt with in Selwyn and Southland.
Buller constituency candidate Kevin Smith said he had found himself aligned to the Reform ticket after being nominated early on.
"I thought, ‘yep, that sounds like me’."
Mr Smith said the prospect of consistent and aligned support in "that we all see the same issues" was the decider last weekend to go with Reform. This aligned with addressing rising rates and disaffection at the Westport flood recovery.
Greymouth commercial fisherman Allan Rooney said he had been appalled "watching all the antics" at the council in the past term and so he was backing Cr Birchfield as a principled candidate.
— By Brendon McMahon, The Greymouth Star
