The Central App asked local body candidates for community boards about their community track record.

What skills would you bring to the table: Name three top skills (hard or soft) or experiences you’ll bring to the decision-making table.

Here’s how they responded:

Cromwell Community Board candidates respond

There are ten candidates for four vacancies on the Cromwell Community Board.

Mike Casey:

“My background is creating a successful tech company straight out of university, having absolutely no experience, and successfully exiting that in 2019, moving to Cromwell, and then becoming a cherry farmer without having a clue how to grow cherries.

“My strengths: Public speaking, learning things fast, huge levels of ambition for my town.”

Anna Harrison:

“I am an experienced elected member and have a clear understanding of the governance role and I think I have a skill set that makes me an excellent candidate to continue in the role for the next term:

“I act with integrity - I am honest and upfront. I work alongside others to make sensible, workable decisions for our community. I make sure I have all the information to make informed decisions and seek further information or clarification if needed.

“I clearly communicate my thinking - I am clear about the reasons for the decisions that we make. I am able to articulate the decisions and how we arrived at them.

“I am open to the ideas and perspectives of others - I see my role as being collaborative alongside the other elected members sitting around the board table. I am representing my community so this is a crucial skill.”

Wally Sanford:

“I have community board experience and management experience in business. I know what I'm getting into and I know how to do it well. I'm a safe bet. 

“I'm practical, resourceful and intelligent. I'm just as happy mixing concrete in a wheel barrow as I am working through a long term plan submission. If I'm mixing concrete, I won't be called out on my water to cement ratio and if I'm submitting on a long term plan I won't be called out on my submission being impractical. 

“I'm not afraid to speak up around the board table. If I need something clarified or if I have questions about something, I'll ask. I'm not afraid to go first and provide the right of reply to someone else. This is my proven track record.”

Jane Smith:

“Good listener, good communicator, non-judgemental.”

Gerald Duncan, Rebecca Anderson, Gary Kirk, Haemia Melling, Travis Muir, and Bill Sanders did not respond.

Vincent Community Board candidates respond

There are seven candidates for four vacancies on the Vincent Community Board.

Roger Browne:

“I have extensive governance experience, including as chair of several organisations. 

"With an engineering background I am able to understand and assess technical aspects of projects. 

“With six years on the community board behind me I understand how things operate in local government.” 

Martin McPherson:

“Over 20 years’ experience around the table and knowledge of how and why we got to where we are currently.

“Good listening and analytical skills - I can absorb information quickly and thoroughly.

“Excellent communication skills - I can express an opinion in a succinct and understandable manner.”

Jayden Cromb,

Experience in local government

"I have served two years on the Vincent Community Board as deputy chair and ten months as chair. While my time as chair may be short, I have proven that I understand both the system and the community. We achieved some big wins in the Long Term Plan and the gifting of land to Abbeyfield by working within the system and alongside the people who are part of it. I have built the necessary relationships with elected members, the

community, and council staff to hit the ground running from day one."

Thinking outside the box to get positive results

"It is not uncommon for me to be told that an idea isn’t possible or could be too challenging. A recent example was the Dunstan Turf project. I was told consistently that council would not have an appetite to fund the $300,000 given the projected rate rise. Still, I pushed for the community to support it through consultation and worked with the finance team to find another way to fund it if Councillors weren’t keen. After seeing the strong support (especially from the youth survey) and understanding the position councillors were in, I altered the Board’s recommendation and pushed for it to be funded through reserves. That passed unanimously and was a community win without adding a burden to rates."

Ability to bring different voices together

"Whether through the VCB, school board, or youth trust, I have spent my adult life leading boards with members who bring diverse voices, ideas, and perspectives to the table. My role has been to bring those voices together to find positive solutions to different challenges. Whether it’s higher than expected operational costs, a project that isn’t working as planned, or long-term strategic planning, I have always found ways to combine everyone’s ideas to determine the best path forward. I have learned that the best result doesn’t come from one person, but from bringing people together and collaborating. Giving everyone the freedom and space to express their views, coupled with a willingness to see another perspective, is vital to leadership and governance."

Tony Hammington, Dai Johns, Jim Moffitt, and Karla Sanders did not respond.

The seven candidates for four vacancies on the Maniototo Community Board did not respond, nor did the seven candidates for four vacancies on Teviot Valley Community Board.