A few familiar faces will be disappearing from around Central Otago’s community board meeting rooms following the upcoming local body elections.

With nominations opening soon for the October elections, members from the district’s four community boards are starting to make the call on whether to stand for re-election or call it a day.

With growth pressures, lots of central government-imposed changes in the wind and lobby groups becoming increasingly active nationwide, Vincent Community Board (VCB) chair Martin McPherson hopes newcomers won’t be put

off entering local democracy.

Martin, who says he will be standing again for election as a Central Otago District councillor and VCB member, said the somewhat aggressive stance taken by lobby groups over issues such as central government’s Three Waters

reforms certainly didn’t help encourage newcomers.

“I think a lot of people are in fear of the consequences of standing for public office when there is such an uprising of anti-government feeling…with groups like the Taxpayers Union, anti-Three Waters, Groundswell and those public

meetings with such vitriol happening.”

Some groups had threatened to stand their own candidates in the coming elections if council did not adopt their desired stance and actions against central government.

“We risk as a community having people elected on single issues which local government has very little control over. The election that will count, especially for Three Waters, is the general election in 2023, not a local body election,” Martin said.

Mayor Tim Cadogan – also standing for re-election in October – agreed this was a concern as those coming in as “single-issue” candidates may find the broad range of things the council is responsible for to be challenging.

He believes, however, the current climate of change could also make the job more appealing for some.

“There’s certainly a lot of potential changes facing local government and that makes it, in many ways, one of the most exciting and important times to be involved with it.”

Also on a positive note, Martin said discussions were being held about how council could “beef up” the induction and training available to newcomers to help them through the early stages of work after being elected. 

Others who confirmed to the Central App they intend to stand for re-election in the Vincent ward were Lynley Claridge and Dr Roger Browne. Councillor Ian Cooney said he was still undecided.

No response had been received by deadline from Sharleen Stirling-Lindsay or Anna Robinson. Board member Russell Garbutt resigned in June 2022 and no by-election was held to fill his vacant seat.

In Cromwell Anna Harrison, Bob Scott and Neil Gillespie have indicated they will stand again with Nigel McKinlay undecided and no response by deadline from Werner Murray, Cheryl Laws and Tony Buchanan. Robin Dicey

resigned from the Cromwell Community Board in April 2021 but his seat was filled by Bob Scott.

In the Teviot Valley, board chairman Raymond Gunn is retiring from local body politics after 12 years. Another experienced board and council member, Stephen Jeffery, says it is the right time for him to step down. Sally Feinermann

says she intends to stand for council this election and a successful campaign would see her appointed back onto the community board.  

The Central App did not receive a response from current community board members Norman Dalley or Cushla Aitchison from Teviot Valley, or from any current Maniototo Community Board members.

Important dates for Central Otago’s upcoming local body elections

Cromwell and Vincent boards have seven elected members, three of these appointed by council, and Teviot Valley and Maniototo boards have five elected members with one appointed by council. There are three district

councillors who are not members of a community board – Tracey Patterson, Shirley Calvert and Tamah Alley.  

Nominations open next Friday and the Central App will continue to update election news.  

Elections are looming and environmental protections in the face of growth are likely to be on voters’ minds