Outspoken Otago Regional Councillor Gary Kelliher never expected to stay onboard more than for three terms, but he’s thinking he may need to consider one more.

From one long standing chief executive to then two subsequent Otago Regional Council (ORC) bosses who’ve come from outside the region, and now a third from within the council, he’s seen a lot of change around the table in recent years.

He said the ORC’s new direction meant it had in the last 10 years “moved away from being a council that understands its regions, and with staff out interacting with what was happening out there,” to a council that became very Dunedin-centric and very much working to impose central Government direction.

An engineer by trade, as well as a farmer, a quarry owner and also involved with the Manuherekia Irrigation Company scheme management, he brings many ‘hats’ to the table, and questions where that understanding is around the table about all of the region’s issues.

To him it’s a governance role, but it was very much a career to some regional councillors, particularly those who have served for more than 20 years, he said.

“What I see around the table is a very determined ideological perspective brought to the table to influence direction that’s not relative to what’s happening on the ground,” he said.

Gary said the proposed Land and Water Regional Plan that has been worked on for years now, no longer aligned with the recently released Regional Policy Statement, “and it doesn’t fit the direction the new Government’s signalling, so while the Government’s scrambling to change its direction, we’re set on bulldozing ahead to try and beat it.”

For a more in-depth analysis on the issues facing the ORC from Gary’s perspective, tune in to this week’s The Outlet podcast.