Two camps have emerged offering very different perspectives, and a clear choice for electors.
In one camp are those who want the council to focus on core infrastructure and keep rate increases to no more than the rate of inflation, either through a rate and debt cap or by undertaking a comprehensive review of costs to eliminate non-essential spending. Included in this camp are sitting councillors Marie Olsen, Simon Reid, Paul Yovich, and Jayne Golightly; and candidates like Susy Bretherton, Steve Martin, Paul Grace, Matt Yovich, Dave Baldwin, and Crichton Christie.
In the other camp are those who see council's role as everything to everyone. They support increased council spending on social agendas funded by more debt and rate increases. These include the councillors Cr Halse identified as woke; Crs Connop, Couper, Harding, McKenzie, and Peters, and a bunch of fresh-faced candidates singing from a song-book that could have been written by Chloe Swarbrick.
Those same divisions are also very clear for the Northland Regional Council. For lower rates, financial restraint and a back-to-basics approach are sitting councillors Joe Carr and John Blackwell, and new candidates like Caroline Davis, John Hunt, Greg Chalmers, and Murray Hosking.
At the rate-more-spend-more, scratch-every-social-itch end of the spectrum are sitting councillors Jack Craw, Rick Stolwerk and Amy McDonald.
In Kaipara, the mayoralty race is a choice between the fiscally prudent Jonathan Larsen or the woke Jason Smith. In the Far North, the mayoralty is between sitting councillor Ann Court with a back-to-basics approach and the incumbent Moko Tepania.
On the Maori wards referendum, the choice is equally as stark: It’s either Yes to Maori wards, or No. Candidates have made it clear how far they think Maori seats should extend around the council table.
In the WDC mayoralty race, Vince Cocurullo, Marie Olsen and Brad Flower have said they don’t support Maori wards. On the other side, Ken Couper and Fiona Green have said not only do they support Maori wards, but they also want to extend Maori rights further into a co-governance arrangement.
The choice is as clear as night and day. Now is your opportunity to show the politicians that this is your democracy, not theirs.