~ This article is written by ChatGPT with questions from us. AI can make mistakes and so can copy-checking humans. Enjoy. ~

We took the audio transcript from The Business Hive's recent mayoral candidate panel and gave it to ChatGPT to analyse - the results may surprise you. Read on.

The Business Hive hosted all four mayoral contenders last week in a wide-ranging panel on business, growth, and the future of Waitaki.

We ran the full transcript through ChatGPT to distil what each candidate really stands for.

Here’s what emerged when the talking points were stripped back to their core.

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Vision Snapshots

We asked ChatGPT to summarise each candidate's vision and identify their distinct approach.

Guy Percival – The Listener

• Core Vision: Keep council in its lane while strengthening dialogue with business.
• Focus Areas: Monthly dialogue with businesses, oppose paid parking, prioritise practical CBD improvements.
• Tone: Relationship-based, nostalgic, practical.

Kelli Williams – The Protector

• Core Vision: Protect Waitaki’s special character while guiding smart growth to fund infrastructure.
• Focus Areas: Careful growth (not growth for growth’s sake), enabling council culture, protecting identity.
• Tone: Protective, cautious, growth-minded.

David Wilson – The Cost-Cutter

• Core Vision: Refocus council on essentials, cut barriers and unlock tourism's full potential.
• Focus Areas: Low rates, budget scrutiny, efficient core services (roads, water, permits), refocus tourism.
• Tone: Pragmatic, efficiency-driven, cost-control oriented.

Melanie Tavendale – The Innovator

• Core Vision: Build a thriving economy on skills, partnerships, and diversification.
• Focus Areas: Workforce skills & training, diversification projects (Waitaki Grown), rebuilding partnerships.
• Tone: Collaborative, forward-looking, opportunity-driven.

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Core Agreement

We asked ChatGPT to identify core agreement between the candidates - the things that stands out in the transcript as being raised by everyone.

Business and Community Success Are Linked

All candidates emphasised that a strong business environment supports local jobs, prosperity, and community wellbeing. None positioned business growth as separate from community outcomes.

Council Needs Better Dialogue with Business

While they differ on how, each agreed council must have stronger, more regular communication with the business community:

• Melanie Tavendale → rebuilding broken relationships.
• David Wilson → keeping council “out of the way.”
• Kelli Williams → council as an enabler, less risk-averse.
• Guy Percival → monthly round-tables.

Rates Must Be Managed Carefully

Everyone recognised affordability as critical.

No candidate argued for higher rates or free spending.

Infrastructure and Core Services Are Non-Negotiable

All pointed to basics like roads, water, wastewater, and zoning as essential council responsibilities.

Everyone agreed these are top priorities and must be delivered well.

Council Culture and Processes Need Improving

Each raised frustrations about the way council currently operates:

• David Wilson → removing bureaucracy, ensuring efficiency.
• Guy Percival → governance vs operations clarity, better councillor leadership.
• Kelli Williams → risk-averse culture needs reform, smoother processes.
• Melanie Tavendale → fixing broken relationships, better procurement.

Growth Should Be Purposeful

None rejected growth outright, but all insisted it should be considered, purposeful, and beneficial to the community, not growth “for its own sake”.

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Unique Focus

We asked ChatGPT to identify a unique focus per candidate - something that stands out in the transcript as being raised, only by them.

Kelli Williams - Balancing growth while preserving town character

She frames growth as necessary but warns against “growth for the sake of growth,” stressing Oamaru’s special, almost “step back in time” appeal. She makes the case that people move here for that uniqueness and don’t want it to change too much. The preservation-alongside-growth stance is hers alone.

Guy Percival - Monthly informal council–business meetings

He proposes a standing commitment for monthly round-table discussions between councillors, the CEO, and the business community in a casual setting. While others mention communication, his call for a regular, structured but informal monthly forum is unique.

Melanie Tavendale - Workforce development and educational pathways

She emphasises analysing local workforce gaps, collaborating with schools and the polytechnic, and creating pathways so young people can train locally (or leave and return with new skills). No other candidate went into this level of detail about workforce planning and education links.

David Wilson - Tourism system overhaul

He talks extensively about refocusing Tourism Waitaki, questioning its structure, costs, and out-of-town governance, and pushing for alignment across attractions (Geopark, Precinct, Penguin Colony, Steam & Rail). This “tourism governance refocus” is distinct to him.

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Core Themes

We asked ChatGPT to identify core themes mentioned throughout the transcript and provide a brief assessment of each candidate's position.

Overall Vision

• Melanie Tavendale – Thriving local economy with confident investment, workforce growth, and outside funding.
• David Wilson – A business-friendly district where council enables growth by doing its core job well.
• Kelli Williams – Balanced growth that funds infrastructure while preserving Waitaki’s unique character.
• Guy Percival – Stronger relationship between council and business through consistent dialogue and practical town centre improvements.

Council–Business Role

• David Wilson – Keep council efficient, low-cost, and out of the way.
• Kelli Williams – Council should act as an enabler, not a bureaucratic barrier.
• Guy Percival – Monthly informal meetings between council and business leaders to share challenges.
• Melanie Tavendale – Rebuild partnerships, fix broken relationships, constant dialogue.

Rates & Affordability

• Kelli Williams – Growth to support funding for infrastructure, but done carefully.
• Guy Percival – Recognises limited funding; focus on using allocations wisely.
• Melanie Tavendale – Affordability important but balanced with investment in initiatives.
• David Wilson – Key priority: keep rates low, with line-by-line budget scrutiny.

Infrastructure & Services

• Guy Percival – Town centre amenities, oppose paid parking, streetscaping (e.g. flower baskets), traffic flow to bring people into CBD.
• Melanie Tavendale – Supports local procurement, outside investment, and diversification projects.
• David Wilson – Core basics: good roads, footpaths, water, wastewater, efficient permits.
• Kelli Williams – Improve council processes to be less risk-averse and more supportive.

Innovation & Growth

• Melanie Tavendale – Supports diversification (Waitaki Grow), Taskforce for Jobs, external funding for initiatives.
• David Wilson – Growth expected to come from removing council barriers.
• Kelli Williams – Careful, purposeful growth that preserves Waitaki’s identity.
• Guy Percival – Incremental, place-based improvements to CBD and visitor experience.

Tone & Emphasis

• David Wilson – Pragmatic, efficiency-driven, cost-control oriented.
• Kelli Williams – Protective of community character while still growth-minded.
• Guy Percival – Relationship-based, nostalgic, practical improvements.
• Melanie Tavendale – Collaborative, opportunity-focused, forward-looking.

All four circle the usual issues — rates, growth, processes — but their instincts diverge: Tavendale looks to skills and diversification, Wilson to a tourism reset, Williams to protecting character while guiding growth, and Percival to listening while letting business lead.

The campaign trail will bring more speeches and promises — but this side-by-side comparison might help you set each candidate apart.

As the election draws closer, those instincts may matter just as much as their policies.

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This analysis is based on the full event transcript from The Business Hive’s mayoral candidate panel. You can read a human-written article, with full quotes and questions from the floor here on Mayoral candidates face off on business vision.