Thanks for the chance to share some thoughts on the Waitaki App. And thanks in advance to everyone who plans to vote in October. You clearly care about the future for the district.

Here’s the question we’ve been asked: What would you most want voters to understand about you and your vision for Waitaki?

My answer is that I most want voters to understand that my vision for Waitaki is that it keeps on growing as an exciting, energetic, creative, innovative and attractive place where the people here now enjoy being and others want to move to.

An important part of that vision is having a Council that supplies the services and infrastructure that enables it. A lot of what Council does isn’t sexy. It’s about boring things like pipes and pumps, pavements and parking and poles, and a few not-so-boring things like parks and playgrounds. We take them all for granted but we couldn’t live as we do without them. They’re the foundation on which we’ve built our lifestyle. They help keep us healthy and allow our choices. They are the invisible essentials that underpin our wellbeing.

In fact, every day, I think you get more vital stuff from your council than you do from central government. You wake up, run the tap, boil the jug, use the loo, have a shower, maybe go for a run in a park, walk, cycle or drive to work - all thanks to a council.

Have a look at page 37 of our Long Term Plan. It shows you how much WDC owns and operates. There’s 1,796k of roads, 181 buildings and facilities, 2163k of pipes and 49 pump stations, to name a few. (I’ve sent the page through so you can see for yourself.)

And here’s where things get really tough. We’ve got major challenges right now. We’re going to struggle to keep current services going. If you’ve followed developments, there’s a 26% rates rise predicted for next year. And a 13% hike the year after - just to pay for water services. As you know, Council has adopted a Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) that will keep services in-house. But only if the Department of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Local Government thinks that will work. If they don’t, Local Water Done Well will become Local Water Done Their Way - end of story. Whatever happens, the cost of upgrading water services including wastewater and stormwater, will hit councils and communities. It’s why our Water Plan predicts a 26% rates rise next year.

That will cause real hardship and anger. I’ve always been serious about trying to rein rates rises in and keep Council costs affordable. In recent resident surveys the lowest ratings Council got were for affordability of rates, the value people get from the money they pay and Council’s overall financial management.

It’s not just our Council that cops it. Check out talkback radio or any social media platform and you’ll find lots of Kiwis nationwide are grumpy about big rates hikes, especially if they’re for ‘nice to have’ projects.

Which probably explains why 64% of those in a recent Taxpayers Union poll supported the government’s plan to introduce a rates cap and only 22% opposed the idea. The Minister of Local Government says he’ll introduce a Bill before Christmas to lock in rates caps. And, if the survey’s any guide, there’ll be lots of people saying, “About time!! Great idea!!!!”

But there’s an elephant in the rates cap room. If you add a cap to the big cost increases for water services, the result must be cuts in Council services. And they can’t be little cuts. They’ll need to be big. Imagine rates rises are capped at 5%. Then imagine what will need to go to get a 26% increase to that level and how unhappy a lot of people will be when services are either pruned or stopped.

The future for all councils - especially smaller ones like ours - is uncertain. It will be extremely tough to find a sustainable and affordable way through the changes councils and communities face. We’ll have to make hard choices. Councillors and the community will need to decide what’s nice to have and what’s a must have.

Local government’s future will be very different. Coping with change will mean having councillors with experience and analytical skill. It’ll mean having councillors who do their homework, ask the hard questions and offer fresh solutions. And it’ll mean having councillors who care about costs and for everyone in our community dealing with the cost of living. It’ll be hard giving people the services they want in this new world. I offer you my 100% commitment to making change work and my record as evidence I can deliver.

Authorised by Jim Hopkins 021 114 3189