I believe Upper Hutt must move forward or stagnate and die.  Development brings investment, employment and growth.

While many Upper Hutt residents see Upper Hutt as a dormitory suburb of Wellington, the need to develop and progress is a necessity if we are going to support our growing population with not only a place to live and play, but a place to work.

Firms who invest in Upper Hutt and provide goods and services that support the community should at least be given consideration when bidding or tendering for goods and services required by the Upper Hutt City Council and funded by its rate payers.

We need a blue print for Upper Hutt that we can build our city vision on, one that incorporates sound planning principles that strengthen and protect our communities through local decision making.

We collectively should where possible, spend our disposable income in Upper Hutt.

Top 5 Issues

1. Encourage development and investment in Upper Hutt
2. Find employment and support our school leavers
3. Training of council officers to be positive and think outside the square when carrying out their regulatory duties (i.e. a solutions focused rather than a problem solving approach)
4. Develop a blue print for Upper Hutt that we can build our city vision on.
5. Develop planning principles through solid public consultation.

Personal Profile

Bev and our family moved to Upper Hutt so that I could be close to the CIT where I was a tutor in surveying.  Our four children all completed their primary and intermediate schooling in Upper Hutt.  The two girls attended Sacred Heart in Lower Hutt and the two boys at St Patricks Silverstream.  The family moved to Fiji in 1977 and I spent seven years working for the NZ Government as a Survey Training Officer and the Fiji Government as a Senior Surveyor.  The children completed their schooling in Fiji.  We moved back to our home in Heretaunga Square in 1985.  We now live in the beautiful Mangaroa Valley and have carried out a lifestyle farming activity for just on twenty years.

Bev and I worked together in our firm R.E. Lendrums Limited which we formed in 1991.  Unfortunately Bev died of cancer in April 2010.

My community, sporting and social activities are as follows:

Rotary: I was a rotarian with the Heretaunga Rotary Club for 20 years.

Local Government: I was a member of the Upper Hutt Promotion and Development Committee for 3 years.  I served a term as a Councillor for Upper Hutt City in the mid 1990's.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry: I have been a board member of the Upper Hutt Chamber of Commerce and Industry for twenty years and its President for more than one term.

Sports: I have been a member of the Trentham Camp Golf Club for 40 years and was proud to be made a Life Member some years ago.  I am an honorary member of the Te Marua Golf Club.  I played senior rugby for Oriental Rongotai and the Wellington Lions.  I was a board member of the Wellington Rugby Union for two terms.  I have been actively involved with the Centurions Rugby Club and was honoured to be made a Life Member.

Social: I am a member of the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club and the Upper Hutt Businessman's Club.