I work in the field of health care.  I have a long armed services background involving providing environmental health and emergency relief, working with disparate communities both domestically and abroad. I continue to have a strong interest in community service and work well with teams and individuals.

I am seeking election to promote Hokitika as a healthy, vibrant and safe community to live in and enjoy.  My particular interests include health, emergency management as well as practical and sustainable environmental initiatives such as waste minimization and informed use of renewable natural resources.  I see a need to protect and enhance the economy and natural features of the district, and nurture, respect and support the talents of local people. As your advocate, I will listen to the needs of the community. I work hard, have a positive attitude and possess the time, desire, discipline, and energy to represent Hokitika Ward and the Westland community.

Top 5 Issues

1. Engaging our community - Sound, reflective communication is the essence that underpins everything we might aspire to do. We need to take care that we “talk to" and more importantly listen to our residents and ratepayers. Our communities have diverse and sometimes polarised needs and interests and we need to ensure that we talk, listen, consult, engage and empower our ratepayers, residents, community groups and businesses, in order to come up with truly beneficial options that will suit us all.
2. I am most definitely Anti TB, which is increasingly becoming a scourge on people’s health and well being on a world wide scale, even before one can consider the potential effects it may have on our local industry and profit margins.
   I'm a Nurse and researcher. I read, synthesize and checkout the validity and best practice recommendations pertaining to things I do not have a reasonable understanding of until I get a clear picture of what makes that particular widget tick. We must continue to find innovative ways to mitigate these reservoirs of TB infection in the most humane, cost effective manner as can be devised by us all. I believe we can and should signal that Westlanders are willing to work together to find a raft of robust, palatable solutions which will benefit both our environment and our industry, and yet allow us to maintain harmonious relationships with one another and respect our differences.
3. Rates - are necessary to maintain and build infrastructure that benefits us all albeit sometimes in ways that are not immediately apparent when a rates demand arrives in the mail box.
   I will endeavor to ensure that rates within the restrictions placed upon us by our current rating systems are kept at or under consumer / council inflation through judicious application of the tenets of fiscal prudence. We must not skimp on investing in our community, so we must strive to achieve efficiencies in council operations, to allow funds to be made available and invested back into capital works as they become necessary.
   
4. Growing our communities - we need to ensure we continue to support, assist and get alongside our community groups, committees, boards and incorporated societies to ensure that they are able to achieve their aims in a realistic yet timely, cost effective manner. We should ensure that we initiate, and assist others to initiate events that engage our residents and ratepayers so as to achieve strong community spirit and support for one another, pride, cohesiveness and inclusiveness.
5. Strong Police Presence - I strongly support the maintenance of community constables in our various towns. I will advocate strongly for NZ Police to have a presence which will meet local community board requirements and yet enable them to deploy law and order services as they are most urgently needed. It is well documented that the presence of a blue uniform acts as a deterrent for crime and antisocial behavior. Often this function is difficult to define in a tangible manner which can then be translated into ever decreasing budgets by managers. Our community police officers are perceived to be valued members of their communities. They provide a particular skill set which is often not available to their community, often leads to engagement of the disaffected and enables them to realise their potential as valued community members through their own initiative. For these reasons we all must continue to advocate for the status quo in regards to Police presence in our towns
   
   

Personal Profile

Jim is is the third in a family of six children born and raised in the North Island. He first traveled to Hokitika in the early 70s and was struck even then by the rugged beauty and natural features of the west coast as well as its welcoming and friendly people

Jim served in the RNZAF as a Medic retiring after 20 years. His roles included the provision of health planning, environmental health, emergency care, disaster relief, civil aid, fixed and rotary wing extraction & rescue; field survival, physiological and aerospace research, and latterly the training of tri-service Medics from basic to diploma level. He became very experienced in the administration, training and management of people and was responsible for the administration and reconciliation of 6 figure budgets, equipment research, development & purchase.

Jim has lived and worked within disparate communities and groups in frozen lands to searing desert climates. He has lived and traveled extensively throughout New Zealand. His rescue and relief roles frequently brought him to the Southern Alps and West Coast.

Jim retrained as a Registered Nurse while working for the NZ Red Cross in Christchurch and moved to Hokitika after achieving registration. He now works at the Westland Medical Centre as a Practice Nurse.

As first term councillor elected at a byelection I hit the ground running, up a steep hill, with lots of catching up to do, I set myself two tasks;one aspect being around my personal learning and development and the second aspect around my representation of our community.

I have learnt a lot about co-operation collaboration and communication; enaging the community, and working in a respectful and inconclusive environment where  various people’s passion, thoughtfulness, knowledge and strengths are used as a tool to navigate through to a clear consensus of opinion;    I have brought my own energy, clarity of thinking and a straight forward approach to Council.  I believe I am a strong, hardworking member of the team and am determined to carry on in this vein for another term if re-elected.  Throughout my term I have maintained my availability and community involvement without losing sight of the political side of the job – representing the community at large. 

I have sat on Full Council and  four standing committees (Assets, Audit and Finance, Planning and Development and Waste management)

In addition to my Council commitments I enjoy being an active volunteer.  I am currently the immediate Past President of the Hokitika Lions Club, Past Zone Chairman for the West Coast and remain focused and involved in the many activities and tasks that Lions are involved with in our community. I am a active member of the Hokitika Savage Club and RSA and more recently the Hokitika Scouts Committee.

If re-elected I will continue to provide Council with a practical viewpoint based on an understanding of the social and economic pressures affecting our community I will listen to the needs of the community. I work hard, have a positive attitude and possess the time, desire, discipline, and energy to represent Hokitika Ward and the greater Westland community.