I aim to ensure a voice for conservationist interests on the council. Our harbour, beaches, dunelands and our iconic Maunga are worth far more in their splendid natural state than choked with sea lettuce, ringed with concrete or pockmarked with high rises. I will also rein in grandiose big spending projects in favour of small scale basic infrastructure that will protect our environment.

 My other platforms are more open government and promoting sustainable local industries that can give jobs to local people. Tauranga and its beautiful environment should be handed back to its people, not greedy developers.

 I teach Marine and Environmental Management at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. When I am not teaching or campaigning, I enjoy tramping, singing, acting and SCUBA diving.

 

 

Top 5 Issues

1. Our natural environment. Tauranga is situated in a truly beautiful and unique coastal environment, comprising estuarine, salt marsh and dune ecosystems. Mauao is a natural tombolo, one of only a few in the world. But our natural environment is under threat. Our Moana is being choked with sea lettuce. Studies that I have been directing at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic have shown that sea lettuce blooms are not a natural occurrence, but come about through human induced pollution; sewage overload, farm effluent and run off from urban development.
   
   Similarly our beautiful dune and beach system, from Mauao to Maketu is being eroded by greedy development.
   
   I will make the preservation of our natural environment a priority.
2. Animal welfare. The way farm animals have been treated has drawn a lot of attention recently from the media. What is not so widely known is the scope of district and regional councils in preventing these abuses. If elected I pledge to make factory farming a prohibited activity under the Resource Management Act. This will protect not only the interests of animals but the natural environment, since intensive farming cases horrendous damage to the environment. I also intend to follow Auckland's lead in banning rodeos, circuses and zoos on any council land.
3. Council spending is out of control. Present and past councils have spent large on grandiose, ego boosting schemes that benefit a few. I intend to use council funds more wisely in fixing basic infrastructure and promoting simpler, community run events that will provide better value for money.
4. Public transport. This has improved in the 4 years since I arrived in Tauranga, but still has a long way to go. One of the reasons why the central city is dead is because there is no bus service after 6pm. I intend to fund public transport through a levy on parking charges. Businesses applying for resource consent presently have to provide car parking, to mitigate the congestion their business will cause. This amounts to a hidden subsidy to car users. I intend to allow these businesses to have a choice of instead paying a levy to fund public transport. This will encourage sustainable businesses and will also promote a livliier and more sustainable city centre.
5. "Twelve dollar Tauranga". I intend to attract skilled people to the Tauranga area and boost wages for those on low incomes. I therefore plan to introduce a procurement policy that requires council to give greater priority to sustainable, local businesses when accepting tenders. Whenever possible, council services should be performed in house by local labour, and not contracted out.
   
   A fairer rating structure based on progressive rates will also ease the burden for those on low incomes.

Personal Profile

I am a

 

• University teacher
• Acivist
• Coastal marine scientist
• Philosopher
• Amateur actor
• Environmentalist

 

I am presently working at the Bay of Plnty Polytechnic, where I teach diploma and degree level classes in Marine and Environmental Management.  I gained a PhD at the University of Auckland, and have since worked as a scientist, policy adviser and university teacher in Japan and New Zealand.