ENVIRONMENT SOUTHLAND

Southland has gone through a period of rapid farming intensification and is on the verge of significant industrial development.  All of these activities impact on our environment.  Careful management of current activities and future development is essential to preserve the quality of life that we have in this province. The most important pressures are about the quality and the availability of water for fair allocation.  Increasing demands for irrigation supplies during dry periods place pressure on town and city water supplies, and can reduce the flows of water in our recreational rivers and streams. The quality of the lifestyle in Southland must be preserved for our future. As a Councilor for Environment Southland, I have come to appreciate the importance of the role of the regional council in managing southland’s future development.  I believe that the councils in Southland must work closely together to share services, reduce rating costs and  make it easier for applicants to have a coordinated response to their applications.

SOUTHERN HEALTH BOARD

Southland and Otago DHB's have been amalgamated. It is extremely important that the three elected board members representing Southland have knowledge and the experience in health issues, and the ability to express Southland views around the board table.  While the new board will be delivering health services across the region, there are always local issues that must be considered.  I have been an appointed and elected Community Representative since 1998.  I have chaired the Community and Public Health, Disability Support, Finance and Audit committees and I have been Deputy Chair of the Southland Board.  I represent that Board on the Staff Welfare Trust.  I have lived and worked in Otago and Southland for much of my life and I have a good knowledge of the issues facing health delivery into the future.  That gives me a thorough knowledge of issues affecting Southlanders. We will need to fight to keep our services in the south.

INVERCARGILL LICENSING TRUST

Owned by the people of Invercargill ILT is the most successful licensing trust in New Zealand. The ILT is a significant community funder, and with its Foundation returns over $10 million a year directly into the Invercargill community.  Investing into education, health and activities for young people has been a focus of our community funding programmes. As a result, Invercargill people are significantly better resourced and supported than any other community in New Zealand. Trustees must have business competency and be in touch with their community to make proper decisions.  I have been a Trustee for three terms and I believe that the business and the charitable donations activity of the ILT have steadily improved during that time.  I value our many associations with the Invercargill community who are the beneficiaries of funding from the ILT and the ILT Foundation.  I am keen to continue in that role. 

 

 

 

Top 5 Issues

1. Why does Southland need to have 4 councils?
   A better service could be delivered to ratepayers at a much lower cost if we had one district and one regional council. I think that Southlanders should consider moving to having two councils for the next election in 2013. Now is a good time to start discussions on that process.
2. Should all general ratepayers have to subsidise large water users costs in their rates? Large industrial and farming irrigators have their costs subsidised by general ratepayers. That does not seem to be a fair allocation fo costs when that large users make a lot of their income as a result of their ability to access 'free' water. What do you think?
3. The walkway between Invercargill and Bluff is a part of the national walkway project. All councils and community funders should be actively supporting this project. It could be completed within 2 years. I think that this would be great for Invercargill and Bluff, and it deserves the full support from everyone.
4. Queenstown has the fastest growing community in our region. The future health services in that area and all of Central Otago need to be carefully planned so that people in that area get the level of service that they require. What form should health services in that area take?
5. Southland is at risk of losing critical hospital services if Ministry plans to centralise services in Christchurch are allowed to proceed. We have worked hard to get our new hospital and equip the facility with the best equipment. We need to make it plain to Ministry and Government that we will keep our services in the South. The earthquake is a timely reminder of the folly of putting all our services into one area.

Personal Profile

I was raised in West Otago and I continue to live in Southland because I enjoy the lifestyle.  I have lived in many parts of New Zealand, and I have a very good understanding of the issues that face many communities and districts.  I have been involved with farming since I was at school and more recently I have been directly involved with dairying, deer farming and beef cattle management.  My past career was in public service in many parts of New Zealand, much of it in Southland. I have a Masters degree in Business Administration (1998), focusing on Marketing, communication and Public Policy Development. I have also been an event promoter and a financial planner.  I am a member of the Southland DARE committee, and Invercargill Victim Support. I have been a national board member of DARE.  I am a member of the Norman Jones Foundation  which makes education awards to people needing support for 2nd chance education.  I am a member of the Southland Southland Staff Welfare Trust for staff of the Southland District Health Board. I have been a Board member of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce for two terms.

I have been a Southland DHB member since 1998 when I was appointed as a Community Representative.  I have been an elected member of the Southland Board since 2000.  I have served as chair of Community Consultation Committee, Community and Public Health Advisory Committee, Disability Support Advisory Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, and Deputy Chair of the Southland District Health Board during that time.  During the process of the amalgamation of the Southland and Otago boards, I argued that Southland must have at least three seats on the new board.  That is the outcome we have achieved.  The attempt by the Ministry to take services from Dunedin and place them in Christchurch is not acceptable.  It is an example of how we must be alert to decisions that will affect our future health service delivery in the South.

I have been a member of the ILT for three terms and believe that I have been able to make a positive contribution to the activities of this large business.  I have enjoyed the contacts with the Invercargill community that come from the allocation of donations to hundreds of individuals and groups. Our long term focus on funding activities that will benefit education, health and young people is paying dividends. There is a constant pressure from some parts of the community to allow for supermarkets to sell liquor.  I believe that those people have forgotten that the ILT is owned by the people of Invercargill and the profits are reinvested into the community of their behalf. The cost of allowing the supermarkets to have their way would be several million dollars less being available for funding local projects in Invercargill.  That is a high cost to cater for the convenience of a small group of people.

Environment Southland has a well-deserved reputation for being consultative and for working with the people and other councils in Southland.  The Council has a long term view of how we want to manage local resources.  Water use and allocation is a real issue now with major intensive farming developments.  Future industrial developments will be greater pressure on that resource.   Currently, all the costs of researching our water resources are charged back to the general ratepayer.  We believe that large users such as irrigators and industry users, should pay for those costs. We are proposing to move those costs to the large users during this financial year and we are consulting with the community interest groups over the methods to do this.