Napier Mayor committed to working with all councillors, including election opponent
Newly re-elected Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says she will work to rebuild the relationship with her opponent and Taradale Ward Councillor, Nigel Simpson, after, an at times, acrimonious election.
While still provisional, Saturday’s local body election saw Wise receive 8,397 votes to Simpson’s 6,499. The third candidate, John Smith had just 798 votes.
“Obviously we do have to meet and work together. He's been re-elected as a Taradale Ward Councillor, so, we'll be having some conversations over the coming weeks, and just be rebuilding that relationship,” Wise says.
When asked whether she will be able to work with Simpson, Wise says “it is a matter of having to”.
“I'm a professional and I can certainly work with anybody as long as they're also prepared to be respectful and work together,” Wise says.
Simpson says he will continue with the same strategy he has during his time as a councillor.
“Look, I've been quite candid all the way through. I'm prepared to work with anyone.
“Many of the decisions that council have made have been appropriate and I'm quite happy to go with that. But I have clearly spoken against matters that I don't believe are correct. And I will simply continue with the same strategy.
“I'm not going to object to everything just because I can. I will work with the rest of the council as I have in the last three years to ensure that good decisions are made. And when I don't believe there's good decisions, I will speak against them.”
Concerns around the number of staff leaving council, including Chief Executive Steph Rotarangi resigning a year-and-a-half into a five-year contract, were raised during this election period.
Wise says she has had a number of conversations with acting chief executive Richard Munneke over recent weeks about some of the concerns that have been raised by staff.
“We have agreed that collectively elected members and our senior leadership team are going to have a huge focus on our staff welfare and that will definitely be a huge priority for us over the coming months.”
The number who voted in the Napier election follows a nation-wide trend of low voter turnout. Compared to 2019 when 50.03 per cent of Napier residents voted, just 37.71 per cent did so this time round.
Wise also saw a reduction in the number of votes in her favour, with 5,570 fewer votes compared to the 13,967 she received last election.
“It is disappointing how low voter turnout was,” Wise says.
“I think this is due to a number of factors one of which is the postal voting system. I would love to see a move to online voting combined with an in person option for those who do not have online access.”
Simpson says the low voter turnout is an “indictment” on local government.
“It’s really sad when two thirds of the eligible voters don't even bother voting. That's what's wrong with local government, that people just don't understand what they're actually voting for.”
Going forward, Wise says she is “really humbled” that the Napier community has chosen to re-elect her for another term.
“I’m really excited about all the projects that we've got coming up over the next few years. So, looking forward to getting stuck into it.”
She says she “absolutely” has the support of council going forward.
