Video: Will Hawke’s Bay’s mayors seek re-election in 2025? They respond!
Hawke’s Bay’s mayors are focussing on the job at hand before deciding if they will stand for re-election in the 2025 local government elections.
Hawke’s Bay App asked the four Mayors and regional chair whether they would seek re-election in 2025, but they said they were focused on the job at hand.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby was the most forthright, saying that at this stage it was a yes to if she would stand for re-election.
“I think I will at this stage. Ask me in another year's time, Andrew, and I'll see where I'm at. But look, I'm really committed to our region, committed to what the regional council does.”
“And so I'm going to have to ask my husband and my children whether they're keen for me to do another three years, but at this stage, it's a yes.”
Central Hawke’s Bay District Mayor Alex Walker, who has been in the role for seven years, says she hopes to continue for as long as she can.
“The way I approach this is that I still absolutely love and feel the privilege every day of being in this job. I get out of bed every day knowing that I can add value, and I enjoy doing that, and I just keep on the path while that is still true.”
“There will come time in the future where I need to re-evaluate that. I've got teenage children, we start to move into our different phases of life. I'll evaluate that as I get to it.”
“But right now, I'm still absolutely love and privileged by this job, and I hope to continue for as long as I can,” says Walker.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says she is not completely decided.
“Look, there's a lot of projects that are still in play that are likely to not be completed until the following term. And yeah, I guess at this stage I'm not completely decided, but there's a lot of reasons that I would want to continue on for a third term, should I be successfully re-elected.”
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says the question is whether she has it in her for another term.
“It’s actually about the next two years, and we have a very short... The three-year terms to say you have your first year to build your team, you have your second year to get stuck in and get some results, and that's what I see next year that we are really getting in and delivering.”
“And then you've got the third year where you've got to start thinking about who's in what place, who's ready to go, who's leaving, and get lined up for a new council.”
“My personal arrangements, I'm absolutely focused on the next two years. I can't think beyond that at the moment, and I'm just going to make sure that every one of our Councillors who is re-standing is in a position to either take out any leadership roles that they're interested in taking.”
Hawke’s Bay App understands that at least two councillors, Marcus Buddo and Wendy Schollum have indicated that they would be interested in the role at some stage.
Wairoa’s long serving mayor Craig Little says that he keeps going because he loves his job.
“I think I do it because I love my community and we plan to stay here and we've got children here and making it a better place for everybody. I think Wairoa's got a unique community and I just want to see us grow. But it's been really hard work. It's been more than a full-time job. But I wouldn't do it if I didn't think we had great people living here and didn't think that we are a resilient community.”
“And whilst you always get negative people, no matter where you live, the majority of people here are pretty positive and they want Wairoa to flourish. So I sort of feel like I'm a bit of an enabler, I guess. It's been really hard work for myself and elected members, but I'm lucky I don't get too down on it.”
“You just keep being positive and getting on with it, and you've just got to do that for everybody, 'cause there's a lot of people suffering here at the moment.”
