It’s been a busy week for mayoral candidates scrambling to secure one-on-one time with voters before voting papers arrive.
Susan O’Regan, second right, with from left mayors Adrienne Wilcox and Paula Southgate and Waikato Regional Council chair Pamela Storey.
Candidates’ Facebook pages – some virtually unused until now – have been brimming with posts featuring their smiling faces.
The biggest opportunity of the week came in Cambridge at the Business Chamber meeting in the Town Hall – livestreamed on the Cambridge News and Te Awamutu News Facebook pages and now available on You Tube.
By Sunday night, the video had nearly 5000 views – most from the Waikato region but there was also a viewer in Guernsey. The News would love to hear from them. Email [email protected]
Elsewhere, Mike Pettit hosted a meeting in Te Awamutu, where he was pictured smiling alongside former mayors Alan Livingston and Jim Mylchreest. You don’t have to be Einstein to get the message in that shot.
Pettit is also spending a bit of time around Pirongia, Te Awamutu, Kihikihi and Ōhaupō where, despite being a councillor for six years, he remains relatively unknown.
Mike Pettit with from left Kingi Wetere and former mayors Alan Livingston and Jim Mylchreest.
Clare St Pierre, aside from her Town Hall appearance, spent her public time closer to home – in Ōhaupō, Te Awamutu and Pirongia. She popped into the Te Awamutu Business Chamber annual meeting.
The low vote she received at the Cambridge business meeting suggests she has work to do in the eastern side of the district – or perhaps she’s playing the “spoiler” role in the west by splitting Susan O’Regan’s vote.
O’Regan, who has always enjoyed strong support in the west leaned into her strength as a regional leader – appearing at Koroneihana in Ngāruawāhia and at the final Future Proof meeting alongside outgoing Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate and other female regional leaders.
She also mentioned another chat with Transport Minister Chris Bishop about on-off ramps near Cambridge.
Her narrow victory in the mayoral vote at the Town Hall – where she garnered valuable support three years ago – gave her campaign a much-needed fillip.
Clare St Pierre, centre, with Te Awamutu Business Chamber administrator Fran Jones, left and chief executive Shane Walsh.
There’s no visual proof, but The News understands O’Regan and husband John Hayward surprisingly turned up at the Good Union in Cambridge on Friday night for a “casual catch up” with Pettit and his invited candidate guests Roger Gordon, Philip Coles, Jo Davies-Colley, Dave Marinkovich, Liz Stolwyk and Stu Kneebone.
Politicians are already acting tactically – but The News has some tactics for voters too.
- There are four councillor vacancies in Cambridge, three in Te Awamutu-Kihikihi, two in Pirongia-Kakepuku, two in Waipā-King Country regional and two in Tamahere-Woodlands – but you can vote for just one candidate if you wish.
- If there is only one candidate you really want elected, voting for just them is a smart use of your vote.
- When your voting papers arrive, fill them in straight away and pop them in the post or at the council offices, then you are immune to everything and fulfilled your civic duty.
- Remember: the mayor has only one vote around the council table so whatever position we are in is the result of collective decisions by all incumbents.
- On higher rates, the Blue Blob, Cambridge Connections, Te Ara Wai Museum, cycleways, speed humps, Ahu Ake Spatial Plan, and public excluded meetings – the mayor and councillors voted together.
- Likewise, if a new candidate promises lower rates, no speed humps, or ripping up cycleways – they will still be part of a council that makes decisions collectively.
David Mackenzie
Good Local Media owner David Mackenzie – a veteran of newspaper publishing and current NZ Independent Community Newspapers Association president – was unimpressed when a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) request revealed Waipā District Council is putting its election advertising spend into Stuff and NZME.
The reason? Good Local Media couldn’t provide demographic, readership and reach data.
Mackenzie dismissed the rationale.
“Like most other community newspapers we don’t pay for ridiculously expensive survey/statistic reports that are not needed to make good advertising decisions.
“We know, and the public know, that the Cambridge News and Te Awamutu News are the most read newspapers in Waipā. We don’t need to pay for expensive survey reports to prove this.”
How much can candidates spend on advertising and promoting themselves?
It’s a safe bet Mike Pettit and Clare St Pierre are spending more this election than three years ago. Back then, Pettit declared nil spending, and St Pierre spent just $163.62 on election sign labels – yet both topped the polls in Cambridge and Pirongia-Kakepuku.
What a difference three years makes.
All candidates must declare their spending between July 11 and October 11.
- Mayoral candidates can spend up to $40,000 each. That’s nearly a quarter of the $162,399 mayoral salary (up from $150,770)
- Waikato Regional Council (Waipā-King Country): also $40,000 – nearly 60% of the regional councillor salary.
- Cambridge ward/community board: $20,000
- Pirongia-Kakepuku, Te Awamutu-Kihikihi (Waipā) and Tamahere-Woodlands (Waikato): $14,000
- Maungatautari and Waipā Māori: $7000
St Pierre, standing for both mayor and her ward, can’t spend $54,000 – the cap remains $40,000.
Similarly, Les Bennett – running for council in Pirongia-Kakepuku and the Maungatautari community board – is capped at $14,000, not $21,000.
Grey Power Meet the Candidates, from left Mike Pettit, Clare St Pierre and Susan O’Regan. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
