My principal place of residence is in the Kaitake-Ngāmotu General Ward area. I am also standing for the Kaitake Community Board.
I've spent much of my life filling leadership roles in the service of others, whether that be; Queen and Country in the NZ Defence Force, pupils, parents and staff as School Boards of Trustees Chair, the Military Veteran Community as NPRSA President, customers and staff of businesses I have owned and operated, or, local residents as the Kaitake Community Board Chair.
I approach everything I do from a values and principles based perspective, being a mission/outcome/results focused individual - one of the reasons for my successes in most of what I do.
I consider it's now time to do more for my district, and stand for the New Plymouth District Council.
If you want a Councillor with proven leadership abilities, who lives the values of service, commitment and integrity, who is a strategic analytical thinker, and who cares deeply for their district, and their communities; Vote Graham Chard for Council.
Inflation and the need to maintain infrastructure resilience into the future, means rates rises will be inevitable. It behoves the entire council organisation however to apply the strictest fiscal prudence possible to keep any increase in household rates as low as is practicable – be that the 6%, more or less.
No. Triggered by an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Havelock North in 2016, the underpinning rationale behind this reform does NOT reflect the quality of our water infrastructure, nor those in many other districts across the country, therefore the proposed central government nationwide enforcement of this reform is both unjustified and unwarranted.
Yes. As a community leader, NPDC has a responsibility to take the lead in supporting a climate action drive and should work towards influencing the factors that impact on climate change inside our district, and beyond, through what it does and how it does it.
Yes. Businesses, especially small businesses, are the life blood of any community, through providing job opportunities, encouraging economic growth, and attracting people to the district, therefore the NPDC should be looking to do whatever it can to directly and meaningfully support local business.
Absolutely! NPDC has an obligation to have the voice of the tangata whenua heard, to enable good decisions to be made that accurately reflect the views and aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi. The Māori ward will ensure that occurs by having a minimum of one Māori perspective at the table.
Ōakura and Ōkato have been marginalised by a sad lack of representation at the council table for years. Water is the main concern in outlying areas so NPDC needs to address the purity of Ōakura’s water supply, the resilience of Ōkato’s water supply, and resolve Inglewood’s wastewater and stormwater problems.
NPDC investment should most definitely be capped at $40M because anything else could see the NPDC and its rate payers open themselves up to becoming a “cash cow” to be re-milked every time there’s specification change, a cost overrun, or missed planning element that suddenly needs to be funded.
My top priority is to ensure every individual in the NPDC is held accountable for every decision and action undertaken. They need to work collaboratively and collectively to have of those decisions and actions positively contribute towards the best possible level of service to our principle stakeholders – our residents.
