PRIORITIES FOR UPPER HUTT

My priorities set out a practical plan for building a thriving, inclusive and resilient Upper Hutt by focusing on the things that matter most to our community now and for the future.

Here’s what I pledge to focus on, if elected in October:

Infrastructure

We need reliable water, safe transport, and modern digital connections. My focus is on practical solutions that keep services affordable and accessible for everyone.

  • Everyone in our community deserves access to clean and safe drinking water. We used to have one of the best maintenance and renewal programmes in the country. Under Wellington Water that was not the case. I have always held the view that the best way to manage that is by having local teams dedicated to Upper Hutt – bringing it in-house.  The current Council missed the boat in choosing this option under the Government’s Local Water Done Well and have made the decision to set up a new entity. The uncertain future cost to Upper Hutt residents is concerning and it would be beholden of any Mayor to ensure that the costs do not become overwhelming for residents.

  • I will advocate for a review of the district plan to reduce the impact and cost of water for each household by including (but not limited to) initiatives like rainwater harvesting, grey water re-use in new builds and look at ways we might be able to do this for existing properties.  I will ensure digital infrastructure is allowed for, so that everyone has access to the internet in order to stay connected in their daily lives.

  • I will seek to bring the integrated transport strategy off the table and ensure that all users are consulted on the needs of our community, setting up focus groups for vulnerable users if need be.  All users need to be able to go about their day safely, efficiently and using the transport modes they are comfortable with.

Social and culturaL

Everyone in Upper Hutt should feel safe, supported, and included. That means better community safety, strong youth engagement, quality health services, and care for our most vulnerable.

  • Every member of our growing community deserves to feel safe and to be able to access the services they need. For years I have been advocating for the Upper Hutt Police Station to be reinstated. As Mayor I will continue that advocacy and work with police, central government, Māori wardens and Community Patrols to achieve the level of safety Upper Hutt needs and deserves.

  • The youth are our future and we ignore that at our peril.  They will inherit what we leave them and I promise to ensure that all Council decisions include an impact analysis on our future. Our youth rely on us to make the right decisions and to aid us in doing that I will ensure that we have a Youth Council and engage with youth on a regular basis, through schools, youth groups and where they meet. Our youth deserve our support and encouragement to be leaders and facilitators of the things that matter to them.

  • Upper Hutt is a hive of activity with new developments like the Maidstone Community Sport Hub, the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport, Blue Mountains Campus, Lane Street Studios and the various new residential areas being built. With all the excitement about new developments, we need to make sure that we welcome new visitors and residents. It is important that we celebrate our whānau, heritage, and culture as the caring, safe, and healthy community we aspire to be. I see our community aspirations to be caring, safe and healthy as interconnected people from all walks of life. A healthy community is one that has access to well-resourced health care including an after-hours clinic, a safe and accessible hospital, and specialist services like maternity care. It’s time we started to ensure our growing community receives the level of health services we deserve. Needing urgent care is stressful enough. We each deserve to have confidence that the services we need are there when we need them. Feeling that we are cared for and that we are safe and healthy are fundamental human rights.

    I will ensure that our particularly vulnerable members of our community are catered for by implementing focus groups and strategies for their support including seniors, new citizens, and those with accessibility needs.

  • My commitment is to lead a Council that removes barriers and co-designs solutions with disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori so that Upper Hutt is welcoming, safe and easy to navigate for everyone. A new Disability & Accessibility Advisory Panel will guide our work, ensuring lived experience is at the centre of decision-making. Together, we’ll deliver measurable improvements by embedding universal design in public spaces, transport and facilities; making council services, events and communications fully accessible; and becoming a disability-confident organisation. An annual scorecard will report on improvements so Upper Hutt not only meets but exceeds national standards for accessibility and inclusion.

Economy

A strong local economy benefits us all. I’ll support businesses of every size and type, encourage investment, and ensure our city centre and wider economy thrive together.

  • I promise to work on an economic development strategy that will benefit everyone; including but not limited to; rural, urban and peri-urban businesses; long-standing to brand new businesses; youth to retired business people; profit to non-profit; corporate to social enterprise. This strategy should encourage investment, business sustainability and facilitate the improvement of the triple bottom line for both Council and businesses.

  • Included in the economic strategy will. be a focus on the CBD and I will lead the re-visiting of the CBD strategy. There is also value in having support networks for businesses and I will investigate the facilitation of this for the different sectors of our economy to meet, learn from each other and support each other in their contribution to the economic success of Upper Hutt.

Environment

Our river, land, and natural resources are at the heart of our community. I’ll make sure every decision considers the environment so we protect what we love while building for the future.

  • Te Awa Kairangi and her tributaries are the centre of our being. I promise to put an environment lens over every decision.  This is not to say that the economy is not important, it is vital.  However, we are not going to have a local economy if we don’t take care of our environment.  It is a challenge to get it right, however, it is a must – our rivers, aquifers, land, people and economy depend on it.

  • Everyone deserves equity of access to nutritious food and I will work to ensure Upper Hutt’s food system does this, is resilient and supports food security for all.

Leadership

Upper Hutt deserves open, fair, and transparent decision-making. I’ll lead with integrity, accountability, and genuine community engagement to restore trust in Council.

  • I believe that the community deserves good governance. This means that we can all have confidence in not only the decisions that are made, but also that there’s been a fair, open and transparent process to get to decisions that are good for our community. It is not ok for decisions to be made in back-room conversations or in ways that avoid public discussion and participation.

    When I was an elected representative in this community, I felt the weight of responsibility to engage with people from across the community, business leaders as well as community groups, advocates and our young people. 

    We have an obligation to avoid conflicts of interest and perceptions of ‘done deals’ before proper process has been followed. It is the very least our community can expect from us.

    I am so passionate about good governance that I pledge to uphold the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and open engagement. With these principles at the core of my leadership I believe that the Upper Hutt community can once again trust their Council.