Vote Castlecliff
Question 4: Candidate Response
What Our Candidates are Telling Us.
Question 4: What do you see as your role in community resilience in the face of climate change?
James Newell: Consultation with all parties and total transparency.
Charlotte Melser: In regards to climate change, my role on council would be to inform and consult with the community, and to advocate and push for legislation and projects that safeguard us and our infrastructure from the impacts of climate change.
Jenny Duncan: Our ability to slow climate change is minimal but we must do what we can. Reduction in fossil fuels for example.The area that can make the most impact is adaptation. Where should we build more homes and businesses? Probably not close to the river in flood-known areas. All developments must consider the impacts on water flows as rainfall events increase in size and frequency. Also what temperature shifts are there and will that impact on what we grow. Whanganui may well benefit from more warmth and rainfall and enable growth in horticulture. This also creates more jobs.
Rob Vinsen: I have a pragmatic view about Climate Change and focus on identified risks and solutions. Council’s main responsibility is that our community is safe.
Julian Bailey (Rural Community Board - Kaitoke subdivision): Encouragement, example, armed with facts, influence a positive outcome.
Rory Smith: A Councilor needs to be a conduit for the community and so as it is with all climate change factors working in partnership is vital. Council needs to lead but it needs to have the community alongside to achieve the best possible outcomes for all.
Alan Taylor - Horizons-Whanganui Constituency: Education, education, education. I am determined to see that increasingly more people understand the seriousness and complexities of Climate Change, especially our rangatahi, as they are both old enough to understand it and will be our future leaders in coping with it. Personally, my emphasis is toward adaptation more than mitigation as I believe (while we must strive not to make things worse) the mitigation train has left the station. I called for and led Whanganui District Council in declaring a Climate Emergency. I was a major contributor to Te Rautaki Huringa Ahuarangi (Whanganui District Council Climate Change Strategy). I will advocate, at Horizons, for a continuing and strengthened Whanganui role in its Joint Climate Action Committee, ensuring that we act with the rest of our region in a fully coordinated approach to this existential threat.
Glenda Brown: I live and breathe climate change in my work. We live to reduce carbon footprint. It is one of my focus areas of my campaign. Live by example and educate and encourage! I believe it is a collective effort from everyone to commit to the reduction of our carbon footprint. Not just business, or the primary sector which we need to suceed to continue to increase our GDP. If we all do our bit, everyday, every week, every year making the small changes in our daily habits, it will make a difference.
Scott Phillips: Climate change is a long-term thing, so sensible and affordable steps need to be taken, not a kneejerk reaction, but sensible future proofing, and I would listen to experts that would advise on a look term solution rather than a short-term quick fix.
Daniel (DC) Harding: I’m currently conducting a small survey on climate change – though the results are preliminary, I can reveal that 74% of respondents aren’t aware that the Whanganui District Council have a Climate Change Strategy. My role, as a community leader, whether in council or not, is to help promote, educate and develop awareness of personal actions that lead to the effects of climate change. We can all do our part to limit the greenhouse emissions on our planet. I also believe this is where Maori values play a key role – Kaitiakitanga. Indigenous values such as this often lead the way in ensuring that decisions we make leave a positive and lasting carbon footprint. We’re headed in the right direction as a council for being a kaitiaki, however, as the survey is currently proving, we have a long way to go. Also, 48% of respondents have also said that they need more information to be better informed about their own personal choices that contribute to the effects of climate change. This means that we need more information sessions – quick tutorial videos that discuss it and modules of learning that Whanganui residents can complete in their own time.
Ross Fallen: We need to be clear where the risks are and mitigate them. Councils working Government must work together. My role on council would be to ensure our people are consulted and their input respected. You build knowledge and preparedness before a disaster and resilience after an emergency. So what are our supports after any disaster by nature when it overwhelms us? I would want to be a part of education, preparedness and knowing what can be done ahead of time to meet a notable climate change event (or even if not attributed to climate change). In my home area of Castlecliff its subligation on some streets after an earthquake, areas of coastal erosion and tsunami risk. Maybe that’s where Progress Castlecliff and community, with council as partners, can now lead.
David Cotton - Horizons, Whanganui Constituency: Climate Change – We all have a role to play to help protect our environment for future generations. But I do not wish to see seventy-eight local councils develop individual Climate Action Plans, but rather see more leadership from Central Government including funding.
Andrew Tripe: Championing work on climate change and leading by example.
Kate Joblin: We have a climate action plan. To gather momentum we need to continue to focus and resource our efforts in this space
Helen Craig: Councillors need to make the hard decisions on part of the community to ensure we are as well placed as possible to face an unknown future. We need to understand and help inform the community of what might come about in the future, help prepare them, and fund infrastructure that will help to minimise its effects.
Roy Brown: The Environment must be looked after but so does the social element and therefore I believe balance is required when evaluating climate change. I much prefer looking at it from a micro level as opposed to the macro. If we go too far in our efforts to address climate change, we run a real risk of hurting ourselves both economically and socially. Unfortunately, we have some people putting climate change at a level that is unrealistic to a point where you can no longer live your life or are in great danger of having no life or freedoms. We all want clean air and clean water and an environment that is beautiful and sustaining, that is a given. I firmly believe however that this is not a time for pessimism, this is a time for optimism. Fear and doubt are not a good thought process and we have had way too much of that lately. To embrace the possibilities of tomorrow we need to reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse and focus on listening more and respect for others, two things that haven’t been happening in New Zealand. We are in a good position here in New Zealand with an abundance of natural resources which we need to not only utilise but manage carefully. I would like to see development in solar technology, hydrogen fuel for vehicles to name a few and above all a balanced approach to climate change alongside a right direction with right timing perspective. We can make things better.
Blair Jones: Gathering people or supporting people to focus their energies so it benefits everyone, inclusivity brings positive energy and results that people can say I did that. It could create green bi-product factories.
Rodd Trott: Building partnerships within the communities that make up our district around “F.S.E.” ie food, shelter, experiences.
Michael Law: Climate change is a trigger word full of emotions, however, we must be logical in our response to the impacts of human impact climate change. We cannot control the world, but we can plan for the changes. Community needs to be made aware of changes that impact us and appropriate investment will be needed to ensure a thriving community in the future.
Charlie Anderson: Words are one thing, but action a little more difficult. This current council go on about climate change , but have done little about it, I am as guilty as any of us , time for action. HYBRID council vehicles, solar power is another. DEEDs not WORDS.
Philippa Baker-Hogan: Council has declared a Climate Emergency and provided funding to support community resilience and adaptation. We can’t do everything but basically need to help keep our community safe.
Dan Jackson: Encourage planting and help allocate resources for that. Our dunes are our best defence against sudden sea surges and we need to protect them. Again I’d like to somehow facilitate educators from the lifeguard service to visit kids at school and help push the environmental aspect of looking after the beach(es) and coastal environment.
Phillip (Bear) Rewiti: It's about preparing for inevitable change while caring for our environment.
Allan Wrigglesworth - Horizons, Whanganui Constituency: This is a big one. I see the role of a Horizons councillor as liaising between residents and Council using Community pressure if necessary to mitigate future events like major flooding along Anzac Parade.
Hamish McDouall: Resilience is very much about education, but also Council should take a leadership role with adaptation and mitigation. I’m still a believer that we should keep pursuing our efforts to mitigate the damage by lowering emissions. Hence our investment in the high-frequency bus route between the Cliff and Aramoho. Our Climate Change Policy is good and our action plan that falls out of this is being developed. Personally, I have been leading a discussion with academics at Massey & Victoria, central government and the insurance industry about private property that will become increasingly vulnerable to coastal inundation, and where the responsibility for (and indeed appropriate level of) compensation lies.
James Barron: Ensuring the focus is that of urgent response to emergency. Seeing that real and grassroots community involvement is accepted – I say accepted by council rather than done by council as people who live on the coast are pretty passionate about the coast – partner with them.