My 2022 commitments and what I did about them
Visibilty & Engagement
I promised to be visible and engage. I have:
- Made 1400 social media posts
- Hosted over 50 drop-in clinics
- Hosted 10 public meetings
- Shared monthly Halswell Newsletter updates
- Attended countless local residents meetings, forums, fundraisers & events
- Handled approximately 2000 constituent queries
Transparency
My efforts ensured that all Community Board meetings are now livestreamed and available to the public on Youtube.
I am proud to have been part of a Council that has done the same with Council briefings and information sessions which were previously behind closed doors.
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I discovered that new subdivision infrastructure on existing Halswell roads has been getting delivered illegally without the correct elected member approvals. This process has now been overhauled to ensure we have the correct oversight and transparency over changes to our road network.
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Responsible & well-prioritised spending
I have voted for and advocated for line by line reviews of operational spend at each Annual/Long Term Plan.
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I have brought savings proposals to every annual budget.
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I have voted to remove unnecessary spending from various projects.
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I have successfully overhauled the way new subdivision infrastructure is delivered on existing Halswell roads to lessen the burden for both existing and future ratepayers.
Water
I committed to supporting the continued rollout of critical stormwater infrastructure in Halswell and ensure they stay on track. They are.
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I committed to supporting Council's efforts to get a chlorine exemption and have voted accordingly on various items in line with this.
I also supported an amendment for new chlorine-free water stations in the mean time, noting the need for one in the south-west.
No broken promises. I do what I say I will.
A well-connected community
When I got onto Council there was a $0 budget for new footpaths.
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We now have an annual budget for new footpaths that is 86% funded through development contributions so the costs for growth infrastructure don't all fall on existing ratepayers. It starts getting rolled out this year.
Making Halswell accessible for all
I have been successful in improving access for all users on various roads including:
- Dunbars Road
- Halswell Junction Road
- Ensign Street
- Sabys Road
- O'Halloran Drive
- School Road
- Larsens Road
- Kennedys Bush Road
- McMahon Drive
- Westlake/Aidanfield link through Cyclamen Reserve
Some have already been completed and others have been approved and are awaiting construction.
Halswell should be accessible for everyone regardless of age or physical ability. This is a basic right, not a nice to have and rapid growth is no excuse not to deliver on this basic right.
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SH75 Advocacy
I committed to advocating for improvements along Halswell Road SH75 for infrastructure to catch up with growth.
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I collected 1568 petition signatures asking for improved safety at the Larsens/Halswell Road SH75 school crossing and brought it to Parliament.
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It worked. NZTA have committed to a short-term solution to stop right-turning traffic at pick-up/drop-off times, and added a long-term solution for this intersection to their work programme. This is exactly what my petition asked for.
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Having a state highway running through the Halswell Ward proves very challenging at times but advocacy works when done well.
Community Safety
In 2022 I noted that Halswell was growing big enough to justify having its own community patrol car on the road.
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I threw a public meeting together to see who might be interested and sure enough, it worked.
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We now have our own community patrol car on the road in Halswell.
Despite only getting a car on the road late last year and building a new team from scratch, they've completed 876 patrol hours, 102 school checks and this new patrol is on track to help us unlock thousands of volunteer hours every year to help keep Halswell safe.