Vote Iain Robertson - Mangakahia-Maungatapere | Whangarei District Council

  Three Waters is a uniquely local issue, Ratepayers in every community have paid for water assets that are proposed to be being taken by Wellington, with the removal of local control. I will be visiting these assets on behalf of Whangarei ratepayers  and meeting with affected  Communities  face-to-face. I say that people that are or will be considering the Three Waters proposals should do the same thing and get on the road to listen to local communities.

In 2019 I was a candidate in Bream Bay for the Whangarei District Council. Iain Robertson I am now seeking election to represet all Whangarei residents by the people of the Mangakahia & Maungatapere area.      

In 2014, New Zealand contributed 0.17 per cent to the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. However, on a  per capita  basis, New Zealand is a significant emitter. Photo - Iain Robertson New Zealand is a global leader and a hot tourist destination for the world and this small country can definitely show the world how its done - has done with many issues throughout history. Photo - Iain Robertson Local Government has a significant role to play in climate change.  I want to continue and add to the current initiatives that the Whangarei District Council are working on. Our communities are to face sea level rise/flooding, coastal erosion, increased extreme weather events, coastal inundation, landslides and droughts.  The council must lead by example rather than point the finger by measuring and reducing emissions in the public organization and insuring our communities infrastructure is able to cope. I think all of the following are achievable w...

Being a bee keeper I get to see thousands of bees needing to work together in order to survive. Survival is a pretty good incentive to work together -- and in order for Whangarei to prosper we must work together. Bees have neither ego nor ulterior motives, Instead, they are totally focused on obtaining the goals for the betterment of the entire colony, not just specific individuals. As an IT entrepreneur, people put a lot of trust in me. I basically have a master key to their entire livelihoods, personal memories and information. To be in the IT field and to continue being successful people have to have great trust in me.

Sealing roads in the Whangarei District should be a priority and is essential for: Safety Reducing dust Less costs long term for ratepayers via rates and their vehicle expenditure. Less costs for the Whangarei District Council long term  Beter for the environment and climate change - Electric Vehicles need smooth undusty roads... How can we do it: Change Council with a new vision and new people Take roading seriously like councils used to in the past  Don't charge residents $4000 +GST in targeted rates Even though most rural properties dont recieve many of the council ammendenties seen in town! See my other post: Poor Unsealed Road Maintenance In addition to that  I would want to lobby to central government to make State Highway One at least 2 lanes (Each direction) all the way to Whangarei with median barriers. This will reduce collisions vehicles that travel slowly such as trucks, buses and motor-homes will be more comfortable  Safe passing...

If the residents of Mangakahia - Maungatapere elect me I want to ensure that business can excel throughout our district. I want to also help the Whangarei CBD meet its potential which I believe is not happening. I myself have first hand experience operating a CBD office running my business Direct Tech www.directtech.co.nz I have other ideas for the CBD such as turning vacant lots into central living apartments. This is a place in our district where we can build up and house more residents, students, tourists. People in the CBD will bring life back into it. Presently our Councils, take approximately $3m from our CBD (Properties included within Walton Street, Bank Street and Dent Street) on rates.  Our business owners get very little support from Council for that money, with less than 800 carpark where Okara (a private development) has over 3,000 for the same size area, the CBD has no free rubbish collection and streets that are not kept clean.  It is no wonder that...

Whangarei CBD Parking does affect us in Bream Bay as many of us go to "town" every now and again for sports, restaurants, activities, shopping. Despite what some may say, the Whangarei District Council has in fact been slowly reducing the number of carparks within the CBD.  The new green space which I believe was needed next to the new Hunterwasser, has removed approximately another 120 carparks, and the Council planners are planning that we have less carparking for the future of Whangarei. I do believe in shared spaces in a CBD for walkers, cyclists, buses and cars however Whangarei's population is quite small at the moment and is a city that services many rural towns who travel via car. There is a dire need of affordable parking, or even “free parking” for Whangarei right now.  As most people walk no more than 300m from their vehicles when going shopping, even in large complexes like “Westfields” carparking is setup so that people can see the shop they wan...

Iain Robertson Whangarei Youth Space My Speech at Whangarei Youth Space

I really enjoy using the Hatea Loop - this has been a great investment by the council. Attracts people from around Northland to shop in town as well as enjoy a walk, jog or bike ride around our beautiful harbor. People from all demographics use this all year round including tourists. Iain Robertson - Mangakahia-Maungatapere There are in addition several mountain bike parks and trails close to the city centre. Cycle touring is a big earner overseas and promotes health and the environment. The reasonably flat land and scenery in the Whangarei District could rival anywhere in NZ in terms of cycle tourism.

Reducing your household waste is not only better for the environment but will reduce the amount you pay for rubbish disposal. HOWEVER I want serious changes: Larger recycling bins are necessary; preferably with a lid so light winds don't distribute the recyclables throughout the urban and natural environment. Rubbish bins at problem hot spots. Either empty the public bins more frequently or add more to our beautiful District. Council needs to rethink its plastic refuse bags - (Hardly a climate emergency...?) Research and offer other items that can be picked up to be recycled - many plastics don't meet the criteria. Reduce complex recycling "rules" so people don't give up on the idea. Free entry to rural local tips/transfer stations for a certain amount of trash and or recyclables including garden waste. This will prevent fly-tipping, hoarding and dumping obsolete goods outside charity shops

Routine maintenance of unsealed roads shouldn't look like this: Potholes, rutting and corrugation in the surface clearly means these roads have "failed" Drainage improvements and strengthening should be pretty standard practice on these types of roads and maintenance should occur more efficiently and more often. Photo Taken by Resident Its as though elected council are clearly owned and managed by the executives in the council who are actually employees. Patch ups are only supposed to be temporary solutions for a couple of days, not months. Please consider the next elected members of the Whangarei District council who may have conflicts of interest ("contracting mates") doing work on behalf of the council. Somebody is getting rich, not just Tyre shops! Photo Taken by Resident Photo Taken by Resident

Speaker to look into conflict of interest in law submissions (Click Here) Check this out - of course this is by no means an isolated incident. These networks exist throughout our democracy. Please give it a thought when considering our next sitting councilors representing you and the Whangarei District < Vote Iain Robertson, here for Mangakahia-Maungatapere and the Whangarei Districts Ratepayers >

- Ludicrous proposals - False narratives & misinformation - Throwing all resources at only a few issues to attract votes - Financial mismanagement - "Back room" "deals"  Click here for Iain Robertson's Vision

To put Mangakahia-Maungatapere Ratepayers first  To continue any existing projects keeping costs within budget Open accountable Council with less bureaucracy  Encourage economic success within Whangarei and specifically attracting businesses with job opportunities.  To ensure preservation and enhancement of the environment  I believe money spent on recreation should be treated as investments, not as expenditure. I am aware ratepayers expect their rates to benefit rural Whangarei and not only central Whangarei. I will fight for ratepayers wants and needs across Whangarei Vote Iain Robertson - Mangakahia-Maungatapere