POLICIES

Achieving long-term savings

Rather than cutting services to the community, I will focus on long-term savings through being smarter about how the council delivers services.

I’m committed to:

Joining up with other councils to share costs. For example, shared IT, payroll, customer service and building consent systems.
The city is already proposing to partner with Waikato District Council to deliver drinking and wastewater.
Leveraging technology to be more efficient, for example automated processing of building consent applications.
Reducing the use of consultants and doing things in-house where it makes sense.
Being less risk averse and more open to innovation, where there are opportunities for savings to be made.

Responsible Finances

Debt should not be used for everyday costs. However, as a fast-growing city, debt can be useful for spreading out the cost of big infrastructure projects, like roads and pipes, so that future generations who benefit also pay their fair share.

To ensure Hamilton is financially sustainable and to give residents more certainty about rates increases, I will:

Stay on track to balance the books in the 2026/27 financial year.
Put in place a debt repayment strategy in the next 10-year plan to ensure we pay off major projects, like pipes and roads, by the time they need replacing — so we’re not still paying for old infrastructure when it’s time to build new.
Deliver savings by expanding shared services with other councils.
Ensure growth is funded fairly, so existing residents do not carry an unfair share of the cost of new growth infrastructure.

Transport

It’s estimated that Hamilton will have another 84,000 residents over the next 30 years. We need to ensure people can continue moving around the city safely and efficiently as it gets busier. As mayor, I’ll support work to:

Improve street maintenance by using technology to automatically detect potholes and other issues.
Increase the number of frequent bus services running every 15 minutes (like the Comet, Meteor, and Orbiter) by working with central government and the regional council.
Upgrade the city’s most dangerous intersections, including advocating to government and NZTA for improvements on the state highway network.
Improve accessibility for people with mobility challenges by renewing footpaths, installing accessible kerbs at bus stops, and increasing the supply of mobility parks.
Expand the provision of off-road cycle paths (for example, across green spaces).

Some recent transport projects have caused frustration — including in-lane bus stops on Pembroke St and Hukanui Rd, the large number of raised platforms around the city, and the cycleways on Rifle Range Rd.

I don’t support installing more in-lane bus stops. I support using signalised pedestrian crossings rather than raised platforms where possible, and I want us to prioritise off-road cycling infrastructure rather than the type of cycleways installed on Rifle Range Rd.

I also want the council to ask communities for their transport priorities before putting together long-term plan budgets, so residents have a greater say from the start.

Healthy green spaces

When asked what they love about living in Hamilton, residents often mention our river paths, parks, playgrounds, and green spaces.

As Hamilton grows, more homes will have smaller backyards, making access to green space even more important.

With this in mind, my focus will be to:

Advocate for green design and planning in public spaces — for example, the new interactive garden in Garden Place and planned street trees in the CBD
Continue supporting volunteer groups to restore gullies with native trees through council’s Nature in the City programme.
Invest in street trees to ensure an equitable spread across neighbourhoods. The recently approved tree policy provides greater protections for mature trees and ensures the right tree is planted in the right place.
Purchase land for neighbourhood parks in areas planned for intensification, such as the north end of the central city.

A Strong Local Economy

As chair of the Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee, I’ve worked on issues central to a successful local economy over the last two years, including:

Supporting central city retail through making the CBD a more attractive destination.
Finding solutions to Hamilton’s wastewater constraints.
Fixing Hamilton’s shortage of industrial land supply, so there are more affordable options to do business and produce goods here locally.

A clean, attractive city

It’s important that we can all feel proud of where we live, and that as a city we look after what we have by:

Improving the look and feel of the CBD through cleaning, maintenance, renewing footpaths and furniture, and improving lighting.

Managing weeds on our streets more often.

Reducing illegal dumping through more education and enforcement, and making it easier to do the right thing.

Arts and Entertainment

As chair of the Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee, I’ve worked on issues central to a successful local economy over the last two years, including:

Supporting central city retail through making the CBD a more attractive destination.

Finding solutions to Hamilton’s wastewater constraints.

Fixing Hamilton’s shortage of industrial land supply, so there are more affordable options to do business and produce goods here locally.

Tourism

When asked what you love about living in Hamilton, many of you have told me about how much you love our river paths and green spaces.

As Hamilton grows, we will see more homes with smaller backyards, making access to green space even more important.

With this in mind, my focus will be:

Purchasing land for small parks in areas planned for intensification, like the north end of the central city.

Continuing to support community groups to restore Hamilton’s gullies with native plants.

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