Councillor's Comment

When I was first elected to Council, it was impossible to imagine what the following six years would throw at our city. Multiple states of emergency, a global pandemic, the long recovery from our August ’22 storm event, significant cost escalation in the delivery of infrastructure and services.

That’s on top of what was imaginable – the need for climate action, to ensure our city is affordable and that residents have confidence in their future here, the day-to-day mahi of governing. Over a billion dollars invested in Nelson over six years – keeping our city running and upgrading our assets.

Throughout it all, it’s been the dedicated staff, incredible community organisations, and passionate, hardworking community members who have made these challenges navigable. It has been a privilege to get to work alongside you and I’m incredibly proud of the outcomes we’ve been able to deliver for Nelsonians.

It has not always been easy. Progress is often contested, and compromise sometimes necessary. Yet each difficult debate was, at its heart, a reflection of our shared care for this place and the people who call it home.

The work is not done. The recent job losses faced by our community, the continued pressure of housing affordability, and the intensifying impacts of climate change all demand urgent attention. These are not challenges that can be met with short-term fixes or deferred decisions, but by a clear vision for a future that looks after our people and our planet. While I’ve tried to be a voice for that future focus during my time on Council, that responsibility doesn’t sit with politicians alone, but with all of us as a community.

As I step away from the Council table, I feel immense gratitude. To the colleagues, staff, and community members who engaged, debated, challenged, inspired, (and occasionally heckled) me – thank you.

Six years has gone by in a flash. I’ve learned plenty of lessons and hopefully grown a little wiser (though still not wise enough to predict which banal agenda item will inspire a left-field polemic). The work of Council is often slow, sometimes frustrating, but it matters deeply. At its heart it’s a question of how we want to live together and what we want our shared future to look like.

That future remains ours to determine and, together, I genuinely believe the city’s best days are still ahead.