Mayor's Message: I want to lead an inclusive Council

I thank Nelsonians for their support to lead our city for a further three years. The role is demanding and stressful but there is also huge satisfaction in ensuring our Council is well governed and in being an effective advocate for our city.

It is a difficult time to be in governance roles with the post-Covid economic recession and politics nationally and globally becoming more polarised. I want to lead an inclusive Council where every Elected Member contributes to our decisions and where we avoid dividing into opposing blocks. Lurches one way then the other do not serve our Council or community well.

This has influenced my decision to appoint Pete Rainey as Deputy Mayor. Pete’s politics lean left and mine right, but we share a deep passion for the city and an ambition to get stuff done. Our skills are complementary with his in music and the arts and mine in engineering and infrastructure.

I outlined in my inaugural speech, endorsed by the new Deputy, our priorities of city revitalisation and economic recovery. We recognise we need to be disciplined in Council’s spending to keep rates affordable and want to keep average rate increases in line with our Long Term Plan and under 5%.

We have major projects to deliver such as Bridge to Better, the new Nelson Bus Hub at Millers Acre and the play space in Rutherford Park. We also have significant new projects to consult the public about such as the options to upgrade Civic House or undertake a new build for a community hub-library and the redevelopment of the Wakefield Quay-Haven Road waterfront area. Other aspects of our economic plan include lifting our tourism promotion, making Nelson a great place to study with NMIT, growing our Blue Economy and supporting our food and beverage sector.

Other key priorities include the arts with the development of an arts hub and pursuing UNESCO recognition as a City of Crafts. We also want to make practical progress on climate change by installing solar panels on Council buildings and improving our resilience to extreme weather.

Despite the awful winter of storms and industry closures, I am optimistic about 2026. The scale of Council, Government and private-sector investment in our city planned for next year is unprecedented. The community has elected a diverse and capable Council. Our job is to work together in navigating Nelson towards a more prosperous future.

Mayor
Nick Smith