Waimakariri loses gender balance
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Waimakariri’s council has lost its gender balance.
Three years ago Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon hailed the gender balance, when he was joined by five men and five women around the council table after the October 2019 election.
But when the mayor was sworn in for his second term last Thursday, October 27, he was joined by eight men and just two women.
The change of personnel follows the retirement of Kirstyn Barnett and Wendy Doody, while Sandra Stewart lost her seat in the election on October 8.
The trio have been replaced by three men - Jason Goldsworthy, Tim Fulton and Brent Cairns.
At 29, Goldsworthy, of Rangiora, is now the youngest councillor around the table.
He is fresh from a term on the Rangiora-Ashley Community Board.
The new councillor admits it will be tough juggling his new role around a young family, working at Rangiora New World and his volunteering.
‘‘It is particularly difficult for people in my demographic to get involved in local politics, juggling a mortgage, children and a career.
‘‘I will be having an interesting chat with my manager over the next few weeks.’’
Outside of work, Goldsworthy is married to Amber, has a 1-year-old daughter Manawa, is a firefighter with the Rangiora Volunteer Fire Brigade and a St John youth leader.
Tim Fulton was born and bred in the Oxford area and is a familiar face as a rural journalist.
‘‘I am representing a large rural ward and my goals will be focusing on land and water management and making sure we are preserving our natural assets.’’
He plans to ‘‘sit, look and listen’’ in the coming weeks as he becomes familiar with his new role.
‘‘I’m pleased I ran and it was great to get a result, but now is the time to establish those relationships.’’
Kaiapoi resident Cairns was elected to council after serving on the Kaiapoi-Woodend Community Board.
He is a familiar face in the community with his volunteer work, including playing an integral role in establishing the Kaiapoi Food Forest.
‘‘I look at the community groups that I am already involved with, so my time with the council over the next three years will be all about creating safer, connected communities and making this district a great place to live.’’
Cairns expects his new role will be a fast learning curve.
‘‘I am a joiner by trade, so I am a very practical person.
‘‘I will see an end goal and then I break it down and work out what I need to do.’’
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.7% Second half of November
-
43.9% 1st December
-
17.7% A week before Christmas
-
32.6% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below