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The information on this page has been provided by the candidates. It does not reflect the views or positions of Auckland Council.
James ROHLOFF
Candidate for Devonport-Takapuna Local Board
Independent
Candidate statement
James a dedicated and community-focused candidate who has spent his life immersed in the vibrant Devonport/Takapuna area. Raised locally and now settled in Devonport for over five years with his young family, James understands and deeply values the area's distinctive character and heritage. With degrees in Psychology and Criminology, alongside a successful career spanning marketing, start-ups, and digital technology, James delivers innovation, strategic insight, and pragmatic solutions to local governance. Committed to protecting Devonport/Takapuna’s cherished green spaces and heritage features, James also prioritises responsible spending and ensuring community voices are heard clearly in local decision-making. As a proud local parent, James is driven by a passion to offer sustainable, sensible outcomes that preserve and enhance the exceptional quality of life and opportunities the area provides - ensuring future generations, including his own children, can continue to share and enjoy those great community experiences.
Why I want to be elected
I am a dedicated and community-focused candidate who has spent his life immersed in the vibrant Devonport/Takapuna area. Raised locally and now settled in Devonport for over five years with my young family, I understands and deeply values the area's distinctive character and heritage. As a proud local parent, I'm driven by a passion to offer sustainable, sensible outcomes that preserve and enhance the exceptional quality of life and opportunities the area provides.
My key skills and qualities
With a degree in Psychology and Criminology, alongside a successful career spanning marketing, start-ups, and digital technology, I aim to deliver innovation, strategic insight, and pragmatic solutions to local governance. I also bring strong business acuman, alongside problem solving and negotiation skills to make sure every dollar is well spent and we're working smarter, not harder to deliver more for our community.
My top three key issues
Responsible spending with a future focus - making sure every dollar invested with considerations of future needs, not just the requirements of today. Supporting local business and community events - ensuring the local environment and community I have cherished and valued throughout my upbringing is supported and protected for future generations to enjoy. Protecting our green space - once gone we will never get it back. It is paramount that these areas remain protected from development.
My position on key topics
Transport
We need to ensure that main arterial routes are prepared to meet future demands of Auckland city. Investment in public transport infrastructure is a key to ensuring we have reliable an sufficient alternatives to personal transport that can accommodate the needs of changing population demographics and also future urban planning development plans.
Water
All Auckland residents should have access to safe, clean water supplies across the city. Historic trend analysis and future forecasting needs to be highly considered in understanding what our requirements are for catering to the cities needs. As technology continues to evolve I'm excited to see how artificial intelligence can add to the planning and management of Auckland's water requirements.
Built environment
I am passionate about ensuring our heritage protections are maintained and preserved for future generations to enjoy the character they bring to our communities. Auckland's urban development, housing, and infrastructure plans need to be mindful of the changing demographic of our city, as well as growth plans to ensure we are growing sensibly and sustainably to avoid overwhelming aging infrastructure.
Natural environment
Once we loose our open green space we will never get it back. It is of paramount importance we ensure these areas are protected and well serviced to ensure they can be enjoyed by our community. Weather patterns are certainly changing with heavy rainfall and weather warning events becoming apparently more common. Understanding how we can safeguard against the continuation of this trend and making this a fundamental consideration in future planning is very important.
Community
It's important we make sure our local services and facilities operate efficiently and inclusively to a high standard so that they can be enjoyed by all within our community. Supporting the many brilliant events and activities run across the Devonport/Takapuna area and ensuring these are done safely to bring people together and foster that sense of community is fundamental to building the sense of community wellbeing.
Economic and cultural development
We need to ensure Auckland positions ourself for future strength through responsible and strategic investment. As a council board member we need to be accountable to ensure every dollar spent returns real value and that money invested provides visible and quantitative returns. Supporting local businesses to flourish and maintaining our city as an attractive host on the global stage for notable events is key to bringing outside capital investment into stimulate our local economy.
Well-managed local government and outcomes for Māori
Making sure our government is staying up to date with modern technology to identify operational efficiencies is key for delivering cost efficient solutions for our city. Positioning local government to be a "fast-follower" of emerging technologies will set Auckland up to safely implement initiatives already battle tested by other pioneers in the space where we see they have been able to resolve common issues.
Candidate's supporting links
These links to external websites have been provided by the candidates. The content on these websites does not reflect the views or positions of Auckland Council.