Disclaimer
The information on this page has been provided by the candidates. It does not reflect the views or positions of Auckland Council.
Guy Stephen WISHART
Candidate for Rodney Local Board (Kumeū Subdivision)
Candidate statement
I am deeply involved in a wide range of community service organisations in the northwest area, including Huapai-Kumeū Lions, Kumeū Emergency Network, Flood Alerts, Kumeū Arts concerts, the Showgrounds and Kumeū Community Action. Our much loved family home in Kumeū was flooded repeatedly, resulting in our move to Helensville in 2025. I have been on the Rodney Local Board for the last 3 years and would like the opportunity to continue the positive change we have seen. An extra $8 million has been sourced to improve our parks, reserves and halls and support our community and environmental programs that were severely under-funded until now. The issues that concern you are the ones I will be working hardest on. We need, less extreme traffic congestion, a passenger train service, serious planning that deals with flooding, more waterways maintenance, to stop developers building on flood plains and to build infrastructure before houses.
Why I want to be elected
I will work to make sure that evidence based decisions are made that provide the best outcomes possible for the residents of Kumeū, Huapai, Riverhead, Taupaki, Waimauku. I will be pushing for commuter trains to Huapai, advocate for a private public partnership for the alternate highway that will unlock the NW to huge growth and employment opportunities, push for yearly river and drain maintenance, fight residential property development on our flood plains and support planned development.
My key skills and qualities
I have had 1 term of experience with the Rodney Local Board and have learnt a lot about how to get things done to improve our lives in the NW. Developing good relationships with council staff as well as the community is essential. I have these skills. Service to the community is important to me and I am an active member of Huapai-Kumeū Lions, Future Kumeū, Kumeū Community Action, Kumeū Emergency Network and Flood Alert Team, Kumeū Showgrounds and Kumeū Arts where I help manage music concerts.
My top three key issues
Transport congestion is one of the NW's most challenging issues. We need alternative transport options, so that why I'm working to get the passenger train service back to Huapai. We need the bypass highway funded & built asap. Managing the flood plain means river and drain maintenance needs to be scheduled yearly, not as the problems arise and residential development on flood plains must be stopped completely. Infrastructure must be built before housing developments - water, waste & transport.
My position on key topics
Transport
Road congestion is a key issue in the NW. Pushing for a passenger train service to Huapai is critical as the rail corridor is already there. Advocating to government for a green light to the bypass highway is critical to reducing vehicle congestion and increasing productivity. Cycling, walking & scooters provide useful forms of transport within the area as we are on a largely level flood plain. Road maintenance is critical for safe driving so more funds that are well allocated are needed.
Water
Water is becoming an increasingly important issue to all of us. In rural areas we either have bores or collect rain water. In urban areas we are largely on council supply for water and wastewater. The Northern Interceptor for wastewater will likely be connected by 2028. We are seeing increasing numbers of urban housing developments built before water and wastewater is available. This must stop. Our rivers and waterways are becoming increasingly polluted due to lack of quality infrastructure.
Built environment
Auckland's intensive housing needs to be built close to a functioning public transport system. Building more highways for even more cars has not proven viable here or anywhere. We are slow at building roads and public transport infrastructure, so using the infrastructure we currently have (eg the train line) is critical. I believe we need to retain our rural character as that is a major reason why so many of us love this area. Good planning will be essential for this to happen.
Natural environment
Kumeū, Huapai, Riverhead, Waimauku and Taupaki have all had a huge wake up call from the 2021 and 2023 extreme weather events. Some properties were considered too dangerous to live in. We have developed strong emergency networks with good plans, but we need to plan for future events, moving more families out of harms way. We have many reserves in Rodney and many environmental protection groups that work tirelessly to increase our biodiversity. We need to support them as much as we are able.
Community
Our sports clubs and community groups are growing and we need to support their growth with more land, facilities and maintenance. Given the capital spend is down for council, we need to develop more partnerships with developments that the local board can contribute operational funds to, especially for our young people. Kumeū Arts and our Kumeū Library are not "nice to haves", they are essential to the wellbeing of our community, just like sports fields and halls for line dancers are.
Economic and cultural development
Economic growth in our area is being inhibited by our lack of a functioning transport network that would allow for more commercial and residential development. Our key need at present is for the bypass highway to be built to release the handbrake on growth. Businesses on the flood plain area need assistance with their resilience against future flooding. This will require council to work with them to find ways where businesses can function quickly after events and have accurate flood alerts.
Well-managed local government and outcomes for Māori
The NW and most of Rodney have had massive rates increases with little or no warning. This is not good management and cannot be allowed to continue. We need a fairer system. The costs for council contracts is a major concern to many. We need a system where contacts are more localised, but have good oversight and transparency. I have enjoyed working with local Maori leaders on projects for our community. e.g. Kaipatiki Reserve at Parakai. I would like to see more cooperative projects like this.