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Great Barrier Island Community Board
Candidates profile and questionnaire
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The triennial elections for local government representatives are upon
us; GBI has retained its Community Board under the Supercity and ten
candidates have nominated for the five positions. Here are the answers
of those candidates who chose to reply to our questions. |
The Incumbents
PAUL DOWNIE
Paul aged 59 years lists his interests as Scuba diving, fishing,
musician, arts, crafts and island history.
A regular visitor to Barrier for the past 40 years he moved here to live
eight years ago with his wife Geraldine. Local Board member for the past
6 years and Chairman for the past term.
“I have broad local and international business experience. I am a
qualified Resource Consent Hearing Commissioner. I am a strong advocate
for an improved regulatory environment that best meets the needs of our
community without undue costs.”
Q 1: How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
There are a number of opportunities available to progress biodiversity
protection on GBI.
1. A predator fence across the northern DOC controlled portion of the
island would provide a significant predator free zone for our island’s
native flora and fauna. This initiative should complement the work
already undertaken by Tony Bouzaid on his property.
2. DOC controlled Rakitu Island also could be considered for a
predator-free programme.
3. Predator traps should be made available at subsidized pricing (or
free) to property owners interested in pursuing pest-control on their
own properties.
Q 2: As a person whose vote is mainly determined by performance on
environmental issues tell me why I should vote for you?
1. Our stunning biodiversity and natural marine environment is the
natural capital of our island and should quite rightly be preserved and
protected. We are an island free of stoats, weasels, ferrets, possums,
deer, goats hedgehogs and Norwegian rats. Great Barrier’s environment is
quite unique in this respect and one of the primary reasons for many of
us wanting to make the island our home.
2. However, having been an elected community advocate and representative
for the past 6 years I am also aware that “the environment” does not
exist in isolation. People and their social, economic and cultural
activities are also an important part of the fabric of our environment.
3. Any major environmental protection initiatives that may be
contemplated in the future need the collaborative support of our
community and local iwi, and should not result in any degradation of
cultural, social, economic, and enjoyment rights and use of private
property.
IZZY FORDHAM
I am 55 years of age and live at Harataonga
with my partner Lance. I’m a permanent resident of 21 years and a
landowner for over 30 years. I work part-time as an
administrator for the Claris Club and am also part of the island’s
Volunteer Rural Fire Force. I have served 2 terms on the Community
Board.
Q1. How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
We do have some biodiversity protection on the island but it is limited
and somewhat ad-hoc in fashion. A number of community and private
groups are involved in some impressive work, but if the island is going
to be serious about conservation then a strong debate is necessary.
Our community needs to be consulted with regards to biodiversity
protection, especially in relation to priorities, border control, aerial
bait drops and the use of poisons. Once this has been done then the
island community and stakeholders can formulate a strategy for the
future.
Q2. As a person whose vote is mainly determined by performance on
environmental issues tell me why I should vote for you?
I have great respect for my environment and am concerned about the
welfare of our planet. Living on Great Barrier Island lends you to
a lifestyle where you become more aware of your immediate surroundings,
weather patterns and environment.
I feel we need to be cautious in our approach to development and tourism
and plan for the island’s sustainable future. If we don’t, we stand the
chance of losing what we value so much – once it’s lost it’s lost
forever.
MICKEY O'SHEA
Eldest son of the O’Shea family of the Awana Valley, Mickey is a
life-long resident of Great Barrier and at 48 years old remains a single
man. He has served one term on the Board and has a keen and practical
interest in the future economic viability of Great Barrier especially
for larger landowners.
Q 1.How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
Progress to date has been effective given the balance of resources
(available) to the area. We may now have to increase private sector
funded conservation initiatives to alleviate any likely shortfall in the
reviewed DoC sector.
Q 2. As a person whose vote is mainly determined by performance on
environmental issues tell me why I should vote for you?
Our community is experiencing change being delivered from the outside.
If we are to look after our socio-economic wellbeing we need to be
ready, pragmatic and flexible. If there is equitable potential for
growth in the environmental management industry, we need to keep as much
of the wealth accrual capability within our community as at all
possible.
RICHARD SOMMERVILLE-RYAN
Richard is a retired management consultant with
local and wide international experience in education, training and
development, publishing, and corporate change and restructuring. He
first visited the Barrier in 1968, and has lived on the Barrier for five
years. He is/was a board member in the last Barrier community board. He
and his wife Gendie live in Tryphena. They also own a 40 acre pristine
bush block for which he has no plans to develop in any economic way
whatsoever.
Q 1. How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
There’s no doubt that we’re going backwards on most species
indicators—so complacency is not an option. I think there’s actually
general agreement on the island that we have to make progress on getting
rid of the introduced pests like rats, feral cats, and rabbits, the
African ‘pine’, gorse and other aggressive introduced plant species.
None of these can be seen in isolation, and each requires practical
funding decisions and management. There are some big ‘risks’ we have to
deal with. I am seriously concerned at the significant downsizing in
DOC’s field staff on the island. I’ll be focussing on getting detailed
key performance measures including biodiversity from DOC, and then
monitoring them closely. I think we need to find a more pragmatic
approach to the pest-control/poisons debate. A debate based on visions
and emotions isn’t helping much. Any option or solution will require
complete buy-in from the local community if it is to have a chance of
success.
Q 2. As a person whose vote is mainly determined by performance on
environmental issues tell me why I should vote for you?
First, I’m pragmatic and I focus on practical incremental steps and
achievable goals. One of the first actions of the last board was to
increase the initial seed funding for Kaitoke beach restoration—and then
we used that to leverage wider commitment and funding to the overall
project. That will have long-term benefits. I want to follow that with
gorse control at the airport and throughout the island, and I’m
concerned at the possible nitrate enrichment in Tryphena harbour. These
are practical problems which need a practical response. Second, I think
we need to find common ground between the wider community and the
trust’s vision. That will require serious political work. However, no
local board member can or should be a single-issue candidate, and I
don’t think any ‘single issue’ board member will achieve much.
The Prospectives
SUE DALY
I am 55yrs old and married to Tom. We have 5 kids and 4 Granddaughters.
I started up Pigeon Post when it was the Post Office, Postbank and
Claris Telephone Exchange, and over the years these and other businesses
we have developed have morphed and grown and been onsold including Tom
Daly Contractor and Hooked on Barrier. My current interest is studying
Organic Horticulture through NorthTec at Medlands and loving it – I’m
particularly passionate about permaculture.
Q 1: How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
Progress is painstakingly slow because of the impact of introduced
pests, and because of our reluctance to accept our own human impact. We
all love our island, but we become divided over methods and limits of
protection that we are prepared to accept. Robust local debate and
strong open leadership could help us work it out for the benefit of all.
Q 2: What are your environmental aspirations for Great Barrier?
Local ownership of the issues we face i.e. clean streams, clean beaches,
minimizing and recycling waste, healthy flourishing habitats for all
species, including ourselves. No-one is ever going to come to Gt Barrier
for it’s industries and cities, it is that pristine, rugged wilderness
thing that we come for. As Greenpeace says of NZ ,”the environment is
the economy”. A stunning environment is not only an utterly worthy goal
in itself, I believe it will bring us economic health too.
Q 3: What do you see as having priority in terms of conservation on GB?
I think we have to see conservation as a whole process. If the land, the
sea, the wetlands and the coastlines in between are allowed to flourish
then many more species of flora and fauna may survive and flourish too.
Saving just a few birds or skinks at a time seems like peeing in the
wind to me. Save it all. It always comes back to those introduced pests
though, and ownership of our own impact.
WAYNE McVICAR
I am a 63yr old Tryphena resident. My group associations are: Chair of
the Tryphena Hall Committee, member of Arts and Heritage Trust, GBI Oral
History Research Group and GBI Yoga School.
My partner Linda Power and I share a 22 hectare original forest property
in Rosalie Bay. I work as an landscape/artist on the island.
Q 1. How do you see progress in biodiversity protection on the island?
Not much progress at the present time. I think that progress in the
future requires the following: More research, education, and
consultation with the island’s residents and offshore landowners.
This will allow for more informed debate on our island
Q 2. What are your environmental aspirations for Great Barrier?
To attract more researchers and educational people to the island.
To empower our children with environmental choices and to enjoy swimming
in unpolluted water.
Q 3. What do you see as having priority in terms of conservation on GB?
The elimination of wilding pines and the planting of indigenous trees on
marginal land.
More consultation and debate with landowners by the Local Board and
Authorities.
Editor’s Note: Of the candidates not represented: Christine Spence and
Merle White did not reply to my e-mail, Scott Mabey declined to appear
and Wayne Anderson was uncontactable. |
