Local Matters

Mayoral Candidates

For transparency, candidates were informed that their responses to the Local Matters survey would be published unedited.

Maxwell Clark

1. What is your plan to reduce the risk of and prepare Tasman for worsening weather events?

Mitigation is better than devastation in River management/ Flood Protection .
I will facilitate the removal of gravel and silt from the District River. Reality is more important than “ideas” on how to manage the River. The locals and farmers are the experts in their local areas in River Management.
2. What do you think good rural and urban planning looks like for Tasman?

Council needs to revisit their current thinking and planning for the future. In housing we should be looking at allowing more intensification in housing in Urban areas and avoid spreading onto productive food producing Horticulture Land.
Public Transport needs to be better utilized rather than individual cars. Offer an incentive to park and take the bus.
3. Given the tight Council budgets, how would you still support the most vulnerable in our community?

I believe the Council could successfully function with a limit of a 5% rate increase each year, and not the 8.9% plus add on, which will take most ratepayer to 10% this year. How could this possibly be achieved? Example, the Engineer Dept have over-rated you for many years for work that was never undertaken and in a previous year it was $27.4 million, and they kept your money.
I would return this money into a general fund which the following year which drop your rates by 2.7%
4. What is your position on large impact projects like Sam’s Creek gold mine, Hope bypass or the Māpua fast-tracked housing development?

Sam’s Creek gold mine, I don’t support, the likely high Risk to Waikoropupū Springs with its water conservation order in place, could potentially affect the Takaka Aquifer and the communities water supply
Hope bypass not needed, not wanted better options are available.
Māpua – Council approved Master plan on August 14th, 2025, they have significant flooding issues already. There is still a public option to oppose development when the resource consent comes up.
5. Tasman voters will decide whether to keep the Māori ward in the upcoming referendum. What is your position, and why?

My position is I believe we should treat everyone the same across all cultures.
In fact, in Tasman out of 12 Councillors, three indicates they are of Maori descent, and I believe they represent and fairly represent their Iwis in Council.

Richard Johns

1. What is your plan to reduce the risk of and prepare Tasman for worsening weather events?

Proper river control including gravel extraction. Not to sure what you mean by worsening as similar event happened in 1877 and 1983
2. What do you think good rural and urban planning looks like for Tasman?

Did not answer
3. Given the tight Council budgets, how would you still support the most vulnerable in our community?

Many government depts available, sorry but returning to core responsibility
4. What is your position on large impact projects like Sam’s Creek gold mine, Hope bypass or the Māpua fast-tracked housing development?

As Mayor representing ALL the district I would not be voting on either of these so would provide both sides of the argument .
If I had to use my casting vote it would be for the status quo.
5. Tasman voters will decide whether to keep the Māori ward in the upcoming referendum. What is your position, and why?

No . We are all equal, how would I tell my grandchildren of three ethnicity that I favoured one because of race

Tim King

1. What is your plan to reduce the risk of and prepare Tasman for worsening weather events?

Continue to invest in stormwater and flood protection infrastructure eg.the Motueka Stopbanks and Borkes Creek network in Richmond.

Prioritise the recovery and restoration of the wider rivers protection network including gravel removal and relocation, willow planting, and rock work.

Agree on site for Government funded rain radar.

Provide information to community about the risks that are inherent in many of our river valleys so they can plan accordingly.
2. What do you think good rural and urban planning looks like for Tasman?

Good urban planning provides for a range of living opportunities across the region including different house and section sizes.

Planning for the recreational needs of towns and villages as they grow including walkways, sportsfields, and reserves

Ensuring that alongside houses there is sufficient commercial land available for the businesses that support our growing communities.
3. Given the tight Council budgets, how would you still support the most vulnerable in our community?

Continue the provision of councils pensioner housing.

Support Community housing providers to build new social housing across our region

Work with Central Government agencies to ensure that they are responding to the needs of our communities

Support councils community partnerships team in their work with youth and the elderly.
4. What is your position on large impact projects like Sam’s Creek gold mine, Hope bypass or the Māpua fast-tracked housing development?

The Hope Bypass is essential and the highest priority for NZTA funding.

Providing houses for our growing population and to meet the Governments legislation is one of Tasmans biggest challenges Māpua is one of many locations being considered for new housing I support the current Structure Plan process doesn’t need fast tracking.

Sam’s Creek is a project best considered at a national level the strictest conditions must be applied and any royalties paid must be shared with the community.
5. Tasman voters will decide whether to keep the Māori ward in the upcoming referendum. What is your position, and why?

I support the Māori ward.
A Māori ward is the most democratic way to provide for Māori representation on the council .

Timo Neubauer

1. What is your plan to reduce the risk of and prepare Tasman for worsening weather events?

Flood protection is more than river management – we must look upstream to address the root causes. Clear-fell forestry, drained wetlands and intensive farming to river edges have removed the natural sponges from our waterways, making extreme floods up to 18 times more likely. We must reverse this trend, work with affected parties and focus on protecting high-asset areas, towns and villages, while building long-term resilience. More at timo4tasman.nz/rivers-and-flood-management.
2. What do you think good rural and urban planning looks like for Tasman?

Less sprawl and long term resilience in our rural areas. Good planning makes the most of existing infrastructure through well-designed urban intensification. We must manage risks in ways that are affordable and fair and set a bold, visual growth strategy. Spatial neighbourhood plans can enable quality townhouses and apartments in the right places – without endless red tape – while protecting rural character and productive land. More at timo4tasman.nz/key-actions-for-stronger-towns-and-villages.
3. Given the tight Council budgets, how would you still support the most vulnerable in our community?

To support our most vulnerable, we must tackle the root causes of high living costs. That means addressing what drives our rates increases, encouraging smaller, affordable homes in central areas and ensuring that every new development includes social and affordable housing. Council should welcome tiny homes and explore Community Land Trusts and other models to improve long-term affordability.
4. What is your position on large impact projects like Sam’s Creek gold mine, Hope bypass or the Māpua fast-tracked housing development?

Council should back smaller, locally led projects that strengthen our local economy, not rely on mega projects. Too often, these projects allow private companies to take the profits while the community is left with the costs. We must protect Golden Bay’s aquifer and Te Waikoropupū Springs, preserve Māpua’s character, and ensure that our major transport investments – like the Hope bypass – deliver real, long-term traffic solutions. More at timo4tasman.nz/gold-mine-at-sams-creek.
5. Tasman voters will decide whether to keep the Māori ward in the upcoming referendum. What is your position, and why?

This is a binding referendum, so the decision is entirely in the hands of Tasman voters. The previous council voted in favour of establishing a Māori ward and this referendum vote will determine whether it remains. Whatever the outcome, I will work to ensure fair representation and strong relationships across our communities and I will respect the decision of voters. My focus will be on fostering respectful, effective governance that serves everyone in Tasman.

Richard Osmaston

1. What is your plan to reduce the risk of and prepare Tasman for worsening weather events?

The root cause of worsening weather events/vulnerability is that we are constrained, exhausted and distracted by an adversarial economic system. It sets us against each other. We’ve space, resources, knowledge and technology to all thrive.
Tasman’s exports are close to 90% of its production. Once we adopt a money-free, Resource Based Economy, (the ‘cost of living’ will be zero), we will only have to ‘work’ for 10% of the time we do now. Imagine our recovery/resilience capabilities then?
2. What do you think good rural and urban planning looks like for Tasman?

We have abundant space, abundant building materials and abundant technical and human resources to assure optimum, sustainable and resilient living conditions for all Tasman residents. Again, the only factor preventing good outcomes is the omnipotence of money and its corrupting effect in our society.
If Planning would be different without the considerations of the monetary system, then we should plan that way. It’s not even hard. Shall we begin?
3. Given the tight Council budgets, how would you still support the most vulnerable in our community?

I am saddened by this question in that it effectively assumes as normal and inevitable that vulnerable people’s well-being should be compromised by ‘budgets’.
‘Budgets’ are merely a creation of psychopaths, economists and bankers. People’s lives and the sustainable future of society and ecology can be assured by evolving beyond money and these ‘budgets’. A future where all needs are met. We can do this now. Let’s get started.
4. What is your position on large impact projects like Sam’s Creek gold mine, Hope bypass or the Māpua fast-tracked housing development?

Dismay. None of these projects are actually necessary. They are only further knee-jerk responses to monetary system induced corruption of the human spirit. Making even more expensive and damaging mistakes will not correct previous mistakes. Indeed they will only exacerbate them, and create even more problems in the future. We live in paradise. Only the toxicity of money and capitalism prevent us from thriving in that paradise. We are in a position to move beyond this now.
5. Tasman voters will decide whether to keep the Māori ward in the upcoming referendum. What is your position, and why?

I don’t feel adequately informed to make a significant judgement. As usual, what we’re presented with is symptomatic of a dysfunctional economic system which again, will not be addressed by distracting and dividing people, all people, with issues that exacerbate and exploit our differences. We are all one. The solutions lie in coming together and sharing our diverse and abundant resources for the benefit of all. There is a future model that embraces diversity. It doesn’t include money.