6th Sept - 12th Sept
LOCALLY OWNED SINCE FOREVER
No 867
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
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BS
24 IN 1 S ID
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Do not make your vote uninformed
It’s a tough gig. Thankless and underpaid springs to mind. We can’t do anything about the underpaid bit, that is a formula spat out by the local government ministry. Population equals payrate regardless of the actual workloads. The thankless part, we can do something about. Starting right here with a big fat THANK YOU. There are plenty of good people putting their hands up to represent us ratepayers on the QLDC. From the outside looking in, why would you enter the complicated world of local government? An underpaid, practically voluntary role, thankless to the point you are ruthlessly criticised for every move you make. Think about that when you see those smiling billboard faces. These people want this gig. For those with their heads in the moment, to represent us on QLDC, the opportunity to make a difference is huge. That’s why they are out there courting our votes. Ordinary people can sit at the Board Table of the biggest business in town. Money comes in and money goes out and the decisions you make influence everyone living and visiting this dynamic district. It’s a big responsibility spending ratepayer money. Believe me, I was there, it should never be taken lightly. We, the ratepayers, are the ones putting the money in and we want it well spent. That QLDC Board Table sets the tone for us all, facilitating, creating, improving. Those ratepayer dollars are spread across every aspect of life in the Whakatipu. Do not make your vote uninformed.
Students from Wakatipu High School put their day off to good use last week as they volunteered their time to support six local non-profit organisations including Plunket Society. From L-R Plunket’s Lizanne Knights with volunteers Isadora Fvaras, Mikaela Patterson, Rachel Scobie and Plunket Society’s Krista Baker. Read more on page 5.
As voters we have the easy job, hire the right people to lead us forward simply by ticking a box. Of course, knowing who they are helps. A little bit of due diligence isn’t too much to ask, is it? If your answer is “can’t be bothered” then forever hold your tongue. Keyboard warriors stand down. I “met the candidates” for Mayor in Arrowtown last week. Not a complete idiot amongst them. I was impressed. Differing views on what is right and wrong with QLDC and what they will do about it. In my opinion, good honest intelligent willing people. We are going to get a potentially great new leader of our district if we give them half a chance. The question is who? What I love about this community is we have people who really care. The people smiling back at you on those billboards. But is caring enough? We need people people, willing and able to engage and work with all comers. Supporters of the huge team at QLDC, our community associations, business networks, sporting organisations, every kind of special interest groups you can imagine. QLDC touches everything and as a positive person I want an enabler and improver of the place we call home at that Council table. Thank you to all the candidates for Council and Mayor for caring about the future of our District. I’ll do my bit. Get to know you, learn about your vision, and tick the boxes when our time comes to vote. Scott Stevens - scott@qmg.co.nz
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