Time to get voting people

The movie is lots of random photos from the Harrison archives - it shows a busy, happy, chaotic life

Voting papers have been delivered to households and it is time to have your say.  Fill in your ballot, pop it in the orange envelope and pop it in the post.  You can vote for between 1 and 4 community board members - you don't have to vote for 4 if you are unsure about the candidates.  If you want to know more before you make your mind up then make sure you get to the public meeting at the Golden Gate conference centre 7pm tomorrow.  All mayoral and community board candidates will be represented - it is a great opportunity to make an informed decision.

 Here is my speech - if you are unable to make it.  There is nothing new here - I've used my blog posts to form the basis of what I am going to say - don't make reading it here an excuse not to turn up either - it will be much better live - there might even be a song and dance- you never know!

Kia ora Koutou,
Thank you to the Cromwell Rotary and Lions clubs for providing this opportunity for our community to meet the candidates and for the opportunity to speak.
My family has lived in Cromwell for nearly 15 years. We arrived here with little children.  We were looking for a place that three little boys could grow and thrive while my husband and I moved into new career roles. The growing Central Otago district beckoned and we made the move from Dunedin at the beginning of 2002 with boys aged 6, 4 and 1½.
I've always been actively involved in our community through my children, their sports, activities, schools and kindergartens.  I've coached, raised funds, catered and spent many hours on committees in all sorts of roles.  I'm moving away from this type of involvement as the boys move into adulthood. It's time for a new challenge.
I was a little taken aback when I was first approached to stand for the Cromwell Community Board, but it gave me pause for thought.  I have thought about the opportunities and advantages that living in Cromwell has provided, the changes to the town over the last 15 years, the pace and direction of development. I thought about whether I wanted to open myself up to public scrutiny and the possibility of a negative response.  Most of all I have thought about whether or not my experience would be valued, valid and useful for our community.  It seems like quite a long time ago that I made the commitment to stand and I have done some talking and loads of listening since making the decision to go for it.  I have stepped out from the shadows and into the public eye and I have been really grateful for the positive response I have received.  
I have read all the candidate profiles and I think that the Cromwell Community is very lucky to have the choice of such capable, competent people to represent our community.  So, why me - what makes me someone you should vote for?
I think I do have something to contribute, I think I bring a different viewpoint, a fresh perspective.  I'm pragmatic, I'm not going to campaign on impossible promises for upgrades and spending, on overturning decisions that are already made and developments that are already in progress.  I'm articulate, I know how to get my point across.  I'm family and community focused, I am aware of the stresses and struggles facing families living and working in Cromwell, from my own experience as a parent and through my role as a Deputy Principal at a local primary school.  I'm tough, I'm not going to run away crying if someone disagrees with me.

I bring my mad Deputy Principal skills to the table (and of course I mean mad in all senses of the word).  I think there are probably quite a few cross over skills here including patience, negotiation, advocacy, active listening and problem solving.  I also do quite a lot of conflict resolution, sign language and a bit of singing - you never know when that combo is going to come in handy.
I bring a future focus.  I want to think about what comes next for Cromwell, to see the establishment of a clear plan for continued growth and development for our town that ensures we maintain the lifestyle that brings people here.  I want to ensure that we don't lose our open spaces, greenways and easy access to our lake and walkways.  I want to see the needs of families and young people taken into consideration when decisions are made.
There is lots of growth and development in Cromwell at the moment, driven by people choosing to come and live here.  I’m really interested in what brings people here - why did they choose this place?  The answers are usually around the same themes:
  • Employment opportunities
  • Lifestyle - lake, mountains, wine, proximity to Wanaka and Queenstown
  • Opportunity to connect with the outdoors - walkways, places to mountain bike and ride dirt bikes, skiing, skating, kayaking, boating
  • Climate
  • Freedom for their children in a safe environment
Lots of the things that brought us here 15 years ago - but some of the realities for our new residents are quite different than they were for my family when we arrived.  

We are at a crux in Cromwell at the moment, we are a bigger town and we have the opportunity to be a better town.  We are still in the middle of the monumental shift from home to the Clyde Dam workforce - to a desirable, thriving community, the heart of the Central Otago wine industry, an industrial hub, a great place to live and work.  There are lots of new people in town, lots of building work, lots of young families.  As we get bigger we need to take care of what we value about our town, to plan for the future to ensure that it continues to be a great place to live and work for everyone, young and old, whether they were born and raised here or arrived yesterday.  It is going to take a strong strategic vision and a lot of hard work.  I’m up for it!

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