Locals have a choice of six people for four seats on the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board, all of whom fronted up to questions at the Wānaka Business Chamber ‘Meet the Candidates’ event on Tuesday night (September 16) at the Lake Wānaka Centre.

The four incumbents are well known - board chair Simon Telfer, Upper Clutha Tracks Trust trustee John Wellington, cafe owner Chris Hadfield, and landscape architect Linda Joll - while new candidate and long-term resident Kathy Dedo is also well known, and the second new candidate, John Bache, is relatively new to Wānaka.

The candidates were questioned on stage with the nine council candidates, making the event a logistical challenge. However, each candidate was given the opportunity to introduce themselves as well as answer individual questions from MC Tracey Roxburgh.

John Bache said he didn’t have “a personal vendetta against council”, or anything he “really want[s] to push through or change”, rather he wants to offer himself to serve the community, adding that he can bring a different perspective from his background in governance, business, and community experience.

Chris encouraged locals to “get out from behind your keyboards and come and engage with the community board” so the board can pass that message on to the council. He repeated this call when asked how the relationship between the community board and QLDC could be “more empowered”.

Linda reflected concerns raised in the mayoral debate about the low (17 percent) approval rate for Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), but said this next term the board would move forward from “a solid base”.

Simon referenced his organisation of a public meeting about health services in March 2024 as an example of “standing up and getting things done” for the community, and said he has the energy and governance experience for another three year term.

John Wellington said his priorities were for Wānaka to get “its fair share of resources delivered in a timely fashion”, citing his desire to develop sports fields at Ballantyne Road, finish the Wānaka lakefront development, make progress on the town centre masterplan, and “try and get a community agreement on how the Wānaka Airport develops”.

Simon was asked what were the main improvements he’d want to see in how the board operates; he said the board is now “more relevant” and balances “short term action and long term planning”.

Linda was asked how the board should prioritise its limited resources to support local projects; she said the “really big challenge” for the district is the “degradation of the lakes”, advocating for the board to communicate with local environmental groups to “get the linkages into council and have that influence … from an environmental perspective”.

John Bache was asked how he would ensure the board plays a meaningful role in shaping local outcomes. He said he sensed a “lack of representation” and people’s frustration, and said his focus would be getting people’s input, and working with QLDC and central government “to make sure you're getting the services you need and you're seeing the progress you need”.

John Wellington was asked how he would work with other board members to get traction on issues that matter most to residents; he said getting traction requires a consensus opinion, which involves compromise.

“You need to be able to work together to get a common goal,” he said. “It's really important that we work together, work collaboratively, have collective decisions and then stand by those decisions.”

Simon was asked how to make the community board more visible and accountable to residents; he cited the board’s regular Share with Us sessions and the board members’ ongoing engagement with community groups.

“There is no finish line with engagement,” he said.

Kathy was asked her vision for how the community board can better support young families and ageing populations; she referred to community development principles, based on relationships.

“We have to build relationships with each other. That's an elected member level, but it's with the community. It's with individuals, it's with whānau, it's with community groups. Because really community is where it's at. That is actually the engine for everything that we do. And the partnership that council and community board need to have with community can only accelerate progress.”

The next opportunity to hear from candidates is a ‘meet the candidates - speed dating style’ session at the Wānaka Community Hub from 4-7pm on Friday September 26.

PHOTOS: Supplied