Wanaka’s Niamh Shaw has plenty of insight into the varied challenges of being a district councillor.

Niamh has spent the past 21 months working as a councillor, after being elected in late 2019. 

“It’s a fascinating experience, and I feel like I’ve finally settled into the role. Initially the learning curve was incredibly steep,” Niamh told the Wanaka App. 

“It’s a bit like having children… nobody can really tell you what it’s like.”

The next election for the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), in October 2022, is likely to include an extra councillor for the Wanaka Ward.

Submissions on the QLDC representation review closed on Friday (August 6) and the proposal for an additional councillor for Wanaka is expected to be passed at the review hearing later this month.

“A small number of people assume things about you as a politician, and forget I’m a mum and a wife, I have friends and family and a life beyond council and I’ve got the same feelings and stresses and pressures as anyone else.”

Niamh would like to see more people willing to put themselves forward in order to better effect change.

“We need good civic minded community members to stand at the next election.”

Niamh says she is fortunate that, due to the community work she did prior to the 2019 election, she has “a pretty clear mandate from the community”. 

“Some of the issues councillors face are quite complex, and the best outcome isn’t always immediately apparent. But I try to be consistent and authentic, and know that if I can’t justify something to myself, I’m not about to try with anyone else.”

Representing her community is a highlight of being a councillor and one that Niamh relishes the most. 

“I love chatting to people and most people are appreciative, and say thank you for the work that you do,” she said.

But as a councillor, and the proud mum of a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl, Niamh is “still searching for that work-life balance”.

“I once resolved not to work after I got the kids to bed at 8pm – but that went by the wayside,” she said.

Niamh tries to avoid any council work on weekends to ensure she spends time with her family.

On top of this, Niamh said regular exercise (walking her dog in Sticky Forest three times a week) is integral to her general health, and she tries not to spend that time “on the phone or picking over council issues in my brain”.

Niamh has travelled widely and worked as a project manager in the Middle East for ten years, an experience which has provided an interesting contrast to her work in the Queenstown Lakes District.

“All of my clients were Arabic or Indian males and people always assume that being a young female professional in that environment must have been really tough,” she said. 

“But it’s been fascinating to me that where I’ve felt most respected as a professional woman was in the Middle East. It was possible to earn respect by being extremely effective at what I did.

“I stand on the shoulders – especially in New Zealand - of some remarkable, extraordinary women. Some of them have been vocal and active about gender equality and others have effected change by quietly working harder and smarter to just get the job done. And that’s largely what I’ve done in my current job: to be as well-prepared and logical and reasonable as possible, and always state my truth with respect and courtesy. I’ll continue to do that.

“But I want to acknowledge that there are different challenges for [women], because it’s depressing that there’s still such resistance to the suggestion that equality for women still has a way to go. Whenever I mention this to other women, there’s such an immediate, inherent understanding of this. It really bothers me to think that our daughters will have to work harder and smarter for the same recognition in their chosen careers.”

As a first time councillor Niamh’s exposure to public scrutiny has been a new experience. 

The QLDC Facebook page has examples of members of the council being referred to as “muppets” or “pigs at the trough”.

“Some people can be totally different online than they are in person and I’ve had to step back from Facebook because when people are pounding away on a keyboard they forget there’s a person at the other end,” Niamh said. 

“A small number of people assume things about you as a politician, and forget I’m a mum and a wife, I have friends and family and a life beyond council and I’ve got the same feelings and stresses and pressures as anyone else.”

Niamh acknowledges that council's interaction with the community can be improved. 

She identifies problems with the council's ability to present “appropriate, timely and genuine information to the community - as well as its elected members”. 

Anyone thinking about standing for election can do so as long as they are a New Zealand citizen and registered to vote in the Otago district.