While local body elections may not titillate the average punter, at least one Wānaka councillor is looking forward to the outcome and the likely introduction of a whole lot of new faces.

On the proviso he’s re-elected, of course, Quentin Smith said he was “excited by the prospect” of a potential “new look” to the lineup of elected representatives on the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

With fewer than four weeks remaining before candidate nominations for local government elections close (August 12), Quentin is the only current Wānaka-based QLDC councillor to announce he’s standing for re-election.

He said typically a high proportion of incumbent candidates for council and mayor would stand again, meaning real changeover is often limited to around 30 percent.

This year’s election, though, not only has fewer candidates confirmed as standing for re-election but, since the representation review last year, it will also see an increase in the number of councillors.

Quentin out and about in the community. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“A shift in the ward and representation structure [means] we are facing at the very least a new mayor and probably two thirds new councillors. “This could mean two or three new councillors in the Upper Clutha,” Quentin said. 

“The prospect of some new faces, new ideas, new energy and being part of building a substantially new council is a refreshing and exciting prospect if I am lucky enough to be reelected,” he said.  

“The mayoral race is wide open and if we get a good range of candidates for council and the [Wānaka] Community Board this election will be really intriguing.” 

First elected to the Wānaka Community Board in 2016, Quentin won a council seat in the 2017 by-election when incumbent councillor Ella Lawton resigned to become a councillor on the Otago Regional Council. 

He retained his position as a QLDC councillor when he won the largest number of votes for the Wānaka Ward in the 2019 local body elections.

Quentin said his advice to “newbies” is to listen, read and learn, and then make their own decisions. They should also be prepared to engage on a broad array of issues rather than focusing on a single issue: “that rarely plays out well”.

“Stand by your convictions and your community,” he advised, but noted it was also important to accept that politics is also about collaboration and compromise.  

“The outcomes should be a blend of input from everyone at the table, which means you don’t always get your way.”  

This advice also applies to Wānaka Community Board (WCB) candidates. Quentin admitted he originally did not support the retention of the WCB.

“In hindsight I regret the position I took during the representation review but …I voted in the end to retain the board and now the work is on to really give it some grunt in the new term and really make it something worth keeping,” he said.  

“A fresh start after the election under a new look council will provide that perfect platform.  We only have one new community board candidate at the moment who has declared the intention to stand.”  

Quentin said he’d like to see every local community association putting forward a candidate, and also the local chamber of commerce and any other major advocacy organisation.

 “At least one candidate from Hawea, Luggate, Cardrona and Makarora should be in the mix as well as other interest groups.”

“I would like council to be more collaborative and rebuild some of the trust with the community.”