Clare St Pierre – born in Te Rore, first class honours in Business Studies, NZ Institute of Directors chartered member, council since 2013.
Clare St Pierre
Organisations like Waikato Chamber of Commerce are calling for widespread local body amalgamation. Do you support that call and if so, what Waikato local authorities would you want to amalgamate with? (50 words)
Yes. I have already been calling for Waipā to review what would be left of our business after water services shift to a joint CCO and it makes sense to look to the other councils in that CCO arrangement to join up with for more savings.
When you choose your deputy mayor, what attributes will you be looking for and how important is the role? Or will it be location based in the case of Waikato and Waipā e.g. Cambridge mayor, Te Awamutu deputy and vice versa; North Waikato mayor, Tamahere-Woodlands deputy and vice versa? What would be the requirement for a deputy mayor in Hamilton? (50 words)
Location will definitely be important so a Cambridge deputy mayor is my plan. I want to be a mayor that’s seen in the community but having an experienced, respected and community-focused deputy mayor based in Cambridge as one of my closest advisors/collaborators will create an incredibly effective leadership combination.
You all say you want to cut ‘waste’. Specifically, what would you cut – give examples. (50 words)
My words have been finding efficiencies. Inefficiencies on my radar are traffic management that takes up 30% of contract costs and stormwater complaints getting 5 staff visits spread over 2 years, with no resolution. Not taking advantage of AI for productivity gains is a form of large-scale waste.
Given the recent water reforms, should your organisation also be reformed and resized to fit (50 words)
Absolutely! I have already been asking for this work to begin because I can see the risk of huge overheads being left for ratepayers to cover. That can be avoided with good forward planning.
What is your view on (a) rates capping and (b) linking rates to an inflation index (100 words)
I’m advocating for spending control with local autonomy rather than arbitrary caps from Wellington. Such caps risk undermining local decision-making, delaying vital infrastructure and so increasing long-term costs. There are different forms of caps, e.g. only applied to non-essential spending, so I will be watching Central Government’s moves.
I’m strongly in favour of linking rates rises to an inflation index because that is the foundation of affordability, which is one of my campaign platforms. Other councils such as Whanganui are great examples of using a deliberate strategy to contain costs within inflation or less which I as Mayor would implement.
What will you do to make your organisation more transparent (50 words)
I would enhance transparency through maximising open meetings, and deliberately shortening reports, but prioritising useful information – less is more – with the specific details to convey key messages, such as debt reporting to differentiate between debt that ratepayers need to repay and debt that others repay, e.g. developers.
What’s your view on community engagement….and the massive costs of that engagement? (50 words)
Community engagement’s important so we connect with the people needed and hear their views, but it must be cost effective. We also need balance across different channels so we don’t exclude those not online. I want closer oversight on the cost of different approaches so we’re efficient but still effective.
What would you do to help people engage more in local government (50 words)
I’d go where they are, whether physically or online. I’d also keep the length of messages short and to the point, so people aren’t overwhelmed by quantity. I’d use images and videos more. Young people and migrants are a focus for me to get their participation up in council activities.
The media landscape has changed with wholesale closures of community newspapers throughout the region. Foreign owned companies like Google and Meta do not pay taxes, do not employ local people and rather than report on local body politics, pinch what they can from the newspapers that are left. There are now more people employed in council communications’ roles than in the actual newspapers. Each of your councils spend advertising money on foreign media. What responsibility do you think a city/district council has to support its local newspapers? (50 words)
Communicating with our residents is a critical part of council’s role, and to be effective both paid and unpaid channels are used. I support appropriate budget going to local newspapers but the taxation issue needs addressing by central Government.
Finally, in 100 words, tell us why you should be mayor.
Our district faces huge challenges – high debt, rates affordability and transparency issues. Water reform could leave behind large overheads while growth creates congestion and financing pressures. I am the candidate with the strongest financial and governance credentials that are critical to fixing them. By applying my business experience, personal values, and inclusive leadership style developed over two decades through award-winning collaborations such as Taiea te Taiao, I will ensure changes are led that are community-centred, transparent and effective. As your mayor, I can deliver a council that controls costs and is set for a positive future.
Lake Nga Roto
