It is good to have the sand between your toes when you walk on the beach.
About Me
I am an Engineer. As an Engineer I am trained to be very analytical and a problem solver. I like to get to the bottom of things, understand what is causing the problem, and then work out the best way to fix it. This requires analysing and sifting through the data with an open mind, and exploring all of the possible options to find the best fit solution. You can not solve a problem without finding the cause of the problem. You can not solve a problem if you have already decided the solution. Finding the cause of a problem is usually the hard part. Once you find the cause fixing the problem is usually relatively easy. If you do not understand the cause of the problem it is virtually impossible to fix the problem.
Most of what the council does is engineering. As an engineer I watch the bad management, wasteful spending and nice to have projects. We need a Council which is fit for purpose and which looks after the interests of the residents, rather than the interests of big business. We need to live within our budgets and spend wisely. The Council badly needs to be reorganised to cut costs and increase efficiency.
I am standing for council because I want to do something about that. I want to find the cause of the problem and fix it. Most councils in New Zealand are having similar problems and probably for the same reasons. Tauranga can not continue the way things are. It is unaffordable.
I was born and raised in Tauranga. My first job after leaving school was milking cows for Bernie and Alison Rowe up Ohauiti Road on what is now the Rowesdale subdivision. I worked in horticulture in Te Puke for a number of years before changing track to engineering. I completed a Mechanical Engineering degree at Auckland University as an adult student (First Class Honors). I was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship to St Johns College, Cambridge University In England and completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. I worked in the oil and gas industry in Aberdeen, Scotland, and then South East Asia. My two children were born in Aberdeen. We returned to Tauranga to live in Papamoa in 2004. I raised my two children here in Papamoa as a solo dad. I remarried but I am now a widower. I am 67 and retired so I have plenty of time and energy to devote to Tauranga Council.
I am independent and do not have any business, social or election ties with big business in Tauranga (or anywhere else). I have not received any donations, sponsorship, mentoring, polling data, strategy advice or other assistance from big business for my election campaign. My election campaign is totally self funded and low budget.