Te Awamutu Kihikihi Community Board
Ange Holt – 2025
Ange Holt – Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board
1. Should councillors sit on the two community boards or should it be just those elected to the board by the public for that specific role? (50 words)
No – The current structure’s inclusion of councillors on boards is largely inefficient. Perceived conflicts of interest frequently undermine their effectiveness, preventing proper advocacy. While their relationships and institutional knowledge offer some benefits, we would be better served by independent boards, free from councillor involvement, optimising accountability and true representation.
2. Would you support a Māori ward seat on the community boards? (50 words)
Yes – If this was what the Community/Tangata Whenua wanted then I would certainly support a Maori Ward seat on community board.
3. Should the central business district be the main hub for retail and business or should the 15 minute neighbourhood strategy in Ahu Ake be adopted? (50 words)
Yes – We need the main hub for business and retail in our main towns to keep these areas vibrant and well supported. We aren’t yet big enough for this to be an issue at this point.
4. Community board chairs sat in on annual plan, long term plan and other council business during this term. Is that a good thing or it doesn’t go far enough? Te Kanohi representatives have speaking and voting rights at committee meetings, should community board chairs be allowed to have that also? (50 words)
Participating in this process was valuable for raising questions and clarifying issues. Granting community board chairs speaking and voting rights represents progress toward integrating community perspectives into decision-making. This step empowers chairs to contribute directly, ensuring that residents’ voices effectively shape outcomes and strengthen democratic accountability at the council level.
5. In the case of the Blue Blob in Cambridge and the Kihikihi Cycleway, the community boards weren’t consulted before it was too late. Should community boards be more involved at an earlier stage? (50 words)
Yes – community boards should join the conversation from day one so our community input guides the final result. For the cycleway, we had early involvement but weren’t given sufficient detail to appreciate exactly what was planned.
6. A member of the Cambridge Community Board was on the earlier Cambridge Connections project group but was sworn to secrecy and unable to report back to the board. Was that fair? (50 words)
No – I think that community board representatives on committees need to be able to feed back otherwise what is the point of them attending. It becomes the individuals input not that of the community board if they are not communicating both ways.
7. Community advisors were appointed during Covid and the position still exists today. Should they report more regularly through to community boards? (50 words)
That would be nice! It makes sense for the community advisors to have a working relationship with the community boards as they are involved in a number of the same projects and deal directly with the community.
8. What sort of decisions could community boards be involved with to take away pressure on councillors? More delegated authority? (50 words)
I’d like to see community board be the conduit between the concept plans (high level) and the final plans to insure we get what our respective community needs and wants. This could include decisions around design or upgrades of parks, playgrounds and even infrastructure or street layout.
9. Should community boards have more funding available for discretionary grants? (50 words)
Yes, if we can afford to. I would like to have more funding again to support our local community groups who provide wonderful services for our communities. They most often can make funds go way further than a commercial organisation.
10. Do you believe Waipā District Council should continue to have community boards? (50 words)
Yes – As they play an important role in the community and are a valuable asset to their council when treated as a respected partner that is making a worthwhile contribution. We are responsible for our towns while councillors focus on the entire district. We provide an independent voice to keep council accountable.
See: Community Board candidates in their own words
