About Andrew
Candidate Statement
Your rates are going up 100% in Five Years unless we can fix the spending problems on speed bumps and cycleways. I am the hardest working councillor, fighting against bureaucracy, wasteful spending, and white elephants
I have been a licensed architectural designer, builder, project manager, and professional problem solver for 30 years. I am proudly male, pale and stale. The most important thing I have learned from experience is that experience is the most important thing. I have the skills to fix the council so that it is working for you. Don't expect me to be nice and polite. Expect me to get the job done.
Yes for Back to Basics, Commonsense, Transparency, and Accountability.
No to woke culture, 20-minute cities, more debt, and in-lane bus stops.
I support the Better Hamilton campaign. Please vote Macindoe for Mayor, and rank Bydder, Liu, Aitken, McDonald, Dhaliwal, Hamilton and Talbot for councillor.
Candidate Profile Questions
1. What would be your top three priorities for Council the next three years?
RATES, ROADS, RUBBISH
Get Back to Basics. There is a cost-of-living crisis, and those on fixed incomes, like pensioners, are really struggling. We can’t keep having rates rises of $500 every year. Cap rates and work within our means.
Begin by stopping wasting money on speed bumps and in-lane bus stops. Not everyone can cycle, especially when it is raining. We are not Amsterdam, we don’t have an underground rail system, most of us need our cars for practical reasons. Tradies can’t carry their tools on a bus, and granny can’t do her grocery shopping on a lime scooter.
Rubbish is a community service. Avoid cuts to services by making the big savings on the expensive infrastructure (pipes and roads), which make up 75% of spending. Libraries make up 1%, so there is no point in pinching pennies when better project management will save millions on the big stuff.
2. What is your aspiration for Hamilton Kirikiriroa?
OUR CHILDREN CHOOSE TO LIVE IN HAMILTON
Our city is a wonderful place to raise a family. But for our young people to CHOOSE to live here, they need AFFORDABLE houses and good JOBS.
Council plays a significant role in both. We must remove the red-tape that adds so much cost to new homes. We must be business-friendly to support a strong economy.
We can leverage WINTEC, the University, and the new medical school to create opportunities for young people. We must provide good facilities for families, and we must do more for safety.
3. How do you think Council could best use opportunities to meet the key challenges we are facing?
INNOVATION AND FLEXIBILITY
Hamilton is part of the Golden Triangle, made up of Auckland, Tauranga, and the Waikato. We have great primary production, transport, international shipping, air freight, and tech leaders. The council manages a lot of bureaucratic regulatory functions – the rules and red-tape for compliance. Old rules need to change to suit new opportunities. Let’s be flexible to encourage innovation.
Just one example is the government has changed the rules to allow the import of 250,000 new building materials. This is great news for our construction sector and Ruakura Inland Port. Hamilton can lead the way with better building consents so businesses start here and expand into Auckland.
4.If there was one thing you could change about Hamilton Kirikiriroa immediately, what would it be?
CARING ABOUT EACH OTHER
The Hamilton I grew up in was a large town. It is now a small city. The town was safe. We could leave our doors unlocked. People looked out for each other, we had a strong sense of community, and volunteer groups would do working bees to get stuff done. A ‘city’ way of thinking can keep people isolated even in a crowd. We need to be good neighours again, respect our differences, and help each other. Other people are not ‘opposition’, they are opportunities. They are not ‘competition’, they are community members. We are stronger together. I want to remind people that it is still possible to think local, and ask for help if you need it.
5. What qualities would you bring to Council that will help our city thrive?
EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT ME THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS EXPERIENCE.
I have a 30-year history of successful business from hard work, learning every day, and listening to others. My area of expertise is project management of engineering, construction, and infrastructure. This covers 75% of council expenditure, and it is the area where the most money can be saved by improving systems. My role is to get stuff done by sorting out the design, paperwork, consultants, contracts, programmes, accounts, and supervising the actual work. I assemble the teams needed to do the jobs, make the decisions, and take responsibility for the outcomes.
The current council is bound up by too much red tape, committee meetings, and reports. This slows decisions and add costs. It takes experience to cut through the mess. I may not be polite, but I get the results that our city needs.
6. Where can voters go to learn more about you?
Website: https://www.betterhamilton.co.nz/
Content supplied by candidate.