About Dave
Candidate Statement
I've lived in Hamilton my whole life, on both sides of the river, and as both renter and ratepayer. I went to school in Melville and studied at Waikato University. I've seen the best of our city - and see where we can do better.
It's my ambition to see a thriving Kirikiriroa Hamilton - a creative and culturally exciting hub that draws in students, businesses, families, and tourists. My priorities include: future-proofing our aging infrastructure to ensure long-term performance and climate resilience; supporting multi-modal transport to reduce traffic congestion and give choice as to how we get around; and investing in local community projects and events to support our local identity and drive tourism to our centre.
I will use my skills as a strategic advisor and consultant, and from working with leadership teams like the One Victoria Trust (The Meteor Theatre), to drive meaningful change to our city.
Candidate Profile Questions
1. What would be your top three priorities for Council the next three years?
Celebrate Hamilton Kirikiriroa’s identity by supporting our creative and community spaces and groups, festivals, public art, green and blue spaces, and collaborations with Maaori. I’ll champion local talent, and drive business and tourism to our centre.
Future-proof our infrastructure to meet population growth and climate challenges. Our long-term strategy documents expects our roading, waters, parks, and pools to go underfunded in the coming decade. Let’s invest proactively, leverage technology for resource management, prioritise projects based on impact and lifetime costs, and collaborate with our communities to meet our needs, values, and vision.
Expand transport options, especially as we expect an additional 50,000 residents by 2035. Our long-term strategy currently underfunds our roading, walking and cycling support, and public transport initiatives. We need reliable roads for our cars, and safe, accessible choices for walking, cycling, scooters, buses, wheelchairs – all of which also reduce the demand on our roading.
2. What is your aspiration for Hamilton Kirikiriroa?
Hamilton Kirikiriroa in 2035 is thriving. It’s cleaner, more beautiful and more interconnected than ever. Children walk and cycle safely to school. With more scooters and bikes in use, and our upgraded bus network, there is less traffic on our well-maintained roads, so traffic is a thing of the past.
Our city is colourful, with artwork around every corner, and events on every week. People come from out of town to see a show, visit our parks and pools, join a community event, enjoy the river and lake walks, go to a café or shopping, or just to see the ambitious projects that are enlivening our civic spaces.
We chose to have a city that was full of life, with robust infrastructure that was prepared for the future. Hamilton Kirikiriroa is a bold, energetic city, and one that we can proudly call home.
3. How do you think Council could best use opportunities to meet the key challenges we are facing?
By being bold, collaborative, and future-focused. We should be looking at proactive, not reactive changes, and planning for – and investing in – the city that we want to be in another decade.
We should prioritise projects that deliver long-term value, including multi-modal transport networks that reduce congestion, housing developments that are affordable and well-connected, and civic spaces and activities that foster belonging and creativity.
Council also needs to build trust with residents, and that means more transparent decision making, genuine community engagement, and clear communication and accountabilities. When people understand the “why” behind a project, they’re more likely to rally behind it.
We must also be an inclusive city. The strengths of our city lie in the diversity of our voices, and we should actively listen to voices that are often underrepresented – such as young people, renters, Maaori, migrants, our retirees – to ensure their needs are met.
4. If there was one thing you could change about Hamilton Kirikiriroa immediately, what would it be?
There are many things that we deserve: free public transport, well-maintained roads with multi-modal transport options as standard, support for our businesses, improved water quality in Lake Rotoroa and the river, fixing our water infrastructure, more services for rough sleepers, and so on. All of these would have immediate and long-term benefits to our city.
A wider, more pressing challenge is that we lack a single identity, and have done so for decades. We are variously a college town, a city that serves the surrounding rural industries, a city with its back to the river, a multi-cultural city, a garden or fountain city, a city of cafés and restaurants and street art and theatre, and so on. This diversity can be our strength, however each part of our identity is working against the others. A cohesive identity that unites us drive change and attract more people.
5. What qualities would you bring to Council that will help our city thrive?
I work with ambitious leaders, thinkers and business owners, and in our creative community, and help them use their ideas to make the world a better place. The role of the councillor should be the same: working with our communities and putting the best ideas in practice for a thriving, fair, beautiful city that serves all residents. I bring excellent communication skills, a firm but fair voice, and an ability to see both the big picture and the small details to ensure that our path forward will be a successful one.
Hamilton Kirikiriroa has always been my home. I was born here, went to school in Melville, and studied to a postgraduate level at Waikato University. I’ve been a renter and a ratepayer. I am driven to pay forward everything this city has given me, improving the quality of life for our current and future residents.
6. Where can voters go to learn more about you?
Social media
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