# 2022–2025 term of the Hastings District Council

The 2022–2025 triennium is the current and twelfth term of the Hastings District Council, a territorial authority that governs the Hastings District of New Zealand. It was elected at the 2022 local elections held on 8 October.
The term was dominated by the recovery of the district following the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. The council also dealt with issues related to infrastructure, crime, its youth council and finances. By-elections were held in 2024 following the resignation of two councillors.

## Events
### 2022

* 13 October: Final local election results released.

### 2023

* February: Cyclone Gabrielle devastates the district and wider Hawke's Bay region.

### 2024

* 27 May: Final by-election results released, Heather Te Au-Skipworth and Hana Montaperto-Hendry confirmed elected.

## Term
### By-elections

Hana Montaperto-Hendry and Heather Te Au-Skipworth were elected to the council following by-elections in May 2024. Montaperto-Hendry was elected to the Heretaunga general seat, which was vacated by the previous councillor Ann Redstone due to illness. Te Au-Skipworth was elected to the Takitimu māori ward following the resignation of councillor Renata Nepe.

### Cyclone Gabrielle recovery

In the 2024 budget, the government gave the council $1,470,000 towards road infrastructure affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Mayor Hazlehurst welcomed the move. The Napier-Taihape Road required major repairs which were green lit by central government in July 2024, work commencing in August. Locals called on NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to make the road part of the state highway network, with the mayor voicing her support.
Councils in Hawke's Bay established voluntary buyout schemes following the devastation of the cyclone, with 153 properties in the Hastings District deemed to be unsafe for continued human residence ("Category 3"). 24 of these were bought out right, with the owners of the rest of the land agreeing to receive relocation grants but retaining ownership. The costs for these buyouts was split evenly between council and the central government.
In the councils Long Term Plan, $17 million per year for 16 years was forecast to be put towards the cyclone recovery programme. Council CEO Nigel Bickle described the Long Term PLan as "...the most challenging..." the council had ever dealt with. Mayor Hazlehurst said in April 2024 that the council had spent in the past year "close to $155 million" in response to the cyclone.

### Youth council

The Hastings District Youth Council is made up of 15-20 young Hastonians aged 15 to 21 who live, work, or study in the district. In 2020, Hastings youth councillors were granted speaking rights on council subcommittees, allowing them to actively participate and provide input. This initiative aimed to empower youth by involving them in local governance and decision-making processes.
In September 2024, the Hastings District Council voted to grant youth councillors voting rights on subcommittees. The decision was evenly split among councillors, with Mayor Hazlehurst casting the tie-breaking vote in favour. She stated that this move provided "an opportunity for the next generation to influence change which will impact our community into the future."
The decision elicited mixed reactions; supporters viewed it as a progressive step towards youth empowerment and leadership development, whilst critics emphasised that youth councillors are unelected. The Taxpayers' Union protested the decision by setting up a "bouncy council" outside the Hastings District Council building.
Voting rights granted to youth councillors were limited to subcommittees and do not extend to full council meetings, ensuring that primary decision-making authority remains with elected councillors.
The Local Government Act permits councils to appoint unelected members to committees, a practice often used to involve subject matter experts or iwi representatives. The decision to grant voting rights to Youth Council members aligns with these existing provisions.
The decision was accompanied by "misinformation", according to one of the youth councillors. Certain elected members and advocacy groups, including the Taxpayers’ Union, claimed that the vote would allow youth councillors to vote in full council meetings, which was incorrect. The voting rights applied only to council subcommittees.
Vote on Youth Councillors having voting rights on committees :
| | For | Against | Absent |
| | Sandra Hazlehurst (mayor) | Alwyn Corban | Kellie Jessup |
| | Tania Kerr (DM) | Malcolm Dixon | Kevin Watkins |
| | Ana Apatu | Michael Fowler | |
| | Marcus Buddo | Damon Harvey | |
| | Hana Montaperto-Hendry | Henry Heke | |
| | Heather Te Au-Skipworth | Eileen Lawson | |
| | Wendy Schollum | Simon Nixon | |
| Total | 7 (mayor tiebreak) | 7 | 2 |

### Māori wards

The council had introduced the Takitimu Māori ward at the 2022 local elections. Following the decision of the Sixth National Government to force local councils to either abolish Māori wards or hold a referendum on their continued existence, the council voted unanimously to retain them and thus to hold a referendum, to occur alongside the 2025 local elections. Deputy Mayor Kerr called the Government's decision a "farce", and Mayor Hazlehurst said it was "disheartening" that the Government did not trust local councils on the issue.

### Crime

The council unanimously voted in September 2024 to close an alleyway connecting Oliphant Place and Bledisloe Street due to incidences of people using it to evade police and other illegal purposes. Councillor Damon Harvey said the alleyway had a "hide point" and was poorly lit.

### Infrastructure and amenities

The council won a court case against two anti-fluoridation groups in July 2024, after the groups applied for an urgent injunction against the fluoridation of district water. The groups were ordered to pay court costs of $20,470 to the council. The district's water was fluoridated from 1954 to 2016, but was stopped in 2016 because the council could only add one chemical to the water at the time, and they were required to chlorinate it following the Havelock North gastroenteritis outbreak. The council voted in April 2024 to re-introduce fluoridation. A public vote on the issue in 2013 showed 63.5% public support.
The council purchased the Tōmoana Showgrounds in April 2023. Following building assessments, it was decided to tear down the grandstand within the showgrounds due to structural issues.

### Finances

In 2024, the Hastings District Council faced significant financial challenges, primarily due to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and escalating infrastructure costs.
Initially, the council proposed a rates increase of 25% for the 2024–2025 financial year, significantly higher than the national average increase of 15%. Mayor Hazlehurst defended the decision in an op-ed for the Hawke's Bay Today, stating that the council had "no other funding options" for maintaining critical infrastructure in the aftermath of the cyclone. However, after public consultations, the council reduced the rates increase to 19%, formalising the decision in the 2024–2034 Long Term Plan (LTP).
The LTP also signalled further rates increases in subsequent years to address financial sustainability:
* 2025/2026 - A proposed rates increase of 15%, with 6% specifically allocated for cyclone recovery efforts.
* 2026/2027 - A proposed rates increase of 10%.
* From 2027/2028 onwards, rates increases are projected to reduce to 4% for urban areas and 7% for rural areas.
The council's debt stood at almost $400 million in 2024 and is projected to reach over $700 million by 2030. To mitigate this, Chief Executive Nigel Bickle was tasked with identifying $2.7 million in savings to reduce financial pressures on ratepayers.

### Rainbow Storytime

The council cancelled a Rainbow Storytime event in March 2024, after a large number of "threatening and intimidating" messages from Destiny Church protestors. Mayor Hazelhurst said she was deeply disappointed that the council had to resort to cancellation, but concerns for the safety of children and other community members made it necessary.

## Composition
### Mayor

| Mayor | Mayor | Affiliation | Affiliation | Elected | Deputy |
| | Sandra Hazlehurst | | Independent | 2017 | Tania Kerr |

### Councillors

Current :
| Ward | Councillor | Affiliation |
| Mohaka | Tania Kerr | None |
| Flaxmere | Henry Heke | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Malcolm Dixon | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Michael Fowler | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Damon Harvey | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Eileen Lawson | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Simon Nixon | None |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Wendy Schollum | Delivering housing and employment |
| Hastings-Havelock North | Kevin Watkins | None |
| Heretaunga | Alwyn Corban | None |
| Heretaunga | Hana Montaperto-Hendry | None |
| Kahuranaki | Marcus Buddo | None |
| Takitimu | Ana Apatu | None |
| Takitimu | Kellie Jessup | Consult, Create & Execute |
| Takitimu | Heather Te Au-Skipworth | None |
Resigned :
| Ward | Councillor | Affiliation |
| Heretaunga | Ann Redstone | None |
| Takitimu | Renata Nepe | None (Te Pāti Māori) |