A desire to see Whakatāne progress as a district has led Rangitaiki general ward councillor Wilson James to seek the Whakatāne mayoralty at this year’s election.

“We’ve got a great district, great people, everything is here, but people like to see something for their money. If you just pay rates for the same old same old, it’s not a good feeling.

“I’m more future focused. I’m always thinking forward rather than looking back and what are the opportunities that are coming up.”

The Awakeri farmer and two-term councillor says that although he understands the need to keep rates affordable, he wants to see plans in place, such as those for the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub which has been on the back-burner for over 20 years.

“We get a lot of commentary that we shouldn’t be looking at new projects until times are better, but we need to have plans in place to take advantage of the good times when they do come,” he said.

“We can’t afford to stagnate. I’ve always felt that if we’re standing still we’re going backwards.”

He said to attract professionals, such as doctors to work in the hospital, the district needed to offer facilities to attract families.

“Some of our sports facilities, for example, are starting to run behind those of other centres.

“I’m all for upgrading Rex Morpeth Park, building some indoor sports stadiums, but for me, that would be a 15-to 20-year project.

“We produce a lot of great sportspeople in this district. Up to about 27 years ago we probably had as good facilities as anyone. Now, here we are with a whole lot of people having to take their kids over to Tauranga because we don’t have the facilities.”

He also felt strongly that areas outside of the main township deserved improved facilities.

“Half of our ratepayer base is outside of Whakatāne-Ōhōpe. They want to see something for their money, too.”

He wants to provide strong advocacy to New Zealand Transport Agency - Waka Kotahi for the replacement of the Pekatahi Bridge on State Highway 2 with a new two-lane bridge a priority.

“The Pekatahi Bridge is a major transport link for our district and our neighbouring districts. A lot of what is produced by and supplied to our local industries and communities relies on coming over that 100-year-old, single-lane bridge, which is now regularly closed for ineffective repairs.”

Also high on his agenda is getting a better return from properties on leasehold Harbour Board land, which is a current council-led initiative.

“At the moment most councils seem to be in the same boat, with rising costs, but at the same time, we can’t afford our rates to be prohibitive. We need to look at new streams of revenue.”

Mr James said he had considered standing for mayor in 2022, but the large number of candidates had left him with concerns about splitting the vote between like-minded people.

“This time, I’ve thought, I’ve got a lot to offer the district. I’m always thinking long term.

“I like to have a good team approach to everything. I like to lead from the front. Have a listen but get things done.”

Mr James has been farming on the Rangitaiki Plains for 43 years and has served on Whakatāne District Council for the past six.

He served on the Fonterra Co-operative Council for five years, as chairman of the Awakeri School Board for nine years and as president of the Eastern Bay of Plenty JP Association for two years. He also intends to stand again as a candidate for the Rangitaiki general ward.

Three other elected members of the council announced they would be standing for the mayoralty. These are Mayor Victor Luca, Te Urewera general ward councillor Andrew Iles and Whakatāne-Ōhope general ward councillor Nandor Tanczos.