Arrowtown debate: John Glover "I'll bring out the best in everyone."

By Amanda Robertshawe.

Some Arrowtown residents had forecast “fireworks” at Monday evening’s mayoral debate but instead the audience witnessed a reasonably demanding, but drama free, debate between five of the six QLDC candidates.

It was a full house at the Athenaeum Hall where more than 200 residents turned out to hear what the candidates had to say from the hustings. They faced an array of questions, eliciting answers covering range of issues, as well as offering some solutions.

The only absence was Darren Rewi who was stranded at Sydney airport on his way back from a National Geographic youth event in Taiwan. The audience heard a recorded message Rewi sent from Sydney, which emphasised that this election was about change and leadership, not about empty promises.

The session was divided into four categories;

1. Trust, Accountability, Collaboration and Transparency.

2. Quick fire questions requiring responses in 30 seconds.

3. Regional Questions with an Arrowtown ‘twist’.

4. Questions from the floor.

Nik Kiddle emphasised his decades-long career in the New Zealand diplomatic service. He made special note of his time running conferences for the United Nations at which there would be typically 3,000 international delegates. This experience, Kiddle says, would stand him in good stead for leading the QLDC.

If elected, John Glover said his leadership style would embrace both the Council and the community, and that he would bring out the best everyone has to offer. Glover said he didn’t think anyone was happy with the current council leadership.

The incumbent mayor, Glyn Lewers, said that being Mayor is difficult. However, he said that once a decision is made by Council, he gets in behind it in order to achieve the best outcome.

Lewers said that during this election cycle there had been a lot of negativity expressed by other candidates without addressing the future, or a vision.

Lewers also criticised the public release of email exchanges by John Glover. He said they contained private conversations between some members of council.

These emails related to Mayor Lewers embarking on a public excluded, closed door recruitment process to replace QLDC Chief Executive Mike Theelen.

Glover protested, saying the emails from Councillor Lisa Guy were addressed to ‘Whom It May Concern” meaning they were suitable for publication.

Later in the meeting the Mayor said the replacement of a Chief Executive was a 10 step process. He said they were now at Step 2 - the appointment of a recruitment company.

Step 3, Lewers said, requires the recruitment company to meet with the full Council.

“We are following a standard process and the full Council will make the decision, which has to be made by 14th February, 2026”, Lewers said.

Candidate Daniel Shand admitted, at the outset of the evening, that he has no intention of being elected Mayor. His intentions, he said, were to promote democracy, a theme he repeated throughout the evening.

Al Angus, in his inimitable style, stated building trust would be his initial mission, if successful. Angus amused the audience on suggesting he’d like to see punishment, rather than a pay increase, for failures from Council staff.

On several occasions, Central Government’s control, and influence, over issues facing the region, came up for discussion.

The Fast Track legislation, introduced by the current coalition government, and the Regional Deal process, along with the pressure for growth, are impacting the QLDC, especially the provision of infrastructure.

Lewers said, “I can’t stress enough how important a Regional Deal is for Queenstown.”

Kiddle said he felt Lewers had gone ‘behind the scenes’ having not told us much about the Regional Deal framework. “So much has gone on behind smoke and mirrors – we need a political leader to tell us what, exactly, is going on.”

When asked what he thought was the biggest challenge for a candidate who has not sat on council, John Glover replied “Probably understanding all the secret deals that have gone on.”

Kiddle felt his biggest challenge would be ‘breaking the mold’, and gave examples of big government organisations, and their leaders, managing their departments successfully.

Glyn Lewers said his biggest challenges, if re-elected, would be the Regional Deal, recruitment of a new Chief Executive, and the imminent RMA reform.

When asked what motivated him to stand for election, Glover said it was when council discharged partially treated sewage into the Shotover river.

Glover said he attended the public protest held near the river but there was no representative from the Council in attendance to say ‘sorry’.

The session covered many pressing problems in the region, not least a reliable and adequate electricity supply, as well what Council assets might be traded to fund a Regional Deal.

High rates increases have been on the agenda at all forums this election, with Al Angus describing them as outrageous.

From the floor, candidates were asked an array of questions including what criteria they would use to exercise their casting vote in the event of an impasse? Why hasn’t the Council ‘been in the room’ when Fast Track decisions by Central Government have disregarded any protection the community expects for valuable landscapes? What would they do, if elected, about the seemingly dysfunctional relationship between the ORC and QLDC.

During the evening, the protection of Arrowtown’s special character from intensification, and development, came up for discussion, which was not surprising given this was an Arrowtown audience.

Candidates were asked whether they supported development in the historic village, or not. They all agreed Arrowtown was a place of special significance and should be protected.

However, how much of the village each candidate thought should be protected was not entirely transparent. Like so much in this election campaign, it’s the details which are so ‘devilish’ to untangle.