We’ve just released our 2019 Local Government Election guide, ahead of the upcoming local elections.

The guide identifies four areas which you’ve told us are crucial to the growth of the region's economy, and includes a series of recommendations we believe the incoming council needs to address. The four issues of most importance to Porirua businesses are:

Download the Local Government Election Guide here >>

  • Business Wellbeing: Strong businesses create stronger communities. When business does well, Porirua does well, our whole community does well. Councillors must be focused on the wellbeing of businesses and what this means. This will enable SME business owners to responsibly contribute to our local communities.
  • Fiscal Responsibility & Council Spending: Porirua is struggling to balance spending while funding current and future growth. We need councillors who understand a balanced budget, the difference between core services and nice-to-haves, and the required resilience of a balance sheet.
  • Roading, Transport & Infrastructure: Significant projects need clear oversight to ensure the city gets the right benefits from these projects. Councillors need to take the lessons from the city’s involvement with Transmission Gully to ensure similar issues don’t arise in the Eastern Regeneration, Plimmerton Farm and other large-scale projects.
  • Leadership: Councils everywhere function best when they’re operating cohesively. This cohesion and leadership needs to come from everyone involved in the council, irrespective of history, faction or position - from officers, to councillors and the Mayor. Let’s have robust debate, but then let’s get on with the plan.

 
Our Mayor and Councillors need to be absolutely focused on wellbeing and growth – it is business and investment that are going to get Porirua humming. We need local leaders who will give Porirua businesses the confidence to invest in themselves, their people, and their growth.

The Chamber will also publish a guide detailing candidate responses to a series of questions put to each of them, plus will host a Mayoral debate in partnership with the Dominion Post and Whitireia. The debate is open to all Chamber members and the wider Porirua business community. We encourage you to come along and put your questions to each mayoral candidate.

Details of this free event are on our website here.

Cheers,
 
Heather Hutchings
Chair of the Advisory Committee
Porirua Chamber of Commerce