Craig Pauling isn't ruling out a run for Parliament as his tenure as Canterbury Regional Council chairperson winds down. 

Mr Pauling announced recently he will not be seeking re-election in October’s local government elections. 

With a background in environmental planning, he is considering a number of options, including working with Rūnanga on projects he has previously been involved in. 

He is also not ruling out running for Parliament as a Green Party candidate in next year’s general election. 

Mr Pauling has served six years on Environment Canterbury, including two stints as acting chairperson, before being elected chairperson last October. 

‘‘It has been a really awesome role to serve the community and get some positive change.’’ 

Among the highlights has been securing more funding for biodiversity projects, ECan’s work on rivers, serving on the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and locking in the two Ngāi Tahu councillors. 

This council term started with what appeared to be a divided council, with eight right-leaning councillors backing former chair Peter Scott and eight left-leaning councillors backing Mr Pauling. 

Mr Scott eventually won after his name was drawn out of a container, but resigned from the role last year after facing mounting pressure over this behaviour, including speeding in his council car. 

ECan voted in Mr Pauling as the new chairperson in October 2024. Mr Pauling said he and Mr Scott, and more recently he and deputy chair Deon Swiggs, found ways to work together. 

‘‘We haven’t had too many eight-eight votes - only a handful out of hundreds of votes. 

‘‘It shows we can work together and agree with good communication, which is backed by good briefings and workshops. 

‘‘In Parliament, the Government knows it has a majority, so I think local government does it better because we have to negotiate and we make way more decisions than Government does.’’ 

Unlike a mayor, who is directly elected by the voters, a regional council chairperson is a much more tenuous position, Mr Pauling said. 

‘‘It is very different to a mayor. You don’t have the same mandate, as you are only elected from your ward and by your fellow councillors, and it can be taken away more easily in a vote of no confidence.

‘‘So it is a much more brutal space.’’ Regional council chairs do not have a casting vote or the power to appoint committees. With the Christchurch City Council on the outer, Mr Pauling stepped up to host the Local Government New Zealand conference in July, with the backing of other Canterbury mayors.

‘‘I was nervous about making the speech, but I had the support of the council and I knew we had done all that work with Mana Whenua.’’ 

He earned applause from conference attendees when he urged councils ‘‘not to stop the planning’’, after Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop put a halt to planning work. 

‘‘Keep the thinking going, so when things do land you are in the best position," he told the conference.

Mr Pauling said one of the challenges of being chairperson was dealing with the media. 

‘‘I didn’t care much for the media. As Māori we don’t really get good outcomes from the media and I’m more interested in what’s happening on the ground. 

‘‘So it’s been good to try and spread some love and get some good messages out to the community.’’

 Mr Pauling is of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga and European descent. He has three teenage or adult children, competes in waka ama and has numerous voluntary roles, including serving on 10 trusts. 

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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