Invercargill City Council candidate Wayne Harpur says it is time for
Council to stop fighting and start working, and it is one of the reasons
he is running for Council.

“Council in this last term has been dysfunctional and it appears there
are factions working against each other, lack of leadership is often
tagged to the Mayor or the Chair but if factions blindly push an agenda
then controlling a mob can difficult,” Mr Harpur said.

“What I can offer to the council table is experience and heaps of it, 39
years as a husband and father, 18 years in the trades, 26 years in
business, four years on Council, 12 years on Community Trust (four as
chair), 15 years on Venture Southland (six as chair), four years on SIT
Council, Director of Invest South, Director of the Airport and 2 School
Board of Trustees. I’ve had to deal with a lot of different
personalities over the years!”

Mr Harpur said his experience at dealing with all sorts of people was an
asset when it came to defusing conflict, finding consensus, and offering
options.

“We need to move on from focusing on personalities around a table to
concentrating on what is best for our city.”

“I can offer stability to the council table and like to think I can facilitate and mediate where there is division. I’ve had the experience, and I’m offering it to the city I love to move us forward.”

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