NEW PLYMOUTH, NZ – A recently announced candidate for the New Plymouth District Council has a strong message for future Councillors elected in this year’s local body elections: “Stay in Your Lane.”

Moira George, a retired Financial Adviser and four-term Taranaki Regional Councillor under her previous name Moira Irving, says what the Council needs now is common sense, financial discipline, and accountability.

“For too long the priorities of ratepayers have been cast aside in favour of pet projects and grand statements that are not the core business of the Council,” she says. “The purpose of the Council is enshrined in legislation, and it is the duty of the Council to deliver those services to ratepayers and residents in the most efficient, effective way. Making grand statements and resolutions about the war in Palestine or major energy projects whose approval is the role of Central Government is a waste of Council’s attention, time and money.”

“It’s time for Council to concentrate on doing the job they are elected to do and focus on the things that really matter to people in New Plymouth going about their daily lives.” 

Mrs. George states that the focus should be on core services before indulging in "nice-to-haves."

“We need to be doing the boring stuff well – the maintenance of roads and facilities, collecting rubbish, delivering clean water - before we can indulge in the ‘nice to do’s’ that some Councillors seem to think they were elected to pursue as personal projects,” she states. “New Plymouth is rich in cultural and environmental assets. The job of Council is to protect those assets and ensure they are well run.”

A key pillar of her campaign is a proposed rates cap to provide relief to residents while a full spending review is conducted.

“I support a rates cap for New Plymouth District Council – with or without government intervention – and I want to see a strategic review of all Council spending during the first three years of my tenure as a NPDC Councillor to ensure that the three principles of common sense, financial discipline and accountability govern all that the Council does,” says Mrs. George.

“My commitment to ratepayers is to stop indulgent waste and get back to doing the job Councillors are elected to do – deliver services efficiently and maintain our assets well. Ratepayers understand the need to pay rates, they just want to see a good return on their investment.”

“‘Stay in Your Lane’ is my best advice to the incoming Council and that is what I will be fighting for when elected,” Mrs George said.

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About Moira George: Moira George is a candidate for the New Plymouth District Council. Her campaign is built on the pillars of Common Sense, Financial Discipline, and Accountability. She is a retired Financial Adviser and previously served four terms as a Taranaki Regional Councillor.

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