Forestry Work A Highlight For Departing Nelson Councillors

Wednesday, 1 October 2025, 5:52 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

Three of Nelson’s 13 elected members have decided not to stand for election again, freeing them up to give themselves report cards. 

Two-term councillor Rachel Sanson says she never wanted to be a “life-long politician”. 

“I just wanted to give as much as I could, try and have a positive impact, and stay while I enjoyed it and felt I could be effective.” 

Now, she was standing down, saying that she didn’t believe she was able to effect as much change under the council’s current structure. 

“I can probably be more effective from outside council going forwards.” 

However, Sanson expected to remain in governance and advocacy work, potentially within the “really rewarding” community housing space, her council work in that area having enlightened her to the extent of regional housing vulnerability. 

“[But] at this stage, I’m just keeping my options open,” she said. 

“There’s been a few things on my radar, but I just really want to give myself some space and work out where I think I can really have a positive impact.” 

Sanson felt that she had “given it everything” over the last six years. 

“It’s been a tough experience but rewarding. I really feel proud of the contribution that I’ve been able to make.” 

Sanson specifically celebrated the council’s transition away from commercial clear-fell forestry, in which she was the driving force. 

“I really have given [the last six years of] my life to that issue, and I feel just really so relieved at the outcome”. 

She highlighted other key achievements, like adding feral cats to the regional pest plan and introducing stricter cat rules that will be a “game changer” for biodiversity, delivering the “awesome” eBus service, adopting climate change and waste minimisation strategies, increasing community grants despite fiscal constraints, adopting the living wage for council staff and contractors, adopting the single-transferrable vote and Māori Ward to increase representation on the council, and delivering certainty for the museum’s archive facility. 

“My time hasn’t been wasted, it’s been worthwhile.” 

First-term councillor Matthew Benge had also decided not to run again because he was strongly drawn to working in pest management. 

His involvement on the council’s forestry taskforce had reinforced the importance of pest control, especially for deer, which he describes as “basically the number one problem” for native forests. 

“I know that I can use all my energy and talent [on pest control].” 

Benge, who has an extensive history of trapping, was currently developing three different traps that he thought could improve pest management. 

“What I want is to be able to fund it through government, and I believe I can. I also believe it’ll fund itself, once I get it established.” 

Benge said he had “learned a lot” about the “bizarre” council processes during his term. 

“It’s a weird beast, council, it’s tied up with so many regulations,” he said. 

“It took a couple of years to begin to understand how it worked.” 

There were few areas where Benge was proud of his involvement, instead viewing council activities as a group effort – “we’re all involved”. 

But the forestry transition work stood out as being “good”, and through which he was able to meet highly qualified experts. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet and work with people like that.” 

He did, however, have some regrets, such as the council’s prohibition of parking on the berm, which he said “only affects poor people”, not being able to classify all un-microchipped cats as feral, and shifting the council’s open spaces contract from council-owned Nelmac to Australasian company Green by Nature. 

“I don’t expect to be happy all the time, and I’m very glad I did it. I’m not leaving because it was horrible… in fact, I might stand again.” 

But for the next three years, at least, Matthew’s focus was on pest control. 

Deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens was also standing down as, like Sanson, he wasn’t sure the council was the most effective place for him to drive change. 

He told Local Democracy Reporting in June that he hadn’t made any concrete decisions about what he will do next, not having ruled out contesting the general election, but does want to continue his studies and broaden his skillset.

 “I still want to be led by where the community feels they need me most,” O'Neill-Stevens said. 

-Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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