What I stand for | Richard Young for Kapiti

What Richard Young stands for...

Why I’m Standing

Over the next three years we are facing major challenges - affordable housing, rising rates, managing our water, repairing our roads and paths; so let's invest responsibly and prudently, to improve Kāpiti for all, for the long term.

Added to those challenges is a changing climate that will undoubtedly affect our coast and waterways. We need to have respectful, open, honest and informed conversations to make evidence-based decisions that the community both understands and supports. As a civil engineer with forty years of experience in delivering and maintaining infrastructure, I have the skills to bring light, not heat, to that debate.

As a new Councillor, I won't be tied to old decisions, nor will I make undeliverable promises to secure your vote. Unlike another candidate for our Ward, I did not have a seat at the Council table when a 17% rates rises was agreed, nor do I have any affiliation or link to another group or party – I am solely interested in listening, advocating, where needed - challenging and acting for all of us – to Work With YOU.

It would be my privilege to represent you as the Paekākāriki and Raumati Councillor.

About Me

I’m a professional Civil Engineer, owning and running a successful local business based in Raumati. For over forty years I’ve worked around the world delivering infrastructure – from building clinics and dams in Zimbabwe to motorways in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In the community I started the Raumati cycle-to-school BikeBus schemes and now volunteer as a helper whenever I can. I advocate for safe roads for everyone and I'm also a volunteer train driver at Raumati’s ever-popular miniature railway!

I proudly live with my partner Ann-Maree in Raumati South along with three cats - Mr Bear, Big Bear and Miley….. I am dual Aotearoa / New Zealand and British citizen and have lived in this place we call paradise for over fifteen years.

Current Role

I have not previously held any elected role and currently run a boutique engineering company that provides specialist traffic and movement data and advice to clients across Aotearoa. I and my partner are also professional tour guides and have the privilege to taking international visitors around this beautiful country on bicycles. Just in case you ask if I have time to be a Councillor - ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’,

Before Politics

I polled 30% of the Paekākāriki and Raumati Ward votes in 2022, that was my first ever foray into politics. I’m still not really political – just passionate about doing all I can to make Paekākāriki and Raumati the most accessible, inclusive, diverse and enjoyable place to live anywhere in our beautiful district.

For over 10 years I worked form NZTA/Waka Kothai and leading NZ engineering firms with direct responsibility for delivering the Waikato Expressway – one of the first true safe high-speed roads in Aotearoa. I am proud of the lives it has saved and economic growth it is delivering.

My Policies

Here are the specific policies that I will look to pursue. These are the same categories that the Policy.nz web site shows - Policy.NZ have a list of answers from all Paekākāriki and Raumati Ward.

Rates and Revenue

I’m not making empty promises about cutting Rates, there is no magic money tree to pay off the council’s debts. We need to agree what is needed to keep our communities thriving and growing – do it efficiently - and stop spending on the rest.
Elected members need to show leadership in tough times, I will propose that Councillors and Community Board members return 20% of their pay to ratepayers and the community.
I will oppose a rate-capping bureaucrat in Wellington closing our pools and libraries. There is far too much central government interference in local democracy. At the same time, I’d lobby Government to remove GST from Rates, it’s a tax on a tax!

Climate Change and Resilience

The current coastal erosion work is too uncertain, it needs removing from LIM packs.
Reset the work on coastal erosion, inland flooding and sea level change to a twenty-year horizon; update it every five years using latest science data.
To improve resilience – and reduce localised flood risk - we need to restore our neglected waterways – to hold back water upstream to reduce ‘flash flooding’ and provide clear paths for water to reach the sea. This improves the environment and protects households.

Housing and Planning

Make ‘Developers Contributions’ cover the full share of all the infrastructure supporting their new homes. We need to take the widest permit view of capturing this revenue, building in Kāpiti should be a privilege not a right.
Focus intensification around transport hubs and other areas where the infrastructure is best suited for housing growth.
Resist Government overriding council plans and forcing intensification in inappropriate places.

Local Democracy

Elected members need to show leadership in tough times, I will propose that Councillors and Community Board members return 20% of their pay to ratepayers and the community.
There has been a reduction in the number of public excluded meetings, this is good. We need to do more and rigorously apply the law – it only has to protect commercial decisions – like tenders – and when individuals are discussed. It should not be used to exclude people from hearing grant applications from groups.
Clear rules set out on what falls into the remit of Community Boards and a requirement to follow normal council processes not work outside them.

Utilities and Services

To deliver the water utilities we need now let’s not borrow from our grandchildren, we need to pay for the assets we are using now.
Where assets have long lives, that money borrowed by council needs to be repaid across the assets’ life. There are already good rules for this – we should not change them.
As am proposing significant savings in council costs there will undoubtedly be savings to be made in council staff. For the next three years, services needs to reflect the needs of the community not the Council’s strategic long-term plan.

Transport

Just last month I saw an elderly lady left standing in the rain by a bus driver at 5pm, I will lobby Wellington so Gold Cards users can use busses and trains at all times.
I will advocate with communities to have safer roads and paths for all users. Where a community says it wants safer, lower speeds, I will support this through advocacy and with my own professional traffic engineering advice.
Our bus and train service is good – but let’s make it better – Tawa has a ‘on-demand’ pick up drop off service. I’d lobby Wellington Regional Council for the same in Raumati and Paekākāriki.

Recreation and Culture

I consider that our recreation and library facilities are core services – they provide huge benefit to the physical and wellbeing of so many in our community.
As a council we have absolute duty to support culture, especially our Māori ti kana, across the district. With council funds we need to target the absolute best overall value – its all its forms – to our community.
I do believe that a reset is needed on the facilities, events supported, and grants distributed by council. I would seek to restrict spending on Toi Mahara (Art Gallery) even if that means it is mothballed for three years.

Jobs and the Economy

For the next three years stop spending on council’s underperforming Economic Development work. This is money that is not returning any meaningful benefit to ratepayers. A saving of around $10M is possible.
Council is best placed to stimulate jobs and the economy through well planned community infrastructure and clear planning rules. The huge Police Call Centre in Ihakara St is a great example of this. Council needs to focus on infrastructure not investing in local businesses.
To improve the efficiency and ease of doing business lets share services with other councils to streamline and standardise approval systems.

Environment

Council has already made significant strides to improve the environment, lets continue to see waterways maintained for improved – for ‘all creatures great and small’.
The proposal by the current Raumati Community Board to place a large concrete wall (Eco-Reef) over a much-loved beach Reserve in Raumati needs urgent review. It will destroy a section on unmodified beach, restrict public access, and why would Council build and maintain a wall to solely protect two beachfront houses? At the same time let’s get the Paekākāriki sea wall rebuild programme back on budget and program. As a civil engineer I can bring skills to these area
The recycling plant needs to reopen, and council need to provide a wider range of recycling services and collection points.