QLDC candidate statement from Aaron Cowie

Aaron is standing as a councillor candidate for the QLDC Queenstown-Whakatipu Ward.

The following statement has been received from Aaron Cowie who is standing as a councillor candidate for the QLDC Queenstown-Whakatipu Ward.

"I am standing because I am not happy with the performance of our previous council and we need new councillors with new ideas. I want to make positive change for Queenstown residents and rate payers while enhancing Queenstown as a whole.

There are a number of significant issues that we face and I would like to talk to you about these issues and how they can be solved.

Rate setting

You do not spend money all year long and then go to your boss and demand money to cover all of this spending, and neither should the council. There is no excuse for rate increases above inflation. The council needs to do the basics first then see what’s available for non essential items.

The council should pay down debt when the sun shines, then use debt when there is an emergency.

As we have as many tourists as residents using local infrastructure and resources, then these costs should be borne fairly across both groups. This does not mean a tourist tax, as there are many other ways for tourists to fund infrastructure.

Accommodation

Queenstown has an accommodation issue with people living in cars, garden sheds, under houses and hot bedding. We have been building houses flat out and the problem is not getting better and so house building is not the answer. The answer is for the right people to be in the right accommodation. We can all see that tourists in hotels work and we can see that residents in houses work. And so we need to get the balance right on houses that are being used for short term visitor accommodation. $10M houses are great for up-market tourists, but many other houses should be available for long term rental.

Leaky Buildings

You and I are paying dearly for passed leaky buildings. This is due to NZ’s unusual law of Last Man Standing pays. We don’t have to change the law to fix this problem going forward. We just need to ensure that there is always another man standing. By introducing a scheme similar to the UK where new buildings require a 10 year guarantee that is backed by a master builders association, then you the rate payer should never be hit with this again.

The Road to Nowhere and traffic congestion

The Road to Nowhere looks like it belongs in Wellington and not in beautiful Queenstown. This money was not only wasted, but it makes Queenstown less attractive. Locals should not have to have a daily grind stuck in traffic or trying to find a car park. Visitors are here for a short time and we should be able to provide them good alternatives to cars while visiting Queenstown. We need to be looking at the likes of Zermatt and Wengen in Switzerland. I have a realistic plan to achieve this that doesn’t require new roads and doesn’t force you out of your cars.

Where to build the New Council Building

Until the council gets its finances in order and we have fixed problems like the wastewater system, then I think that splashing the cash on a new building is premature. But once the council has shown it can budget and spend wisely, then Frankton would likely make more sense than Queenstown."

My email address is:

AaronCowieQLDC@hotmail.com