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Pinehaven Progressive Association – Q&A and some additional Commentary.
- Hellen_Swales
- Sep 8
- 13 min read
Updated: Sep 8
Upper Hutt, 7th September 2025
.Authorised by Hellen Swales - hellenformayor@gmail.com
Introduction
Kia ora, my name is Hellen Swales, and I’d like to begin by acknowledging Kate Hunter, President of the Pinehaven Progressive Association (PPA), and the PPA itself forgiving us, the mayoral candidates, the opportunity to meet the community face-to-face.
I truly believe that there’s no substitute for meeting people in person, standing up, talking to you, and seeing your reactions gives a real sense of the essence, or the wairua, of a person. It’s in these moments that we connect as a community and understand each other beyond policies and promises. I’m not going to spend this time going through everything my fellow candidates have already shared. For me, it’s more important to give you the chance to ask questions and hear directly where I stand on the policies and issues that matter most to our community.
What I want to share with you is that our family live in the city, and we are four generations. My 94-year-old father, myself and my husband, my son and our 3 grandchildren. I understand any decision that I make around the council table, the impact that it has across our community. I always keep that in mind when I make a decision.
Yes, I’m currently the Deputy Mayor, and I’ve had the privilege of serving in that role for the past six years. While I haven’t always agreed with the Mayor, this experience has given me a deep understanding of what the role entails.
Being Deputy Mayor requires stepping up to be a strong voice not just locally, but also regionally and nationally, whether it’s consulting on important issues or advocating for business and community opportunities. I have been able to be that voice.
I don't hold any council chairs because my responsibility is to support our council committee chairs, and to read all of those official papers, both locally, regionally and nationally, and be able to step in and be the voice of our community at the council table or at a regional council forums, or committees.
I sit on our regional committees as our representative, and I'm the alternate to those that Wayne sits on. I have an understanding, and I know what's involved in the job. I'm ready to step up to take the tools of the job, because I've done the apprenticeship, and I'm ready to be the voice of the community.
I hope that you enjoy this evening, that you get some insights, because from 150 words, you don't really get sense of what any candidate really brings to the table.
Local Water Done Well
My Commitment
Water is essential for life, and we need to get this right. My role has been, and will continue to be, making sure Upper Hutt’s voice is heard at every step of the process. I will work to ensure that these reforms deliver real value for ratepayers while protecting our city’s future water security.
I want to take us on a journey, a journey to understand where this all started. For me, it began where I come from, in Hawke’s Bay, Havelock North, where there were tragic deaths caused by contaminated water.
That tragedy shed light on the state of infrastructure, not just in Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, and Havelock North, but across the country. It prompted a nationwide conversation about the investment, maintenance, and safety of our water systems, including water pipes, wastewater networks, stormwater, and potable drinking water.
It was a moment that made it clear: we must take the health and safety of our communities seriously, and that starts with robust, well-maintained infrastructure.
The next part of that journey, we went out and consulted as part of the 2025 – 2026 annual plan. We gave the community two options. One was an enhanced Wellington Water, and the other was “Metro Water” the option that we've submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs by the 3rd September, which is tomorrow. If we didn't go with Metro Water the Local Water Done Well model, Upper Hutt City Council would be a price taker for our two waters waste and drinking.
Why didn’t Upper Hutt go it alone?
Drinking water comes from Te Marua lakes which is owned and supplied by Greater Wellington Regional Council. Upper Hutt does not have a stand-alone water treatment plant to provide good quality drinking/potable water. Equally Upper Hutt does not have a wastewater plant.
Currently waste goes down through pipes to Petone to the Seaview wastewater treatment plant. Upper Hutt is so dependent on Greater Wellington Regional Council for water and working with Hutt City for wastewater treatment.
Already, Bulk water, that we buy from Greater Wellington Regional Council this year went up by 7%. So, when you think of how much water is actually costing us in this city, it's getting expensive. I believe that we need to look after the water, and we need to have a voice at that table, and I'll be that voice.
What This Means for Upper Hutt? (Additional points to note above my 2-minute answer to PPA)
I will continue to advocate strongly for:
Fair representation for Upper Hutt in Metro Water governance decisions.
Transparent cost-sharing arrangements, so Upper Hutt ratepayers are not subsidising other areas.
Ongoing investment in resilience, including pipe upgrades, leakage reduction, and stormwater improvements.
Local voice and accountability—ensuring decisions made by Metro Water reflect our community’s priorities.
My concerns going forward (Additional points to note above my 2-minute answer to PPA)
The draft foundation documents presented to council represents the collective direction to date and will continue to be developed further.
That council endorses the draft Constitution as presented to council, noting that the draft Constitution will be approved by the Advisory Oversight Group and then finalised for ratification by Council and partner organisations post local elections.
That council endorses the draft terms for the Partners Agreement as presented to council noting that the draft Agreement will be approved by the Advisory Oversight Group and then finalised for ratification by Council and partner organisations post local elections.
That council endorses the principles for the development of the Statement of Expectations (SoE) as presented to council, noting that the principles for the SoE will be finalised for ratification by Council and partner organisations post local elections, and that the SOE will be finalised and issued by the Partners’ Committee.
That council endorses the principles for assisting Metro Water to develop a Customer Charter as presented to council noting that these principles will be finalised for ratification by Council and partner organisations post local elections and will be incorporated into the final Statement of Expectations as an outcome to be implemented by the Company.
In closing
These foundation documents are critical to the success of our new water entity, and I will be seeking community input in reviewing these draft documents post-election 2025 and I will call for a few volunteers to assist me in such a review.
Waste Minimisation
My policy on waste minimisation is to establish and enable a recovery process, and develop an end-of-life structure, which is what we do at Park Street. This is better than any Kerbside recycling capability. Kerbside recycling capability is limited to what you can recycle. With the Park Street facility, council has extended the ability to recycle over and above kerbside recycling which includes Tetra Pak, tops/lids of plastic bottles, glass bottles etc. The tetrapacks actually go into plaster board, jib board, and we've seen it, and we've even at council, turned it into rubbish recycling bins. Expanding recycling and recovery options works with regional partners. I sit on the regional waste minimisation as our voice. What we're looking at, as the biggest challenge is food waste. That accounts for between 55% to 85% of our waste that goes to landfill. What we are doing from a regional level is that as of the 1st October 2025, we are putting out our Request for Proposal (RFP) collectively as a region, as no one of the councils can afford to do it ourselves. Unfortunately, the current government decided to cancel planned legislation that we needed to do it compulsory, and nationally for all councils. For green waste and food waste, we are going to put out that RFP and say to the industry, “How can we stop this food from going to our landfills”. The conclusion of the procurement of a solution through the RFP process will be a regional project. The other thing is supporting that circular economy and encouraging local businesses and community initiatives to reuse, repurpose, and refocus what they buy. We, as a consumer, have the ability to actually demand from the producers what we will purchase in terms of packaging and how we will purchase. We need to step up, taking reasonable and responsible decisions when we make our purchases. We need to take a community partnership, so we need to bring people along. We need to strengthen those partnerships, as it's been said, through groups like the PPA, through our schools. But we need to bring manufacturers and retail businesses along because they are the ones that make and sell. A question was poised why we didn’t go with Hutt City Council on a shared service, but they took off and left us to develop our own recycling service. So yes, we were at the table with Hutt City Council, but they decided to walk away from us. I think that needs to be said and is contrary to what has been said here tonight. | What recycling is accepted at Park St
The upgraded station only accepts plastic types 1, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) 2, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and 5 polypropylene (PP). This is due to changes in the global plastics market resulting in little to no demand for most plastic types 3, 4, 6 and 7. Examples of products that WILL be accepted at the Park Street recycling station:
Please remove ALL lids from bottles and containers. These are not recyclable in this system. Examples of products that WILL NOT be collected at the Park Street recycling station:
Source: UHCC Webpage |
Additional point to note above my 2-minute answer to PPA
My Policy on Waste Minimisation
Establish recycling capabilities to enable resource recovery that develops an end-of- life product stewardship scheme.
Through this policy my approach focuses on:
Expanding Recycling and Recovery Options – Work with regional partners to introduce kerbside food waste collection and improve recycling services so less goes to landfill. As this is a huge waste stream - this Part of the Regional Waste Management & Minimisation Plan 2023 – 2029 and an RFP will be going to market on the 1st of October 2025
Supporting a Circular Economy – Encourage local businesses and community initiatives that reuse, repair, and repurpose materials instead of throwing them away.
Community Partnerships – Strengthen partnerships with schools, community groups, businesses and local organisations to promote waste education and zero-waste initiatives.
Advocacy for Better Infrastructure – Push for smarter regional waste management facilities and innovation that make recycling easier and more cost-effective for residents.
Waste minimisation isn’t just about reducing rubbish—it’s about creating a cleaner, more sustainable Upper Hutt for the future. Upper Hutt City Council under the Waste Minimisation Plan for 2023 – 3029 has 20 action point we have committed to this can be read on the council website.
Future of Silverstream Spur
I'm going to read this because I think it's really important that I get it right because the Silverstream Spur is a live, legal case in the Environment Court.
The Silverstream Spur is a unique natural asset for Upper Hutt, and its future must be planned with care to balance conservation, recreation, and community wellbeing, and we all agree.
The future of the Spur in now in the Environment Court as an appeal was lodged against the decision, the three commissioners recommended. So, council can't move forward with the Silverstream Spur until we have a decision from the Environment court. Then Plan Change 49 with variation 1 also pings onto Plan Change 50. (The commissioners recommendations made it clear that putting in a road up through the spur would have to take in to account Significant Natural Areas (SNA) which have impact on Plan Change 50)
So, there's a broader content with plan change 50, which is a rural plan change, which talks about the environment and the SNAs. So once again, we have applied, because of the changes with the Resource Management Act, to the Minister to push that out (Application for Extension). That has now been pushed out and agreed to 2026, when hopefully, the new Resource Management Act is finished, landed, and we know exactly where we're going. (Council) Then beside all of that, you've got the Fast Track bill. Once we come out of plan change 49 variation one, 149 project proposal were accepted within the first round of the (government) Fast Track legislation. (One of the 149 is the Guildford Silverstream Forest Development)
An undefined period of time post the Environmental Court decision, and the progress of this potential project through the Fast Track process, a future decision must come back before the council and in that respect back before the community for consultation as fundamentally the land is owned by the council.
Rates rises in the Future
I'm not going to tell you that everyone's telling us that the rates are too high.
But our Upper Hutt Council kept our rates artificially low for way too long. I've always advocated that we needed to ensure financial stability by having our rates increase to at least keep pace with inflation. The pity is that people stood here in front of you tonight and promised time after every election, that they would keep your rates low.
That's why we're in this position that we are in today, is that promise of around 4-5% annual rates increase.
When I was around the table, and along with, I see one of my colleagues (Councillor in the Audience) sitting in here. Together we argued that we needed to at least keep pace with inflation. If we did that, then council knew that the cost of doing council projects would keep pace with the inflated costs, instead of being out of step with costings been passed on and unable to cover that, but we didn't.
Inflation built up the price of all of the project work that council did, and council just kept the rates well below inflation some of us knowing that we were treading water or going backwards.
If I'm going to be your mayor, I will drive the rates review in 2026. I want to ensure that the rates are distributed fairly and across the residential, commercial, and industrial priorities. I will look at all of that with my colleagues.
I'll ensure that council increase our developer contributions, which happens when council do the Annual Plan. This is due to the contributions not being high enough for the development and the growth that's happening. We also have central government signaling that they may replace Developer Contributions with a National Developer Levy.
I will undertake a line-by-line council review of expenditure that we have got on the books. Council starts its 10-year plan next year. It's important that council have those conversations with the community early on about what the plan may contain.
You need to raise your voice and tell council what core service is, what is important to you, and where do you want us to put our time and money. Without that word, the silent majority is almost an endorsement that you're happy with what council is doing, and yet I'm hearing you're not. I invite you all to come and involve and talk to councillors when council do look to consult with the community?
I support the improvement of transparency on the expenditure and including that public disclosure of all expenditure is known and publicly easy for you to find.
(Additional information to note above my 2-minute answer to PPA)
Rates are a major concern for everyone, and I hear that loud and clear. The reality is that councils across New Zealand are facing cost pressures from inflation, infrastructure upgrades, and new government regulations.
But the answer can’t just be ongoing steep rate increases.
If I’m elected Mayor, my focus will be to:
Drive the rates review that the council will undergo in 2026. See my Blog here
Ensure that rates are distributed fairly across residential, rural, commercial, and industrial properties.
Increase revenue from Developer Contributions, either through an update to Upper Hutt council bylaw, or through the government initiative for a development levy, potentially set nationally due in 2026. This would support long-term infrastructure, environmental protection, and community services.
Undertake a line-by-line review of council expenditure with a focus on value for money in the services it delivers, demonstrating this through clear communication with the community. allowing the community to download selected council financial data for offline analysis.
Support initiatives that improve transparency of council expenditure, including the public disclosure of all expenditure items (known as ‘armchair audit’ and ‘open data’).
With central government declaring its intention to introduce rates capping nationally. Upper Hutt will need to consider implications on both impact to ratepayers and councils' finances.
Work with the Wellington Region partner councils to develop and secure a “Regional Deal” to the benefit of Upper Hutt’s ratepayers through additional funding.
My Reset of our Council
Our council is the heartbeat of our community. It makes decisions that affect every street, park, and household in Upper Hutt. But over time, I’ve seen opportunities where we can reset, refocus, and rebuild the way our council works for the community.
“My Reset of Our Council” is about putting transparency, accountability, and community at the centre of everything we do. It’s about ensuring that every decision reflects the values, needs, and voices of the people we serve.
Through this reset, I aim to strengthen our local democracy, improve communication, and prioritise projects that truly matter to our community, from essential infrastructure to environmental protection, community safety, and economic growth.
This isn’t just about change for change’s sake, it’s about creating a council that is responsive, responsible, and ready to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Building Together
I will lead the development of the council’s plans, policies, and budgets with consultation with the community and consideration by the council members.
Open Communication
I will ensure our council has a focus on value for money in the services it delivers, demonstrating this through clear communication with the community.
Empower council to build thriving, resilient communities.
I will secure the council's long-term financial sustainability by managing its debt, funding only essential services, and limiting non-essential projects.
We can do better.
I will ensure the council responds to the community’s priorities and concerns by acting on the Community Survey results and sharing our improvement plans.
Be true to our word and follow through with actions.
I will build community trust in the council by reassessing our communication strategies and channels to enhance engagement through focus groups on our economy, our environment, and upcoming legislation.
Achieving goals, meeting targets, and demonstrating tangible results.
I will establish Key Performance Indicators for our Councillors and our Chief Executive which will be reviewed annually and then shared with the community
The change we need, The voice you deserve.
There have been slight modifications of the spoken word which is done to provide clarity
Authorised by Hellen Swales: hellenformayor@gmail.com
