Sparks not seeking re-election

• Author: Diane McCarthy
• Published date: 25 July 2022
• Publication title: Daily Post, The (Rotorua, New Zealand)

David Sparks has filled both sets of shoes in recent years, but having moved to Rotorua in January, he will not be standing for re-election to the Kawerau District Council

Having lived in Kawerau off and on for about 16 years, Sparks said he had a lot of time for the town and would keep up with his many contacts in the community.

He has served two terms as a councillor, describing it as “an interesting journey”.

“It’s quite time-consuming. It’s not just a case of attending meetings but you’ve got to keep up with the reading matter and also you tend to get involved with workshops and committees as well. You have to be prepared to put the time in, but it’s worthwhile to serve your community. I would like to think that my legal background has helped. You tend to discover quite a few interesting things along the way.”

One of the roles he was most pleased with during his time on council was being chairman of the Crime Reduction Forum which meets every three months.

“The forum has members from police, Neighbourhood Support and Corrections. The thrust of it is about combating crime and initiatives. I like to think I’ve been a bit influential in some of those discussions.”

He said the “spectre of amalgamation” with other councils was one of the obvious challenges facing not just Kawerau district, but other districts nationwide.

“Local government is going through a very turbulent time with the Three Waters Review, and the Local Government Review as well, and I can’t help but think that smaller councils may well face an amalgamation.

“The major one of course is Three Waters because we feel the bill is misconceived. We don’t have any objection to a water regulator, Taumata Atuwai, but with these large entities they’re talking about, effective representation and community voice will be lost. We believe the Internal Affairs figures have been skewed, not properly analysed. We commissioned an independent report which said there were a lot of flaws, and it will be an increased cost for the ratepayer.

“There is a push, at the very least, to get any implementation of the reform...