Local decision-making, creeping centralisation, Three Waters reforms and the need for council transparency were among the hot topics at a candidates’ meeting in Kaikohe.

More than 60 people braved Monday night’s rain to hear from would-be Far North mayors looking to replace John Carter, who is retiring after next month’s local elections.

Candidates who fronted at Te Kona Digital Hub were Jaqi Brown, Joshua Riley, Kelly Stratford, Moko Tepania, John Vujcich and Rachel Witana. Ann Court put in an apology, while Kevin Middleton and Clinton Dearlove didn’t attend.

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Candidates were given five minutes to introduce themselves before taking questions from the Kaikohe Business Association, which organised the event, and the audience.

The remarkably civil meeting, with no hecklers or interruptions, was brought to life by the late arrival of Brown.

She’d been forced to take a long detour due to the SH1 closure, and was concerned about the effect on the Far North if SH10 closed as well due to its cracking bridges.

After introducing herself by song, she said she’d long wanted to stand for mayor but, after two stints on the community board, had put that dream on hold while she raised seven children.

Now she was back for a tilt at the role, saying she’d work to solve the district’s problems by bringing people together.

“People have been disconnected for too long,” she said.

Vujcich, a third-term councillor, called for more decision-making at a local level.

He compared the Three Waters reforms to the council amalgamations of 1989 “but even worse”, and spoke of his hopes for the revitalisation of Kaikohe with 400 jobs to come at Ngāwhā Enterprise Park.

Witana said her “proven helicopter qualities” allowed her to “rise above the masses” for a clear overview of the issues facing the Far North.

Her top priority would be greater equity of rates. Rawene residents, for example, paid some of the highest rates in the district despite the area’s low incomes, she said.

Stratford said she entered local politics after her Kawakawa home was destroyed by a storm in 2014.

“There’s a lot of raru (argument, conflict) in the community now. I understand, I’ve been through some of the s*** people are going through. When there is raru, I can bring people down and help them get what they need.”

Stratford said the job of elected members was to help turn people’s voices into action, but bureaucratic processes often got in the way.

She wanted to stop decisions being made behind closed doors for the benefit of “the old boys network”.

Tepania said the district needed a young, dynamic and inclusive leader.

He spoke of his love for Kaikohe — “I’ll break my back to ensure the town returns to its former glory” — and his concern about the dilution of local voices since the 1989 amalgamations.

He wanted more decision-making powers devolved to community boards and “people on the ground who know best”.

Texas-born Riley, one of nine candidates running under the Sovereign.nz banner, said the council needed to listen to ratepayers instead of “outside voices”.

It also needed to communicate better, he said, citing last year’s outcry over Significant Natural Areas as an example. The plan triggered a revolt, because ratepayers didn’t know about it until notices turned up in their letterboxes.

He also called on the council to pull out of umbrella group Local Government NZ and refuse its loans tagged to green projects.

Questions from the floor included one about candidates’ positions on Three Waters.

All opposed the government’s current plans, but Stratford said reform was needed because the Far North faced a $660 million bill over 10 years to fix its water and wastewater infrastructure.

“I don’t support the current proposal, but I don’t want ratepayers going down the gurgler either,” she said.

Other questions related to the sorry state of Lake Ōmāpere and protecting prime food-producing soils from development.

Retiring community board member Louis Toorenburg, of Rawene, sought an assurance that Kaikohe’s ageing sewage plant would switch to land-based disposal of treated wastewater instead of polluting Hokianga Harbour.

“We don’t want to be lumbered with all your s*** for another generation,” he said.

Ballot papers will be sent out from September 16. Voting will close at noon on October 8 with provisional results expected on October 9. Final results will be published on October 14.

■ Another meeting will be held on September 12 for candidates in the Kaikohe-Hokianga Ward, Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward, Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board and Northland Regional Council (Far North General and Te Raki Māori constituencies). It will run from 7-9pm in the Senior Citizens Hall on Tawanui Rd, Kaikohe.