By Susan Botting – Local Democracy Reporter for Northland

Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai’s office includes a lively sketch of a dancing elephant with the words: “When the situation required it Olympia brought her wild out”.

“I’ve only had to do that twice, bang on the table,” Mai said of her nine-year mayoral tenure.

Mai’s Whangārei District Council (WDC) office is crisp and clean, white, with splashes of colour echoing the sea and nature, and has an eclectic arty feel.

It looks out across the Cafler Park trees she was once responsible for the management of, as council horticulture supervisor.

An original print at her office entrance features Whangārei’s three female mayors – Mai, Pamela Peters and Joyce Ryan.

Art and culture are among Mai’s passions.

“Eighty per cent of our council income and expenditure is on absolutely critical life and health-supporting core infrastructure such as drinking water, wastewater, roads and rubbish,” Mai said.

“The other 20 per cent is on arts and culture. These are the things that bring joy to our community, they are the jewels that add the sparkle.”

These jewels include the Hātea Loop walkway’s Town Basin rolling ball clock, its rotating seven-seater blue GiraGlob bubble, the 8m high shell-like walk-in camera obscura, the hugely popular Pūtahi Park and an expanding network of shared cycling and walking paths connecting the city in new ways.

“There are projects across the wider district too, such as the new tennis court at Pakotai and sports centre at Oakura,” Mai said.

“These are the things that people have told us they want and we have helped make them happen. They add to the colour and sense of place for our community. They help make us unique, give us our sense of culture.”

In a month more than 3255 days at the helm of New Zealand’s eighth-biggest council will end for Mai, when she steps down.

Mai was born in Waikato’s Putāruru and was raised and educated there and in Rotorua before studying horticulture at Massey University.

But she has called Whangārei home for decades.

People, from all walks of life, are among her favourite part of the job.

“I have just loved getting invitations from the community to the highlights of their lives, their festivities, their celebrations,” Mai said.

Newly-introduced community events in the last nine years under her watch have included the Fritter Festival and Pasifika Fusion.

“We have really found a way of celebrating who we are,” Mai said.

Different walks of life manifest clearly across the elected council Mai helms, its members representing the community.

Together they make thousands of decisions impacting the lives of those around the Whangārei district.

Mai’s local government career has spanned 24 years and first started with the council in 1994 as WDC horticulture supervisor.

She was first elected as a councillor in 2004, which led to committee representation on more than 10 arts, environmental, sporting and charitable groups. She served two terms before taking a break that included overseas travel.

When Mai returned to Whangārei in early 2013 she was approached to become mayor but she told those who planted the idea of the mayoralty not to be ridiculous.

“What makes you think I should be the next mayor?” Mai asked.

The qualities they talked of were that she did not have hidden agendas, had experience in local government, was a woman and that she was interested in her community.

Mai became mayor later that year, following on from Morris Cutforth.

Her governance style carries the concept of hoe urungi, the steering rudder of the waka.

Crunchies, rocks, and alligators are the bite-sized easy-to-understand words Mai has added to her vocabulary to characterise aspects of her role.

“Crunchies are issues, some unexpected, that come up and need to be sorted,” Mai said.

Rocks are the potentially festering issues the incoming council will have to lift and look underneath.

Meanwhile, alligators are issues, not necessarily of the current council’s doing, that might come back to bite.

Whangārei has grown quickly during Mai’s tenure. When she became mayor the district had about 75,000 people. Today its population is 100,000 and growing fast.

There have been many big projects ticked off during her political career including the Hundertwasser Art Centre with the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the Town Basin’s ongoing development, better roads – but there is always room for more – and a new city water treatment plant.

Whangārei airport location future-proofing work with Ruatangata as the council’s preferred new site is another current essential that Mai has seen through to where it is at today.

One high-profile crunchie that will forever mark Mai’s mayoralty is the controversial Oruku conference and events centre on the edge of the Town Basin in Whangārei.

The original 2021 development attracted more than 5000 public submissions, 80 per cent of which opposed the centre’s creation.

A second crunchie has been the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery which opened in February.

The decision to proceed with the centre had been made by the council previous to Mai’s commencement. It was overturned by the new council.

But a binding public referendum eventually followed where people, by a resounding majority, wanted the Hundertwasser. WDC once again voted to proceed.

The council’s early moves towards increased Māori participation to honour Treaty obligations have been gratifying, Mai said.

These include the council setting up its Te Kārearea strategic partnership forum standing committee and the new housing strategy council co-governance subcommittee.

The introduction of a Māori ward for the 2022 election was another plus for Mai.

“Every plan, strategy, every contract into the future, they will all need to have that dual lens over them to honour Treaty obligations.”

Governance experience is the skill Mai lists first in importance for those tilting for the WDC mayor’s role.

“Someone who has chaired a group of people with radically different outlooks and objectives would give our new mayor a strong foundation for success,” Mai said.

“The mayor has the professional responsibility of channelling the wide range of elected representatives’ views to guide the decision-making.

“You don’t get to pick who the councillors will be around the table. Everybody comes with their own network of experience.”

Mai said it was not just about elected representatives as the real council heroes were the organisation’s staff.

“We have the ideas and reflect our community but they are the ones who make them happen.”

Mai said climate change’s impact is the biggest challenge facing future councils as the frequency and intensity of droughts, higher winds and wetter winters will increase.

She noted the region had roads and wastewater treatment plants in areas that will be impacted by sea level rise.

“That has to be the number one consideration. The reality is that we have to be planning now for what we are going to do.”

When it comes to Three Waters, Mai said Whangārei was well set up. The council had investment in wastewater treatment and the future Wairua River water to back up the council’s Whau Valley dam.

Mai said the council was still waiting “with bated breath” for the outcome of its Government challenge over ownership and property rights around intergenerational ratepayer-funded council Three Waters assets.

Meanwhile, Mai said anti-democracy council aspirants should realise they would be but one of 14 people around the WDC table if elected.

“At this stage, I don’t see that as significant for Whangārei’s democracy scene,” Mai said.

Whangārei voters, more than ever, needed to do due diligence on potential candidates and find ways to determine for themselves whether candidates were worthy of carrying out a mayoral or elected councillor role, she said.

Mai recommended checking candidates’ social media profiles for any red flags and to see the extent of their community involvement and local interests.

“Take note of those who have suddenly appeared out of nowhere,” she said.

Mai said voters and New Zealand as a whole needed to be mindful of the growth in misinformation.

Despite the crunchies, rocks and alligators, being mayor has been a life highlight for Mai. She talks of her husband Mike Regan’s great support throughout.

The pair will be heading off in the new campervan, Moho, to explore Northland and New Zealand after the elections.

“We’re looking forward to being able to spend more time together and with friends and family,” Mai said.

And what of lessons learned along the way in her mayoralty?

“Make use of relationships and partnerships. Be humble,” Mai said.

“Treasure the small moments. Bank them so they can be called on when the s*** hits the fan.”

Mai leaves a district that is different from when she arrived as mayor.

“Whangārei has evolved into a vibrant metropolitan centre.”

She feels honoured to have been able to serve her people.

“Thank you for making me who I am.”

• Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air