Mayor of Dunedin

Continuing to invest in our city centre, and suburban centres, to support the future of local business.

Maintaining our accreditation as a Living Wage employer, and encouraging other employers to do the same.

Support the growth of high value, low weight export industries (eg the Centre of Digital Excellence).

Being a small business person myself, and having grown up on a farm, I strongly support these industries.

I will pressure the government to get serious on supporting alternative transport options. Currently cycling gets less than 1% of roading.

Tourism is a very important for NZ but the Labour government's concentration on high end of town is wrong and unsustainable. I will focus elsewhere.

Compensate businesses in the CBD who can prove they have been financially hit from infrastructure work. Help businesses recover.

Write an innovation strategy for our city. Create collaborative clusters that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

Support CODE (Centre of Digital Excellence) and Startup Dunedin to create jobs for our youth. Remote working opens the world to us, use it.

Immediately refresh the Economic Development Strategy to focus on delivering actions that have not been activated eg Dunedin Ambassadors.

Revitalise tourism industry via Destination Marketing Strategy (promise) and Destination Management Plan (delivery). Invest more funding.

Build better business relationships and support through a targeted action plan and engagement including reinstating Red Carpet project.

Review and re-energise our economic eevelopment initiatives.

Strongly encourage tourism with a new plan and inclusive participation with the stakeholders.

Have regular hui with all youth employment and training providers.

Infrastructure in transport renewals should remain focused on maintaining the road network to appropriate levels of service.

Work with local business to ensure changes to the main street create a vibrant and welcoming centre to the city, supporting local retailers.

Promote our local wildlife destinations – Dunedin, wildlife capital of New Zealand, with endangered species in close proximity to the city.

Engage more thoroughly with CBD businesses.

Greater support for start ups.

Acknowledge and celebrate business success in the city.

Review into graduate retention in Dunedin.

Increase funding to Startup Dunedin to incentivise Dunedin start-ups.

Advocate for a universal education income to replace student allowance.

Work with local businesses to encourage a new café/restaurant at the top of Signal Hill, as well as a luge track and chair lift.

Work with local businesses to encourage a new water taxi network with jet boats transferring people around the Otago Peninsula jetties.

Work with local businesses to encourage a new motor bike, quad bike and 4WD trails around the mountains near Dunedin.