Craig ‘Ferg’ Ferguson, who’s in his fourth term, says "I think to some extent there’s a bit of naivety I’ve seen over the years from new councillors who come in who don’t really have a total grasp of what the role entails".
"I was pretty fortunate I got a real grounding when I decided to stand."
Ferguson senses frustration, particularly, from councillors coming in wanting change — "change is very hard to get".
"I always encourage the new ones to just take your time, understand the characters and minds of the people that are around the table, because there’s 12 of us that have been voted in by the community to work together, if we can, and do the work.
"And I’ve seen some of the new ones do exactly that, they’ve taken the time to not come in and want change right from the start but to understand the role and what is required."
Some of the new councillors’ frustration is with how little power they have compared to the executive, led by Mike Theelen, working in cahoots with mayor Glyn Lewers.
"I wouldn’t say that was entirely true.
"One thing I would say is you’ve got to work on relationships with the staff, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last four terms, and you achieve a lot more.
"I don’t think some councillors over the years have worked hard enough to build those relationships with staff, because that’s part of getting results for people."
In terms of the mayor and CEO apparently locking out councillors, Ferguson says "I’ve certainly seen some frustration there, especially this term".
"What I would say is the door’s always open to the mayor’s office and has been with the previous two I’ve been involved with, and also to the CEO’s office."
Concerning Lewers, Ferguson says he’d heard comment he’s less visible than his predecessor, Jim Boult.
"I don’t have [Lewers’] diary so I’m not aware of his movements, but he appears to be very active.
"He might look back and be disappointed in some things.
"I think if he puts his name forward for another term and ultimately wins he will be wiser and better for his first-term experience, like most second-term leaders."
As for outspoken councillor Niki Gladding, who’s often in a minority of one, Ferguson says "Niki is not destructive; she is combative and goes a lot deeper than any other councillor".
"Potentially we all can have different opinions, and that’s all they are."
As for Theelen, "Mike can be an easy target because he’s the top of the tree, next to the mayor".
"From my point of view, Ithink we were extremely lucky to have had Jim Boult and Mike lead us through the Covid years — two who had first-hand experience in the Christchurch earthquakes — and possibly that has not been acknowledged.
"I’ve found Mike very accommodating, knowledgeable, he has great experience in local government that councillors and staff members haven’t had."
Ferguson adds Theelen’s highly regarded by central government.
"One thing I see at a higher level, and this is probably more in the CEO and mayor’s area, is there is a really growing relationship between QLDC and the government — ultimately we’ll see whether this government’s interested in Queenstown Lakes or not."
On the contentious Lakeview development deal, Ferguson notes "council finally settled a deal that others couldn’t over a long period of time".
"Council secured a substantial investment, and the chance of ongoing profits for the community.
"The deal retains land ownership with council, and only allows continued sell-down on the back of proven performance by the developer.
"And we have protected the jewel in the crown, the Lynch Block, for future investment decisions by council.
"It’s the long game I look at."
As for lowlights, Ferguson says an early one this term was a leaky homes settlement that "helped push us against the wall like we are at the moment fiscally".
The highlight is chairing the community & services committee and "working really hard with fellow elected members in getting some of that low-hanging fruit done".
As to whether Ferguson, who’s 65, stands again next year, "the one thing that would might entice me back would be to continue unfinished work in the community and services space".
Meantime, he counsels: "All 12 of us have a tough 15 months ahead."
