White wins council seat
Melissa White will be the new Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward councillor after another super tight council election result.
White won the by-election by just 26 votes from John Glover, based on the preliminary results released on Friday.
The Lake Hayes Estate mother-of-two received 767 votes ahead of sole challenger Glover with 741 votes.
The voter turnout was 19.2%, being 1,519 votes. There were 8 special votes still to count but the result is expected to be confirmed early this week.
Queenstown's known for its tight council elections with one coming down to a coin toss. That was between AJ Mason and Glyn Lewers six years ago. Lewers won and was elected to council, and went on to become the mayor.
"I had no idea how it was going to go and when I heard it had come down to just 26 votes, it did make my heart jump a little," White says.
"I was pleasantly surprised with the result and the fact it went my way, but it was very close."
White plans to provide a voice for the people in the bustling subdivisions of Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country.
"That's my biggest motivation because there's a lot happening out this way, so for someone who actually lives here to have a seat at the council is very important."
Big issues include the rezoning of Ladies Mile, which will provide up to 2400 much-needed new apartments and houses, but has proved unpopular with many locals due to concerns about traffic.
White will likely be able to see both sides of the debate. She lives in a Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust House, from where she operates her cake and cupcake business.
It was her dealings with council over regulatory requirements, including her frustrations with the processes and procedures, which initially sparked her interest in becoming a councillor.
During her campaign, she said: "It’s so much more than that now, there are so many issues the council is facing, both large and small, and I believe it’s important to have local and diverse representation around the council table."
Before the serious work begins, however, there's been a little time for some celebrations.
"I had a few drinks on Friday night with some friends who popped around to say congratulations, which was really good," White said, on Sunday.
"But it's my daughter's seventh birthday tomorrow, so that takes over, as you'd imagine birthdays are quite big in this house . . . I have a Cat in The Hat cake-theme to make, which I'm secretly quite excited about."
Her phone was buzzing non-stop on Friday afternoon, with calls and messages of congratulations from other councillors, friends and her opponent John Glover.
They were both a little disappointed with the voter turnout.
"We were expecting a poor voter turnout, it being a byelection, but it would have been nice to have people more engaged," White says.
She actually got fewer votes than when she ran in October, when she landed 1081 votes, with a voter turnout of 43%, finishing fifth in the race for the three seats.
Craig 'Ferg' Ferguson, Lisa Guy and Neeta Shetty were elected but the byelection was called after Shetty resigned just three months into the new term. Nell Hunter, who'd finished fourth in October, chose not to stand again.
Glover didn't stand in October but has put his hat in the ring three times now. He's not sure whether he'll give it another go next time around.
"Fourth-time lucky is not the best election slogan," he says, "but it's two years away and we'll see how things shake out."
For now, he'll continue his work for the community as chair of Shaping Our Future, and with the Glenorchy Community Association.
"I'm lucky I get paid to do community work with is so rewarding and inspiring, so standing for council was never a binary choice. I'm disappointed but that's democracy."
White is expected to be sworn in at the next Full Council meeting on 1 June.
