Bay of Islands - Whangaroa General Ward
Get to know the candidates standing for Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward.
Each candidate is presented with their name, their affiliation, a personal profile statement, and a photo or introductory video (if supplied).
These are provided to help you better understand who is running and what they stand for.
The voting period is from 9 September to 11 October midday.
See the profiles of other candidates running for the 2025 local election
BAMBER, Tyler Ian
Affiliation:
Your Voice Our Community
Candidate statement:
It's time for council to get back to basics: listening to locals, delivering core-services, and spending smarter. I'm a local business owner. I know how to stretch a dollar, make a plan, and get things done. I have a young family, and want to raise them in a district that’s thriving, not just surviving.
My approach? Simple: listen first, then act. Focus on what matters - roads, drainage, rubbish, public facilities, service delivery. Plan for the future. Make sure the right people are at the table and that community voices guide decision-making.
That includes backing what makes our district special - tourism, arts, and culture - and supporting economic growth to make this a place people are proud to call home.
Our team shares these priorities. We’re committed to working hard, being available, and making council work for the people who pay the bills.
Your voice, our community, your team.
Candidate video:
BEAVEN, Stuart
Affiliation:
N/A
Candidate statement:
I stand for honesty, integrity and respect with knowledge.
As a ratepayer, I am passionate about ratepayers money, both yours and mine. I believe I can make a difference and maximise value for both yours and my money in return. Having an overall understanding of the intricacies on how the internal systems of local government bureaucracy functions, I believe I can help and make a difference. I am realistic enough to realise that this will not happen in the short term. However, I assure you, that although I will not be able to solve all issues specific to individuals, I will endeavour to the best of my ability, challenge and question outcomes that financially impact on all of us, with honesty, respect, integrity and knowledge for the long-term betterment of the Community and District.
COURT, Ann
Affiliation:
Your Voice Our Community
Candidate statement:
Northlands roads still bear the scars of $250m in storm damage. We must remain laser-focused on recovery and rebuilding.
Progress what we've started in Kerikeri/Waipapa. Close critical infrastructure gaps. Advance flood protection. Finalise the CBD ring-road designation. Ringfence Te-Puawaitanga protecting land for future generations.
Invest in what makes a place feel like home. Playgrounds, sport and recreation. Secure landside beach access at Onewhero Bay. Uplift Crown funds for the Rangitane boat-ramp and trailer-parking improving options for recreational access to the sea.
Act on storm threats that endanger lives and infrastructure in our vulnerable communities. Support accessible transport options because dignity and mobility are not luxuries.
Rates must remain affordable, backed by transparent decision-making that earns public trust. We must spend wisely and make every dollar count because your rates should work as hard as you do.
Your Voice, Our Community, Your Team: securing a future Northland communities can count on.
Candidate video:
HUGHES, Geoff
Affiliation:
N/A
Candidate statement:
Geoff Hughes, a retired chartered accountant and businessman has deep roots in the Bay of Islands/Whangaroa district.
A sixth generation Kiwi, he is a direct descendant of James Shepherd, a member of the Church Missionary Society, who settled in Kerikeri in 1820.
He is also a direct descendant of chief Te Ururoa from Whangaroa.
Geoff worked as an accountant in Auckland, the Middle East and London.
Since the early 1990's he has operated a building renovation business in Auckland.
Early last year he and his wife Nada (of Dalmatian heritage from Kaitaia) moved back to Kerikeri, after an absence of 47 years. Geoff feels privileged to be living back in the Bay of Islands, the place where he grew up. He realises that being involved as a council representative would be a challenge.
His motto has always been to do something once, and do it right.
Candidate video:
MCNALLY, Steve
Affiliation:
N/A
Candidate statement:
My focus will remain on the core infrastructure business of Council. Ratepayers require delivery of services in a cost-effective, efficient, and timely manner. Excessive spending on the wrong things by long-term councillors has cost ratepayers a fortune. I need your support to get this spending under control. Three years ago Asset Management Plans (AMPs) were non-existent which made budget planning and setting rates unreliable. I pushed for AMPs to be created so the councillors and staff know the condition of all assets and can accurately allow for annual upgrades and maintenance needed. There's been years of bad decisions and councillors using ratepayers money for vanity projects. There is so much more work to be done and I will keep working hard to bring this under control.
NATUSCH, Jonathan
Affiliation:
Independent
Candidate statement:
I will: fight to reverse the speed limit changes; listen to the majority not just the loudest few; get value for money for your rates dollars.
I'm a born and bred Northland boy, who returned home to Kerikeri six years ago. I'm a lawyer and a very amateur gardener.
Northland is a great place to live, but we don't seem to get much from our rates.
Let's do better.
PITCH, Ray
Affiliation:
N/A
Candidate statement:
I am dedicated community volunteer and disaster management professional, I have witnessed first-hand the devastation of coastal erosion, river flooding, and land slips during severe weather events that are increasing in frequency and intensity. I am running for Council because I strongly believe our community must act urgently and decisively to protect our homes, our coastline, and our environment.
My experience as a Red Cross disaster response volunteer, frontline paramedic, and Justice of the Peace – coupled with a postgraduate qualification in Disaster Management and an Master Degree in Business – equip me to address these urgent challenges. I will raise government awareness about our erosion and flooding risks, and advocate for stronger protective measures. I will also fight for crucial government funding for coastal defences, riverbank reinforcement, and soil stabilization efforts. Together, with your support, we can build a safer, more resilient community for future generations.
RILEY, Joshua
Affiliation:
Sovereign
Candidate statement:
We are heading down a path of fiscal incompetence, opaque transactions, assets selloffs and disproportionate representation. FNDC subsidiaries have sold over $20 million in assets to Tupu Tonu since 2023, without public consultation or open tender. $25 million dumped into 'Strategic Relationships', many unlikely to produce an ROI - meanwhile our rates increased 10.95%. I am standing to salvage a future for Northland. Every Councillor should represent Every resident. Maori Wards are segregation and will lead to a bleak future for everyone. Unless you have 200 Councillors representing a portion of every ethnicity, you will never have equal representation. And why would you want that anyway? Regarding the path we choose, please understand the lessons from other nations, reject racial division, make Council colourblind -vote No to Maori Wards.
About me: Business owner since 2004. FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor. Business degree.
Learn more: sovereign.nz
Candidate video:
SMOLDERS, Davina
Affiliation:
ACT Local
Candidate statement:
For too long, Council has treated ratepayers like a bottomless ATM, with more rates hikes, more red tape, and meddling with our private property rights. Enough is enough – it's time for change.
As a business executive who knows how to turn things around, and someone who's led multimillion-dollar contracts and governance boards, I know how to run efficient operations, negotiate hard, and demand performance and accountability – exactly what Council desperately needs right now.
By voting for me as an ACT local candidate, you can count on me to get things done. I will protect your property rights, lower rates by stopping waste, and deliver what truly matters – reliable roads, clean water, and better essential services.
Vote Davina Smolders – The safe bet for a local voice you can guarantee will hold the line, protect what’s yours, and bring common sense back to the Council table.
Candidate video:
STRATFORD, Kelly Anne
Affiliation:
N/A
Candidate statement:
Tēnā koutou, I’m Kelly Stratford. I grew up in Kawakawa, am raising my whānau here in the north, and have served our community through school boards, business and sports committees, community groups, and our marae committee.
For over a decade, I ran a small café with my husband. I know the challenges of doing business in the Far North, and the grit it takes to keep going. That’s the same courage I bring to the council table: listening carefully, standing firm when it counts, staying focused on practical outcomes.
I’ve helped move forward vital work on water security, flood protection, civil defence, and environmental resilience. I’ve built strong relationships across council, hapū, and community to ensure local voices are heard where it matters.
You won’t find me making big promises. I just get on with the work, with integrity, fairness, and courage.
Vote Kelly Stratford #1 for Bay of Islands–Whangaroa.
Candidate video:
WILSON, Shell
Affiliation:
Your Voice Our Community
Candidate statement:
I’m a ratepayer, a mum, and a local teacher currently completing a Master’s in Organisational Change and Resilience, and I care deeply about the place we call home.
For me, real change starts with listening, collaboration, and turning ideas into action. I’ve spent years working alongside whānau, youth, and community groups across our rohe, helping bring projects to life that reflect what people actually want and need.
Whether it’s utilities, roads, drainage, waste, or public spaces, we need decisions made with our communities, not for them.
I bring a grounded, community-first perspective, shaped by lived experience and a commitment to practical outcomes. We need better value for our rates, more transparency around spending, and a return to core services that actually work.
It’s time for action that reflects our values, and I’m committed to doing the mahi with and for our communities.
Your voice. Our community. Your team.
Candidate video:
YEAGER, Ross George
Affiliation:
Independent
Candidate statement:
FNDC needs to return to core services of Roads, Rubbish, Reticulation, while living within its means.
The cost of living is challenging, especially those of fixed incomes, I will fight to cap rate increases to no more than the current inflation rate of 2.7%.
Council has dictated an 10.95% increase for the 25/26 year, 4x the CPI. That's not sustainable or fair to pensioners and ratepayers.
A background in General Management, business ownership, I bring common sense, honesty, fiscal responsibility, practical leadership. I will listen to you, ensure your money is spent wisely, not on pet projects.
Council processes, staff, contractors, should be efficient, cost effective with robust information systems.
I support equal, universal human rights for all 83 ethnic groups in New Zealand.
I do not support co-governance, council-led 'wellbeing' initiatives, or policies driven by ideology over practicality.
I'm guided by the principles of Democracy and the Magna Carta.