Lyttelton councillor in for mayoralty

Press, 16 August 1989, Page 9

Lyttelton councillor in for mayoralty

By

KAY FORRESTER

A Lyttelton Borough councillor, Cr Noeline Lester, will contest the mayoralty of the new Banks Peninsula District, and lead a team seeking places on its council.

The Independent Peninsula team will field candidates for five seats on the council and five community board seats in the Lyttelton-Mount Herbert ward of the new district.

Cr Lester is seeking a seat as well as contesting the mayoralty.

The team’s other council candidates are Cr Stan Helms, also a Lyttelton Borough councillor and chairman of the Port Hills Energy Authority; Mr Peter Gamble, a high school teacher; Mr Jim Hopkins, a freelance broadcaster; and Ms Virginia Gardner, who farms at Purau.

The community board candidates are Mr Don McKelvey, a marine and structural engineer; Ms Wendy McKay, organiser of the Cass Bay neighbourhood support group; Ms Dawn Kottier, a community youth worker; Mr Mark Ballantyne, a businessman; and Mrs Mary Stapleton-Smith, who farms at Camp Bay.

Cr Lester said there

was a natural consensus on issues among the candidates but none would be required to “toe the party line.” The team was a group of people who loved their area and wanted to see it prosper. Candidates shared common goals but did not belong to the same party machine. Cr Lester said people were suspicious of rigid party politics in local gov-

ernment and were looking for new groupings that offered flexibility and originality. The Lyttelton-Mount Herbert ward is the largest of the new district, with five of the district’s 10 councillors to come from it. The only other announced mayoral candidate is Mr Terence Brocherie, a former Akaroa County chairman.