He tilted at the mayoralty in 2019 and even had a crack at central government in the last general election, and now Zane Cozens is back seeking Taupō’s mayoral chains.
The Motuoapa-based real estate agent, married to former Taupō District councillor of one term John Mack, believes he and incumbent David Trewavas won’t be the only horses in the race, nominations for which close on Friday (August 1).
He was expecting a couple more big names*, he said.
“But hey, it's par for the course and game on.”
The one and a half term councillor, elected in 2013, resigned in 2017 citing disparities between Taupō and Tūrangi and a “dysfunctional” council in which he could no longer make a difference.
“People have asked me why I'm standing again… it's about leadership. Leadership is really important to any organisation, especially when it comes to a council and driving positive change.
“In my second tenure, leadership was lacking. The council was not a healthy place to be.”
Though he felt the experience added to his awareness of public service and how a council should operate, as had standing for the Act Party in the 2023 general election. (He was number 19 on the list).
He was probably not quite ready when he stood for mayor in 2019, he said.
“That was pretty much just team Zane on his own. I didn't have a structure around me like I do this time.”
Though this was unrelated to Act, he said.
“I haven't been a part of the party for quite some time… I'm honoured to have been given the opportunity, but I'm definitely an independent.”
“I was always a National Party supporter… since I first started to vote. But I was shoulder tapped by the party. And there were some policies in there which I really relate to. I'm a businessman…and they are about business as much as they are about freedom of choice and personal responsibility. And those align with me. I believe in empowering people to be the best they can be.”
Though he also cited a strong social mindset.
If elected, he would like to institute a 100-day plan, which was still being refined.
One recent addition was for regular get-togethers, such as for hospitality or construction, to look at challenges, or how the council could make things better.
“But primarily, I want to ensure that our district is affordable. Over the next nine years, according to the council's long-term plan, rates are going to rise at three times the rate of inflation… It's a race to the bottom to unaffordability. One of my key concerns is ensuring that young couples or singletons are able to buy their first home.”
The council had to think more strategically than just adding to rates; making cuts but also finding alternative income streams – such as public-private partnerships.
These would be the mission of a small, dedicated team within council.
“They go out to government, agencies who provide funding. We partner up with private sector individuals or corporations… there's talk of capping rates. Great. That's fine. We can talk about that. How far away is that? What do we do now? What can we do now to make sure that we're not going to make this place unaffordable to live in?”
Bed taxes hadn’t got over the line with Auckland and Queenstown campaigning on them for years. “If they can't push it through with central government, it's not going to happen. But I think the government's missing a trick for us.”
Local Water Done Well, was also going to be challenging, Cozens said.
“We have to pay government between $500,000 and $800,000 yearly for them to have oversight. Where's that money going to come from? It's going to come from rates.
“There has to be some pushback… they're dishing stuff out to us in terms of compliance, which is like, come on.”
Council debt was another.
“It's now $237 million or thereabouts... We just had to raise our debt limit. We only used to be able to borrow 200 per cent of our rates. Now they've raised it to 250 per cent... We can't keep borrowing. We’ve got to think smarter.”
A first priority would be a sharp independent 30-day review of council, to “get a full data set of where we are at.”
“I want to peel back the layers and understand exactly where we're spending money... You've got to be inside the tent to see everything.”
On Tepapamārearea Māori ward and the Mana Whakahono partnership agreement between council and Ngāti Tūrangitukua, Cozens believed there had been good outcomes.
“If it's working, great. If it's not, how do we enhance it? I think there's some big challenges with this as we move ahead. I've always had concern…
“Is this representation the best representation for all Māori people? We've got to remember that not all Māori people think the same… I care less about the identity of people. I care about who people are. I care about everyone having the same value, the same voice and all moving together collectively. Where are we going? How are we going to get there? And let's move together.”
Cozens also wanted to trial ideas to build connections between councillors and the public – such as through short reels on social media, or apportioning councillors certain residential areas.
“We've got to get this understanding that it's not a bunch of councillors who work in a big black building who don't connect with their communities, even though many of them do. A lot of the time, perception is reality.
“When the campaigning kicks off, I'll be releasing my plan to the public so they can see it. I've just got to be a bit cautious about it now because I don't want my competitors stealing my ideas.”
* Cozens was right, around noon on Monday current deputy mayor Kevin Taylor’s name was added to the mayoralty race.
