October 12, 2025 • 9 mins
Rob Scott has retained the Southland District mayoralty but ponders about how to get better voter engagement.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Rob Scott has been re elected as a South and
District Council mair for a second term with a comprehensive
victory in the local body elections over the weekend, and
joins us this afternoon. Rob, Good afternoon, and firstly, congratulations
on your reelection.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good afternoon, Andy. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You must be pretty toughed, especially with the margin that
you had.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yes, yeah, but better than the Turney nine that I
got the last time, and at the result was a
lot quick as at this time as well. So yeah,
I'm really I'm really stoked and quite hamble next week
a good result, yeah, Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Tyng of course, previousself and District Council heir before yourself
only forty five votes separating three candidates in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
This time though, so far four thy.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Seven hundred and twenty six is a difference between yourself
and Gary.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
What do you put it down to?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Oh? I sort of joked about it being my perform
inch of view over the last six weeks, and I
mean effectively it was, and I've worked very hard for
South London. It's comforting to kind of see that that's
I guess been recognized and I've got the support of
the community. So it's yeah, it's I'm very happy.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Talking about voted turnout as a concern all over the show.
What do you put it down to? Is it just
fatigue regarding local body politics.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, I can't work, and I think it's something that
I've basically written down as one of the things to
work on to try and get rid of that empathy
and that fatigue. I mean, the government haven't helped and
sort of getting the big stick out and turning us
into a bit of a I guess the whipping boy
kind of thing. But I think I mean I spoke
(01:46):
to a few people. I spoke to someone sort of
in that last week and I said to her, have
you voted? And she said, oh, no, not yet voting
all the election stage. Yeah, I haven't missed one yet,
but I was sort of left right to the last
minute and forgotten about it. So I think that, I mean,
the postal system, no one and I can't we don't
(02:07):
check them out, but very hopen at home and then
we don't really get much mail, so that that's part
of the problem, I think. But also, yeah, we need
to do something as a sector. Thirty percent I think
I think they're national averages at thirty percent. That's not
very good.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
And interesting you're talking about the rural post and the likes.
That's one of the things that's pretty contentious for a
lot of people at the moment.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, no, it is. It's sometimes changes for the better,
sometimes changes for the worst, but it's it fascinates me
how we've got further and further ahead in time and
technology and increase, but sometimes the services don't stay in
there and the reliability of those sorts of things. So yeah,
it's our rural communities are very important and we've got
(02:53):
them actual that we can communicate with them properly, and
I think sometimes and I mean it's one of the
things that we focus on, Well, we have to deal
with a Southland district where decisions get made in the
cities in Wellington. Let's forget about how the rest of
the world that actually keeps the country going operates. So,
you know, it's one of the challenges of the case.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Are you hopeful for a one hundred percent sour coverage
rate in Southland given that the towcos don't realize it's
the year twenty twenty five and certain parts of the
south Southern coast will exist.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh, most definitely to make me more productive of my role.
I can tell you most of the patches and Southland
where the phone receiption runs out and I'm trying to
sort of have conversations while I'm driving around, and yeah,
it's pretty abrid so it would definitely me. It's good
to see vondaphone or sorry, One New Zealand now keep
talking vodaphone, but One New Zealand having that satellite kind
(03:46):
of coverage. I think that's going to help as it progresses.
But it's something that needs to happen. It's yeah, very
important for rural people to take connected.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
So what are your priorities for this term?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Rob, We'll carry on carry on doing the best out
and looking. We've got such a great council, the community's
pot forward, a good grouping of sixty nine elected members
to work with. So we've got a few things that
we're going to carry on working on. Roading is definitely
the big one for us. I've got to finish that
(04:20):
roading funding journey that have been on the government and
get some equity across there, and building up our local
democracy across all of our towns and getting them strong.
The reorganization is certainly going to dominate them in the background,
but there's other stuff to sort of work on at
the same time as that as well, And we've got
(04:41):
such a great district and big things around the world.
Our airport that we're still going to be working on,
the studile and electricity it's progressing nicely. So there's a
few big projects. But I guess just for me, it's
strengthening that local democracy with our community boards and our
great team that we're going to around the table.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You use that term local democracy, just explain it in
a bit more detail.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So we've got nine community boards spread around South and district,
so we've actually kind of where we're quite a unique
council with sixty nine elected members, which some people see
as a bit of a challenge, but I see that
as a as a real great strength and getting our
decisions made totally and that kind of local governance and
(05:28):
local scrutiny over how the right pay money get spent.
It's a much better way of doing it and it's
I think one of the great strengths that we have
here in the Southwind.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
You talk before about rural roads.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Of course, we've got one of the biggest roading networks
in the country. Can we actually see a time and
a place where our roads are set up to a
satisfactory stand And I mean you drive between in the
Cargo and Gore for example, for being State in Highway one,
it's diabolical in places like some of the Edendale Earl
it's unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, it's quite having a conversation with someone over the
weekend about that, I actually said. And our roading team
might give me a clip around the ears for this.
But if we can get the equitible roading funding, because
State Highway is actually worse than our council membaged roads
and if we could get appropriate funding we could we
(06:17):
could actually look after the state highways as well and
keep them to the same standard we've got our other
roads on. And some people might argue that our roads
aren't that good, but they are relative to the to
other parts of the country, they're pretty good. We've got
a good team there that are running on the smell
of an all the rags. So if we can get
that funding up, yeah, maybe we could look after the
government roads too.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
But do we need to compare ourselves to the rest
of the country. Or do your respect. We need to
stay what works best for us totally.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And that's that's what I've been in the conversation been
having with the politicians is punish us because we're good.
This is we are contributing to the rest of the
country where that huge export contribution that we make from
our royal sector and we need that investment and our roads,
and yeah, we shouldn't be compared to the rest of
the country at all.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Year right GDP figures for Tiger Southern Dateline.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Now as well the other Isshue you talked about council amalgamation.
We've seen the debarkle over the weekend over two hundred
councilors or mayors for that matter, and elected on a
POS throughout the country.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You're going to be pushing this agenda.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yeah, well I launched that. I like the word amutamation.
I prefer the word reorganization. But having launched it eighteen
months ago, now it's an important piece. I think it
comes down to it or talking about at the start
as well, we've got apathy out there. If we've only
got in the late thirty percent to forty percent of
(07:42):
the people turning, I think God did quite well, getting
across fifty but that shouldn't be a celebration when you
get to fifty percent. We should be getting eighty percent
voted turning out. So we're need to get our system
for for purpose and touching on that local democracy piece
that I talked about as well, that's that's the part
where we can actually make this work very well. Celebrating
(08:03):
our community boards, having those people that are there, they're
not there for the money, they don't get paid very
well for it, so they clearly there for the right reason.
But getting that grassroots democracy happening, so you still got
really good representation, but taking away all the overheads and
the burden of having four councils to get all the
work done. So I think there's a very important piece
(08:24):
of work to have a lot there and the system
that we're operating and has been there since nineteen eighty nine,
it is time to change and that might actually help
with some of those those other issues that we're having.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So it's the ultimate goal for you regarding this. Perhaps
in three years time, this is all going yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Hopefully the Local Government Commission's working on At the moment,
I have felt that the proposal of the two unitary
authorities coming out that it's my favorite. But it's important
now for the community to have their essay. So the
proposal has been launched this I guess the process has started,
but they're very important part. Now's the community to have
have a voice and have a say, and I would
(09:02):
like to see the new system in place for the
next election.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Rob Scott re elected South and District Council may I
always appreciate your time in the muster.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Congratulations once again.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Thanks Eddie, much appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Rob Scott re elected mayor of a South and District Council.
You're listening to the muster. Next we're away to Calso.
We catch up with Bruce need
Rob Scott has been re elected as a South and
District Council mair for a second term with a comprehensive
victory in the local body elections over the weekend, and
joins us this afternoon. Rob, Good afternoon, and firstly, congratulations
on your reelection.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good afternoon, Andy. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You must be pretty toughed, especially with the margin that
you had.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yes, yeah, but better than the Turney nine that I
got the last time, and at the result was a
lot quick as at this time as well. So yeah,
I'm really I'm really stoked and quite hamble next week
a good result, yeah, Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Tyng of course, previousself and District Council heir before yourself
only forty five votes separating three candidates in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
This time though, so far four thy.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Seven hundred and twenty six is a difference between yourself
and Gary.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
What do you put it down to?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Oh? I sort of joked about it being my perform
inch of view over the last six weeks, and I
mean effectively it was, and I've worked very hard for
South London. It's comforting to kind of see that that's
I guess been recognized and I've got the support of
the community. So it's yeah, it's I'm very happy.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Talking about voted turnout as a concern all over the show.
What do you put it down to? Is it just
fatigue regarding local body politics.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, I can't work, and I think it's something that
I've basically written down as one of the things to
work on to try and get rid of that empathy
and that fatigue. I mean, the government haven't helped and
sort of getting the big stick out and turning us
into a bit of a I guess the whipping boy
kind of thing. But I think I mean I spoke
(01:46):
to a few people. I spoke to someone sort of
in that last week and I said to her, have
you voted? And she said, oh, no, not yet voting
all the election stage. Yeah, I haven't missed one yet,
but I was sort of left right to the last
minute and forgotten about it. So I think that, I mean,
the postal system, no one and I can't we don't
(02:07):
check them out, but very hopen at home and then
we don't really get much mail, so that that's part
of the problem, I think. But also, yeah, we need
to do something as a sector. Thirty percent I think
I think they're national averages at thirty percent. That's not
very good.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
And interesting you're talking about the rural post and the likes.
That's one of the things that's pretty contentious for a
lot of people at the moment.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, no, it is. It's sometimes changes for the better,
sometimes changes for the worst, but it's it fascinates me
how we've got further and further ahead in time and
technology and increase, but sometimes the services don't stay in
there and the reliability of those sorts of things. So yeah,
it's our rural communities are very important and we've got
(02:53):
them actual that we can communicate with them properly, and
I think sometimes and I mean it's one of the
things that we focus on, Well, we have to deal
with a Southland district where decisions get made in the
cities in Wellington. Let's forget about how the rest of
the world that actually keeps the country going operates. So,
you know, it's one of the challenges of the case.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Are you hopeful for a one hundred percent sour coverage
rate in Southland given that the towcos don't realize it's
the year twenty twenty five and certain parts of the
south Southern coast will exist.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh, most definitely to make me more productive of my role.
I can tell you most of the patches and Southland
where the phone receiption runs out and I'm trying to
sort of have conversations while I'm driving around, and yeah,
it's pretty abrid so it would definitely me. It's good
to see vondaphone or sorry, One New Zealand now keep
talking vodaphone, but One New Zealand having that satellite kind
(03:46):
of coverage. I think that's going to help as it progresses.
But it's something that needs to happen. It's yeah, very
important for rural people to take connected.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
So what are your priorities for this term?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Rob, We'll carry on carry on doing the best out
and looking. We've got such a great council, the community's
pot forward, a good grouping of sixty nine elected members
to work with. So we've got a few things that
we're going to carry on working on. Roading is definitely
the big one for us. I've got to finish that
(04:20):
roading funding journey that have been on the government and
get some equity across there, and building up our local
democracy across all of our towns and getting them strong.
The reorganization is certainly going to dominate them in the background,
but there's other stuff to sort of work on at
the same time as that as well, And we've got
(04:41):
such a great district and big things around the world.
Our airport that we're still going to be working on,
the studile and electricity it's progressing nicely. So there's a
few big projects. But I guess just for me, it's
strengthening that local democracy with our community boards and our
great team that we're going to around the table.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You use that term local democracy, just explain it in
a bit more detail.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So we've got nine community boards spread around South and district,
so we've actually kind of where we're quite a unique
council with sixty nine elected members, which some people see
as a bit of a challenge, but I see that
as a as a real great strength and getting our
decisions made totally and that kind of local governance and
(05:28):
local scrutiny over how the right pay money get spent.
It's a much better way of doing it and it's
I think one of the great strengths that we have
here in the Southwind.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
You talk before about rural roads.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Of course, we've got one of the biggest roading networks
in the country. Can we actually see a time and
a place where our roads are set up to a
satisfactory stand And I mean you drive between in the
Cargo and Gore for example, for being State in Highway one,
it's diabolical in places like some of the Edendale Earl
it's unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, it's quite having a conversation with someone over the
weekend about that, I actually said. And our roading team
might give me a clip around the ears for this.
But if we can get the equitible roading funding, because
State Highway is actually worse than our council membaged roads
and if we could get appropriate funding we could we
(06:17):
could actually look after the state highways as well and
keep them to the same standard we've got our other
roads on. And some people might argue that our roads
aren't that good, but they are relative to the to
other parts of the country, they're pretty good. We've got
a good team there that are running on the smell
of an all the rags. So if we can get
that funding up, yeah, maybe we could look after the
government roads too.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
But do we need to compare ourselves to the rest
of the country. Or do your respect. We need to
stay what works best for us totally.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And that's that's what I've been in the conversation been
having with the politicians is punish us because we're good.
This is we are contributing to the rest of the
country where that huge export contribution that we make from
our royal sector and we need that investment and our roads,
and yeah, we shouldn't be compared to the rest of
the country at all.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Year right GDP figures for Tiger Southern Dateline.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Now as well the other Isshue you talked about council amalgamation.
We've seen the debarkle over the weekend over two hundred
councilors or mayors for that matter, and elected on a
POS throughout the country.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You're going to be pushing this agenda.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yeah, well I launched that. I like the word amutamation.
I prefer the word reorganization. But having launched it eighteen
months ago, now it's an important piece. I think it
comes down to it or talking about at the start
as well, we've got apathy out there. If we've only
got in the late thirty percent to forty percent of
(07:42):
the people turning, I think God did quite well, getting
across fifty but that shouldn't be a celebration when you
get to fifty percent. We should be getting eighty percent
voted turning out. So we're need to get our system
for for purpose and touching on that local democracy piece
that I talked about as well, that's that's the part
where we can actually make this work very well. Celebrating
(08:03):
our community boards, having those people that are there, they're
not there for the money, they don't get paid very
well for it, so they clearly there for the right reason.
But getting that grassroots democracy happening, so you still got
really good representation, but taking away all the overheads and
the burden of having four councils to get all the
work done. So I think there's a very important piece
(08:24):
of work to have a lot there and the system
that we're operating and has been there since nineteen eighty nine,
it is time to change and that might actually help
with some of those those other issues that we're having.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So it's the ultimate goal for you regarding this. Perhaps
in three years time, this is all going yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Hopefully the Local Government Commission's working on At the moment,
I have felt that the proposal of the two unitary
authorities coming out that it's my favorite. But it's important
now for the community to have their essay. So the
proposal has been launched this I guess the process has started,
but they're very important part. Now's the community to have
have a voice and have a say, and I would
(09:02):
like to see the new system in place for the
next election.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Rob Scott re elected South and District Council may I
always appreciate your time in the muster.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Congratulations once again.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Thanks Eddie, much appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Rob Scott re elected mayor of a South and District Council.
You're listening to the muster. Next we're away to Calso.
We catch up with Bruce need
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