Ashburton Courier: October 17, 2019

Page 4, Ashburton’s The Courier, Thursday 17 October 2019
Hugs for former mayor, and acouncil with new flavour
Donna Favel was everywhere
­ at community
meetings, at council, and
representing Ashburton
on national bodies.
Hers was an inclusive
style and she was rarely
rattled.
But after six years as a
councillor and three as
mayor, the voting public
sought change.
On Monday, Mrs Favel
was taking time to absorb
the loss, accepting ­and
giving hugs ­and thinking
how life will be after a
mayoralty in which she
represented Ashburton
Courier comment
locally and nationally.
The job had been allconsuming,
and Mrs
Favel was a stickler for
details, quizzing staff and
visitors to council for
every detail.
The new council has a
different flavour, with a
more business/rural
flavour ­ mayor Neil
brown is adairy farmer/
businessman, Angus
McKay had a farm at
Methven and represented
the district on the
regional council, John
Falloon isanaccountant,
Rodger Letham specialises
in selling rural property,
Stuart Wilson is a
retired farmer, and
Lynette Lovett lives on a
rural property.
Two issues may have
combined to unseat Mrs
Favel: the council
decision to move the
fountain from East Street
to the domain, and the
closure of the Ashburton
i­Site.
The closure of the
i­Site was recommended
by a council­led review
(and closed by the board
of Experience Mid Canterbury)
and raised the
ire of the public.
The fountain issue
came about as aresult of
planning for the upgrade
of the CBD ­itwas seen,
basically, as being in the
way.
That decision also
upset the community and
it was Mr Brown who
intervened by initiating a
notice of motion to
revoke the decision.
The decision was revoked
and the fountain is
not going anywhere.
Whether those matters
had astrong influence on
voters is moot; Mrs Favel
is out, having decided not
to alsoseek aseataround
the table, as Leen Braam
did.
He missed out (by a
wide margin) on the top
job but topped the polling
in the Ashburton
Ward.
Had Mrs Favel also
stood, she, too, might
have been back around
the table.
Given her love of the
district ­and the work she
has done for it ­she may
be back at alater date.
Ashburton now has a
new, smaller council
(nine instead of 12) and
challenges ahead, not
least the ruckus that may
ensue if tough new
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz
environmental rules, as
they stand down, are
enforced.
They have the potential
to hurt farming, and
anything that does that
will hurt the district.
The previous council
was strong on water
issues ­retiringcouncillor
Peter Reveley said any
intending councillor had
better bone uponwater ­
water issues, for good or
ill, willfeature too for this
council.
In that regard, Mr
Brown is in his element.
­John Keast
Warm welcome for new principal
Column
Seven
New Mt Hutt College
principal Jack Saxon has
been welcomed with
fanfare ­and an
assurance that if the
budget had allowed,
every student from
Kaitaia College, his
Hustlers
Reviewed by Rowena Hart
This story isatake on true events chronicled in
a 2015 New York Magazine article. A group of
Manhattan strip-club dancers pull out the stops
in settling scores with their Wall Street clients after
the 2008 financial meltdown leavesthe girlsstaring
down the barrel ofuncertainty and despair. The
menripped off the whole worldand got away with
it.Now,itistheir turntobeatthe receiving end.
Hustlers is awild and wacky crime caper that pulls
no punches.Money is precisely whatthe women in
Hustlers want no matter whatittakes.
Exploitationisatthecoreofthedancers’relationship
with the wealthy sleaze balls who turn upatthe
strip club every night and blow uptheir expense
accounts in the smoky champagne rooms. But the
women who serve them are acutely aware ofthe
controlthattheycan exercise over the sozzled men
if they decide to put their heads and hearts to it.
The women go all out to make their point. So
do the actors who play the parts, nobody more
emphatically than Jennifer Lopez. She steals the
showasastripper who knows precisely which side
of the bread is buttered and does not scrimp on
passing on the knowledge to her‘gang’ members.
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former school, would
have come to the handover.
Manuhiri speakers
said Mr Saxon was a
leader, much loved in the
community, and that, if
he ever wished to leave
2215609
Methven, Kaitaia would
welcome him back.
Mr Saxon, family,
several senior pupils and
Kaitaia teachers were
greeted with astirring
haka, akaikaranga from
Rana Staples, of
Arowhenua Marae, and
speeches from Darren
Solomon, of Arowhenua,
and Richard Fitzgerald,
of Mt Hutt College board
of trustees, and Colin
Brodie.
Mr Saxon was also
greeted by head boy
Mitchell Baron and head
girl Caitlin Smith and
two Year 7buddies.
Mr Saxon said he
needed to listen to all
voices, and through those
voices the community
would flourish.
‘‘I want to take the
time to listen.’’
He said he would
never forget his five years
in Kaitaia.
‘‘To students, whanau,
teachers, treasure what
you treasure most
dearly.’’
He urged students,
teachers and the
community to have high
expectations of him.
He said he was one for
collaboration, was
excited about the future,
and to continue to build
on ‘‘the amazing
foundation’’ at Mt Hutt
College.
Kaitaia teacher Ray
Subritzky said Mr Saxon
took Kaitaia College and
‘‘shook it upside down’’
and urged Mt Hutt
College to ‘‘look after
him ­orwewill be back
to get him’’.
The whole school, he
said, turned out to shake
his hand.
THIS WEEK’SSPECIALS
Photo: Mr Saxon is
greeted with ahaka and,
below, Mr Saxon prepares
to greet aKaitaia teacher
during the ceremony.
We wonder if there are
others out there who have
endured the brief adrenaline
spike of being
bombarded by a diving
magpie. For the Ashburton
bloke who donned
cycling attire for an offroad
jaunt along Melrose
road onSunday, the multiple
diving magpiewas not
on his radar until it was too
late. Weare please to say
cyclist and magpie
survived the ordeal but it
serves as a warning to
others...it’s that time of
year.
❑❑❑
We mentioned earlier
how we got astart when we
saw a life­size image of
mayoral aspirant Tony
Todd ‘‘looking’’ at us from
ashop window. We walked
past the other two and
there were two Tony
Todds ­the man in person,
standing beside his lifesize
image. We, ahem, did
adouble take.
❑❑❑
On the election, we
think it was afairly low­key
campaign all round, and
note some made wide use
of social media, others had
cars sign­written ­yes, we
noticed, Mrs Favel ­and
for others wesaw but one
lonely highway sign. Signs
or no signs, we congratulate
all those who stood. It
is not an easy thing to do,
but just by standing, in our
book, you are winners.
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