| Mayoral Election | 2013 | 2016 | 2019 |
| Votes | 11,630 | 8,990 | 9,221 |
| Placing | 1st | 1st | 1st |
On Westbrook Sports Precinct:
- 28 June 2021 – Council Meeting – voted for the Trumper motion 🙁🙁🙁
- 18 May 2021 – SP & F Committee – voted for Shirley Trumper’s motion: That the discussion on the future of the Springfield Golf Course be deferred until such time as a full assessment is conducted by Council on a future sports facility that is fit for purpose to meet the future needs of the Rotorua community to go out for full consultation at the appropriate time. 🙁🙁🙁
- 19 Apr 2021 – Attended the Springfield Community Conversation ❤
- 5 Mar 2020 – “It’s exciting to be able to now share this vision with the wider community, with the hopes of creating a world-class destination for sports and recreation in Rotorua for generations to come.” Daily Post 🙁
Council Meeting of 28 June 2021
Mayor Steve Chadwick said that Trumper’s amendment:
does exactly what I think our community is asking for – including the passion of the golfers of Springfield and those that live around the Springfield Golf Course. It’s actually asking for a full assessment to be conducted by Council and I believe that that ought to be time-framed. That’s the only amendment that I would put in supporting this…
Because of the community interest, this is something that ought to be done in year one of the Long Term Plan or in the first three years. We’ve got six years ahead. Where do you get another business come to ask to us to say we need our lease to be given for 30 years – it’s usually an extension of 10. And we have had other commercial providers come to us asking for consideration of lease extensions that we’ve done in “confidential”, because of the commercial nature.
If this is a commercial proposition, and I quite like we’re your coming from Cr Kumar, about the value of golf. Actually, Arikikapakapa did put a detailed business case to the Rotorua Economic Development Unit. They didn’t get over the line at the time because we had other priorities. I like the idea of doing an economic analysis of the value of golf. I see all the golfers here today with passion, which is a great thing, for health and well-being.
All we are discussing today, and this was the recommendation that we all approved of at our committee of Council and clearly that hasn’t been imparted back, we’re not discussing the lease. We’re saying that we need to do a full assessment on the future needs of a sports facility that is fit for purpose to meet the future needs of the Rotorua community. And then to take that assessment out for consultation. It’s all we asked for. So in effect this isn’t even a Long Term Plan discussion. But the passion has been aroused and that doesn’t matter. Arousing the passion certainly shows us the level of community concern.
I too was at that meeting and Robert, it was conducted with respect and dignity . I felt I was incredibly compromised when a fellow Councilor got up and said that those at the public meeting had been dealt a whole lot of propaganda and lies. That was wrong. And I couldn’t rebut it and I wouldn’t rebut it. What does it look like when Councilors go to war at a public meeting over a really high interest in a community. And so we sat there and just listened which was the purpose of them coming here today.
So I’m very satisfied and I think it satisfies your concern Cr Maxwell that we undertake that full assessment first and then take that assessment out for full consultation to the wider community. That’s what I saw. That’s what I felt by all other sporting codes. So what a lot of people with passion for golf don’t realise is I have soccer Mum’s & Dad’s, and I’ve been one of those, we can’t stand the parks we have to stand on every Saturday. We like the fact that there is going to be the consideration of a Sporting complex. So that discussion needs to go out to the wider community. So I’m in support of the motion today that we defer the discussion of the Springfield Golf Course. I want to thank you all for coming in numbers to show – we clearly know what you believe. That’s ok. That’s fine. That’s how other issues like Tarawera happened over time because they too showed their support.
But I’m in full support of this motion as amended at the Committee in which we took active part in discussion – those that were there.
Having heard from each of the Councillors Mayor Chadwick made the following comments (beginning while her microphone was off):
… discussion and I think that the high level of interest that is here that Cr Macpherson’s motion goes to the SP&F Committee for full discussion and debate.
Despite Mayor Chadwick’s assurance that the SP&F Committee would have a full discussion and debate on Cr Macpherson’s motion, this did not happen. The item did not even appear on the SP&F Agenda.