Greetings, kia ora, hello
My name is Norma de Langen and I am standing as a candidate in the 2025 Local Body Elections for Whangārei District Council in the Hikurangi-Coastal Ward where I currently reside.
I hold a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours) degree and a Diploma of Landscape Design. I have knowledge of, and experience in, design, planning, ecology, environmental restoration and law, sustainable communities, advocacy, community consultation and participatory design.
For the past 30 years, I have had a long and extensive history of volunteering for a number of organisations. Currently, I chair the Whangaruru South Residents & Ratepayer’s Association Inc. (WSRRA), sit on a further two committees within my local area (Whangaruru Coastal Community & Sports Association Inc. and DOC appointed Oakura Reserves Board), volunteer as a First Aid Responder and assist with co-ordinating Civil Defence within Oakura Bay. I pride myself on getting things done. Click here to find out about the projects I have played a major role in implementing in my community.
I am standing as an Independent Candidate. I am not a member of any political party, nor am I wedded to any political ideology or dogma. I believe good, commonsense solutions should prevail and will stand on their own merits. I do not subscribe to a political left/right binary. A good idea is a good idea and it shouldn’t matter where it comes from; nor should doing what is right and fair be bound up in political ideology and political infighting.
I am a prolific reader and researcher and for the past seven years, WDC and NRC Reports and Meeting Minutes have formed a large part of my regular reading, allowing me to stay informed on what is really going on across the District. If elected, I will ensure I prepare well for Council meetings to enable best decision making on the issues up for discussion.
We all have our biases; however I try to read from as many sources as possible on both sides of an issue and/or debate and I endeavour to always keep an open mind. I’m happy to have my views challenged … and I will change them if new information comes to light and/or a better case is made. It is arrogant to assume one has all the answers. As a candidate that is neither an incumbent, nor had previous experience sitting on Council, I am well aware that I have much to learn and get to grips with, especially in the short-term. I am confident in my ability to do that.
Should my bid to represent Hikurangi-Coastal Ward on Whangārei District Council be successful, I will advocate for ALL communities within the Ward to the same high standard I have achieved in my own Whangaruru South community for the past seven years. That means attending community group meetings on a regular basis, noting issues of concern, advocating for the community at the Council table, and then reporting back to them in a timely manner. Along with face-to-face community meetings, I undertake to regularly post blog articles on this website, and other social media, sharing relevant information to provide greater transparency, accountability and engagement.
I will be a full-time representative – I am of the opinion that being a Councillor shouldn’t just be a ‘side hustle’, as it is for some. Given the volume of reports that need to be read and digested, as well as conducting meaningful engagement with the communities that make up Hikurangi Coastal Ward, I’m at a loss as to how one can hold down a full-time job AND do justice to what is expected of an individual in the role of Councillor. Apart from ongoing commitments within Oakura Bay – namely the construction of a community children’s playground and a community-driven wetland, both due to commence in 2026 – I have no other constraints on my time. Nor do I have any other aspiration other than to represent the Hikurangi-Coastal Ward specifically, and the wider Whangārei District generally, to the best of my ability.
COMMUNITY
COASTAL • VILLAGE • RURAL
Building Resilient and Connected Communities
“You can’t build a society purely on interests, you need a sense of belonging.”
Valery Giscard d’Estaing
A resilient community is one that is flexible and able to adjust to new challenges and opportunities. It ensures that residents have access to essential services for their wellbeing, robust infrastructure that is fit for purpose, and response plans for emergency preparedness.
A connected community is not only resilient, but also fosters a sense of belonging and trust amongst its members. It embraces differences and encourages collaboration, mutual support and active participation in not only community events, but also in the decision-making process.
As someone who has been an active participant in my local community for many years, should I be elected, I will be a strong and passionate voice at the Council table for ALL the communities that make up the Hikurangi-Coastal Ward. I look forward to getting to know what makes Hikurangi, Ngunguru and all the other smaller communities, as well as the rural sector, tick – their goals, aspirations, challenges and opportunities.
In the face of global uncertainties, putting the emphasis on ‘local’ and building resilient communities from the ground up, in collaboration with local government, I believe is the way forward. We all thrive when we live in a safe and connected community, one that provides local employment opportunities and encourages residents to buy local to support small and medium-sized businesses.
Council Transparency and Accountability
“Public business is the public’s business. The people have the right to know.”
Harold L. Cross
Information shouldn’t have to be wrestled out of Councils. All too often, individuals and organisations – and sometimes elected representatives themselves – have to resort to making a request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) to find out information that should never have been withheld in the first place. Unfortunately, the phrase ‘commercial sensitivity’ is all too often used as a pretext to withhold information that again, should be available for public consumption.
I am of the opinion that more needs to be done to improve access to information from council bureaucrats and elected representatives, especially when it comes to project and procurement costs. Council bureaucrats and elected representatives need to be accountable for how much, and on what, they are spending ratepayer money. Project over-runs and cost blow-outs should be public information. For those of us who don’t have a commerce or accounting degree, it can be difficult to understand what the actual costs are when they are buried in accounting procedures and jargon in the Long Term Plan in particular.
I hope to see greater transparency from Council with information that is easily digested and understood by a layperson, as well as local reporting that holds Council to account and informs the public.
Reducing Wasteful Spending and Keeping Rates Affordable
“Public money ought to be touched with the most scrupulous conscientiousness of honour.”
Thomas Paine
Capping rates is currently a ‘hot topic’ of discussion. With rates bills landing in household letterboxes recently, many have been left wondering just WHAT exactly are they getting in return for the hefty rates bill that has been delivered. Increasingly, it would seem that many are of the opinion that rates are spiralling out of control. Whilst we must acknowledge that it is indeed a difficult balancing act to provide people with what they want (and often need) and accordingly set the rates at a level that will deliver, for many low wage income earners and those on fixed incomes, the rates bill has become a real burden. Stats NZ recently confirmed that more than half of the Q3 inflation spike was as a result of rate increases across the country. On average, the last three-year council cycle has seen a rates increase of over 34% across the country. Not only are the rates burdensome in and of themselves, but they are also driving a cost-of-living crisis that is a double whammy for many households. With Government currently working on legislation, the next three years will be a testing time and councils may well have to ‘cut their cloth according to their means’.
Reducing waste and bloated bureaucracy involves streamlining processes, eliminating unnecessary rules and regulations and promoting efficiencies. Many ratepayers would agree with Hon. Simeon Brown when he states that councils need to get “back to basics to reduce the cost of living, deliver on core services and infrastructure, and improve the efficiency of decision making”. Further, Brown states that “ratepayers expect local government to focus on delivering the basics, picking up rubbish, fixing water infrastructure, and filling potholes.” Currently, a bill to remove four wellbeing provisions – social, economic, environmental and cultural – from the Local Government Act is being introduced to “refocus” councils on these core functions. The intent of these reforms is to “deliver better value for money, and ultimately help address the number one issue people are dealing with right now, which is cost of living”.
Arguably, Whangārei District Council, under the four wellbeing provisions, has poured ratepayer money into “non-essentials” – i.e., ‘nice-to-haves’ and pet/vanity projects. However, with the focus shifting back to the basics and a greater distinction between central and local governance roles, my concern is that councils run the risk of disengaging with their communities. Centralised governance can never take the place of local governance and local governance works best when taking a bottom-up approach, with council partnering with communities to provide for their safety and wellbeing in a manner that is fair and equitable. A greater emphasis on communities looking after themselves through community-led development funding and a procurement policy that allows for community contractors to be used wherever practicably possible, helps to empower a community, keep funding within the local area and decreases council spending. A ‘win-win’ for all.