Each candidate has provided their information which is posted without alteration - as is.
Jacqui Church
Candidate Statement
It has been an honour serving as your Mayor this term and Councillor since 2013. I'm proud of what we’ve achieved together, but there’s more to do.
Fervently people and community-focused, I offer authentic, commonsense, and collaborative leadership that’s stable, practical, business-orientated, and innovative.
Despite economic pressures, complex regulations, and massive growth, we've kept rates increases to a minimum while improving services and delivering significant change.
Under my direction, we’ve begun modernising Council by executing an operational restructure, appointing a new CEO and road contractors, and establishing a council-controlled waters organisation.
We’ve delivered major road, waters, and community infrastructure. We’ve created progressive housing, communications, agribusiness, country-living, and environmental initiatives.
Transformation takes time. Council must deliver better for you. Looking ahead, I’m focused on fair rates, modernisation, and budgets, while serving you with integrity and transparency.
A proven, hardworking Mayor, I’m committed to building a liveable, thriving district with you.
Curriculum Vitae – Jacqui Church
Governance, Business and Community
Governance:
Councillor with Waikato District Council since 2013 with a broad range of various delegations:-
delegated to Waikato Regional Civil Defence -
delegated to Wellbeing Trust - Chair - community funding
delegated to Audit and Risk Committee - this triennium changed to Audit and Assurance
delegated to District Plan sub-committee
delegated to JMA - Joint Management with Waikato Tainui
delegated to District licensing - regulatory and alcohol related
delegated to Hauraki Gulf Forum
second- delegated to Discretionary Funding and Discretionary Review Committees
delegated to Heritage Forum
delegated to Lower Waikato Drainage Committee
Business:
BCom -Bachelor of Commerce - focuses on [International] Marketing and Organisational structuresBusiness owner - Coffee and food service industries - nearly 30 years.
National and International Corporates:
Sales & Marketing Executives International Inc. - Executive Director
Montana Wines - National Marketing varietals
Taubmans Epiglass - National Marketing Manager
Dominion Breweries - Marketing and Market / Product development
Consolidated Plastic Industries [CPI] - Marketing
Resene Santana Paints - Factory development & manager
A wide range of small to large local and international company experience, as an initiator, developer and manager.
Manifesto:
Waikato is rich in opportunity and powered by incredible people. Tough economic times are impacting everyone. High inflation is pushing costs up across the board. Rapid growth is placing pressure on ageing infrastructure.
The inflationary pressures of council are not easily comparable to the domestic CPI, where the ‘goods and services’ council buys include materials such as tar-seal and solid waste for rubbish.
Post-covid the inflationary affects are huge across our nation, but doesn’t give anyone any more money to pay. Meanwhile, you deserve fair rates, fit-for-purpose infrastructure and services, and cost-efficiency.
From day one, that’s been my priority, and we’ve achieved a lot together, however transformation takes time, particularly in a highly regulated environment, in the fastest growing Tier-1 district council in the region of nearly $2.5billion in assets and $220m+ revenue. There is more to do.
Rates increases are tough on families and businesses. In this triennium, we’ve kept increases significantly lower than national averages and below neighbouring councils. Rates must be affordable, especially in hard times., while we do our job of managing effectively the assets of the people, you has not only ratepayers but ‘shareholders’ in council too.
We’re restructuring Council from the top down to ensure it better serves you. Council’s executive team ballooned under the previous Mayor. I’m fixing that. I’ve appointed a new future-focused CEO and streamlining the leadership team for first time in over a decade — from 11 to just 6. With a hard focus on business transformation for once, to focus on the ‘business’ of council to provide more for less and future-smart innovation.
Over half our residents live rurally including all whole in the Tamahere-Woodlands ward. Over half of the rates take comes from the rural areas of our district. These lifestyle blocks; small rural communities all 35+; traditional farming, horticulture and multiple businesses - rurally based all support the larger urban centres of our district.
On my first day as Mayor I outlined my vision to rectify this glaring oversight in councils view of our citizens and their future-smart needs. I’m ensuring your voices are heard loud and clear in decision-making through our first ever Rural Economic Advisory Panel. To for the first time give a more formal voice to our rural economic and economy drivers. The first-ever Rural, Lifestyle Blocks and Rural Villages Strategy that is underway to again amplify the needs and changing needs of wards particularly areas like the Tamahere-Woodlands Ward, but many throughout our district. Who long-term in the past traditionally are impacted, with our growth and past focus mainly on large urban centres, without fair and equitable regard to the strategic needs of the other 50%. Or the vast opportunities of a cohesive planning tool and vision for all inclusiveness of our peoples needs. Your fair share of the capital and maintenance outcomes, even with the envelop of tightened budgets, as I continue to lower costs, increasing KPI performances for all our operational staff for the first time, to ensure the outcomes are people-focused and effective.
I’m cleaning-up the debt burden left by the previous Council. A council operates on the regulated and consulted LTP for about 2years of a triennium from the previous councils plan and debt profiles. My LTP25 , along with my councils Long-Term-Plan started 1 July 2025. This LTP25, rationalises spending, significantly reduces debt and budgets more effectively Council-wide. Infrastructure assets are funded responsibly with a focus on intergenerational affordability.
Delivery rather than talk - it is the do-ie rather than the talk-ie: Debt and delivery this triennium has outcomes with two new wastewater treatment plants in Te Kauwhata and Raglan were finally delivered this term after years of “talking”. In Te Kauwhata there was nearly 15years of discussions, in Raglan 7year. Scope the discussions decide the actions forward and then delivery, that is what I offer to Tamahere and all our citizens. We in this LTP25 are on-track to significantly lower debt and maintain strong growth. Our AA+ credit rating endorses our strong financial stewardship, while delivering the promised and planned infrastructure.
We have secured NZ’s first 3waters partnership with Hamilton City Council: IAWAI Flowing Waters, that had its Waters Plan be the first in NZ to be approved by DIA. This will ensure your future targeted water rates are fair and affordable. Partnering with Hamilton is strategic — it’s twice our size and soon-to-be the third largest city in NZ. This equal partnership will deliver scalable, sustainable and cost-effective waters that support growth, affordability, housing, jobs, and environmental improvements. Particularly around the city and open up vast opportunities for locals citizens, business and development that is sustainable to the strong lifestyle and rural lives we enjoy and want to uphold.
We’ve revolutionised the previous Council’s decade-old roading system and won significant additional government funding. We’ve engaged two new roading contractors, cut costs, and improved asset-management and oversight, by bringing this in-house to for the first time really start to understand our total road network. The road network needs and deliver better more business-like service, equitably and sustainably. I have driven a systemic culture change in Council through a new communications strategy to ensure your voice is heard. This means not a quick fix and add more people to a comms department, but a systemic change of the whole organisation for behaviour changes to best suit and fit our complex canning and sophisticated society. We can no longer continue to do the same same. To pivot and evolve is what I have led. This takes time but the results are more endemic to long term gains for you the people, rather than popularisation.
Community:
Justice of the Peace 10+years & previous Judicial JP
Judged Franklin’s Finest Person for Community service and Inspirational Award
Lions Club International member 11+years
Celebrant: Wedding, funeral and family
Chair: Port Waikato Pink Breakfast - 10+years
Chair: Keep New Zealand Beautiful Tuakau Cleanup - 13years- National Award 2017 for Community Environmental Initiative
Previous Trustee: Tuakau Emergency Services Charitable Trust
Previous Board Member: Pukekohe Business Association
Previous Supporters of Strathallan: ACG Strathallan
Previous various volunteer committees, hall; yacht & boating - generally as treasurer or fundraising
Let’s continue building a thriving Waikato, together.
Tel: 021 869 976
