Malcolm Taylor stakes his place on Council after reluctance to run

Malcolm Taylor has a longstanding interest in politics. His interest in being a politician, though, is a relatively recent development – only since last winter, really, when he gave his most serious thought to running for the Marlborough District Council.

Now, summer having given way to early autumn, he has ended up a local politician by virtue of representing the Marlborough Sounds Ward on the provincial governing body.

“I came from a very political family,” Malcolm said recently over coffee in Blenheim Town Centre. His father was a deputy organiser for Labour in Otago and on the Labour Representation Committee – so, a very left-wing family.”

He now affiliates with ACT (the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers); the party supported him, along with fellow first-termer John Hyndman, in their Council campaigns.

“I don’t think my politics have actually changed,” Malcolm reflected, “but politics in New Zealand in general have changed. I’m still right where I’ve always been – for the working man, safety nets where required, encourage more people to go ahead and do things for themselves – whereas the political scene in New Zealand has gone further to the left, which means I’m now very centrist or slightly right of centre.”

Qualified run
Six years ago this month, upon retiring from a career in water and power delivery, he joined his wife at the home they built in Picton. They’re both from Central Otago; caravaning all around South Island, they found this scenic coastal spot offering a reprieve from “the hottest place in summer and the coldest place in winter.”

Malcolm did not envision a venture into government. Quite the contrary: “I’ve always been of the opinion that anyone who wants to be a politician is not qualified to be one.”

So, does he feel perfectly unqualified for the job? “Absolutely!” Laughing heartily, he continued: “The first time I was asked to run, I said no. The second time I was asked to run, I said no. Then it was pointed out to me that there was going to be a vacancy in our ward anyway, with one of the incumbents retiring – any my views fit in with the local Council views and with ACT’s views, so I threw my hat in the ring.

“I also pointed out that if they could find somebody younger who wanted to stand, I’d stand aside and let the younger person run. They didn’t find somebody younger,” Malcolm chuckled, “so I became it.”

Start of term
Though he technically took office after getting elected, Malcolm’s swearing-in took place later than the mayor and other councillors. He suffered a cardiac episode that required hospitalisation and recovery time, so he missed the first meeting of the term.

Malcolm picked up the pace quickly. He brushed up on background information and fielded inquiries from constituents. One, about a washout on the cycle track, gave him fresh insight on Council operations. He approached Chief Executive John Boswell, who immediately directed the new councillor to Jamie Lyall, group manager for property and community facilities.

“We have an open-door policy and we [councillors] can go to people who are concerned directly,” Malcolm learned. “And that job was done within a couple days! And it was done to a very high standard.”

A broader matter on his radar is how much Marlburians pay for services. Central Government may limit the extent local councils can increase charges in the face of inflation. His view on that has not changed much in the early going.

“I still believe rates rises are too high,” Malcolm stated. “We’ll never get the rates themselves lower, but we can stop the rate of increase.” That said, “I don’t like caps. They’re a blunt instrument. But with the level they’re proposing, why didn’t we do that earlier?”