Steve Cretney - Mayor - Carterton District Council

05/05/2026

I'm very concerned at the speed in which this Government are turning the screws on our local councils.
We're already under extreme pressure ensuring LWDW is a success, without throwing more unfunded mandates onto councils.

The Ministers proposals are all fine and dandy in principal, but what are the costs to our ratepayers if we do not join the Wellington Metro's and decide to take the offramp to set up our own unitary authority.
Are our ratepayers actually prepared to cover the lost revenue, currently subsidised by the Wellington Metro's population of ratepayers, so we can be in charge of our own destiny and create a Wairarapa future for our next generations.
We are lacking in critical information that can only come from the likes of Marlborough District Council, who have been through this process and have a unitary authority with a population of similar size.
Apparently, Central Government are not going to retain any functions of regional councils and they will all transfer to a new unitary if we so choose that option, so, I'm not sure 3 months will be enough time to firstly, decide if we're going to offramp from the Wgtn proposal, or secondly, work through financials to determine if its even a plausible option to create a unitary authority.
GWRC is gone, so we either join with Wgtn or choose a Wairarapa option, which could be a financial noose around our ratepayers necks.

Councils do have to consult with their ratepayers on any significant changes and this would be the biggest faced following on from the Local Water Done Well decision.

We have some serious work to do and less than 3 months to try and ensure we're making the best decision on behalf of our community.

What are your thoughts on this polarizing issue?

02/05/2026

In case you havent seen the link to the new Carterton Conversations Podcast, here it is. Please be gentle, as it is our first attempt, but we're prepared for critique if it happens to come our way.
Let me know if there is a topic you would like us to cover and we will try and work it into a future podcast.

Thanks for listening.

2 likes. "Episode 1: Carterton Conversations"

02/04/2026

Glorious morning with a magical mist hovering over Carrington Park, as the crowds await the burners firing up and the beautiful balloons to fill with air and float across our skies.
An incredible turnout of people for the CDC sponsored "Carterton Welcome Flight".
What a fantastically magical autumn morning, to start the Wairarapa Balloon Festival.
Make sure you join the pilots and crews over the next 3 mornings.

02/04/2026

Amazing turnout on this beautiful Carterton morning.
Still time to come on down.

26/03/2026

MTFJ doing great things across the Wairarapa, connecting our rangatahi with employers willing to support our youth into employment.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Lb8KdEJt1/

26/02/2026

The headline to this article is very misleading. It was initially a project proposed under the Carterton Community Group KaPai Carterton, in partnership with DIA. The community were told approx $3.5m of funding was available through DIA, so representatives from schools and various community organizations came together and were told to think big as nothing was off the table.
The community spent many hours working through the design phase with WSP designers, and concepts were produced for evaluation and approval by the community members involved.
Final designs were completed and tendering was undertaken.
The final options were presented to council at $6.5m.
Council chose to approve the plans if funding was provided externally to complete Stage 1&2 and council would complete stage 3.
Disappointingly, DIA funding disappeared, meaning the community had been mislead, leaving council to decide how to proceed.
Council eventually chose to support funding of $2m through reserves, prior to final design changes to suit the budget.
This obviously proved extremely tight and to expect the skate park users to find $200,000 was extremely unrealistic.
Council approved the increase in budget of $900k to cover the increased cost.
We own that decision together, but we must ensure it does not exceed the approved budget of $2.9m which is funded from reserves held from financial contributions towards Parks and reserves capital work and from depreciation reserves for parks and reserves paid for by you our ratepayers.
It is time we spent a portion of the $4.5m in parks and reserves, as you have all been contributing towards it for years.

I personally look forward to the park upgrade being a showpiece of Carrington Park and an attraction to get people to stop in our town, hopefully spending a few dollars supporting our economy.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/02/26/carterton-council-approves-900000-blowout-for-park-upgrade/

09/12/2025

Yes, changes are on their way.
Celia Wade-Brown I certainly do not agree with your commentary within the front page article of the Times Age.
Wairarapa people will definitely have their say.
Wellington Metros and Wairarapa Rural Councils are looking at separate Unitary authorities, which means separate spatial plans, and the Wairarapa already have a new combined district plan, which can overlay the existing Future Growth Strategy, saving a lot of work in that space.
We just need to follow on from previous work completed on a Wairarapa Unitary Authority and ensure the 3 Councils move forward taking our communities with us on the journey.

Tararua may become part of the equation, but they could also join after we're established. We will not be waiting for them, as our 3 Councils are ready to go and Tararua need a lot of information to be collated first.

We look forward to working through the 46% of consent & permit applications not required under the new reforms and what that means, as that will help determine the level of funding the Wairarapa will need to find, to replace the subsidisation received from GWRC to support our region.

Plenty more detail to unveil as we work through these long needed changes.

22/11/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞. I’m really not sure where the time has gone, but I must admit, it has certainly been a baptism by fire.
It’s been a full and productive month across our district and the wider region, so I wanted to share a quick update on some of the meetings, events, and community moments I’ve had the privilege to be part of.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, I’ve attended the inaugural council meeting of Greater Wellington Regional Council, where 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 & 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 were re-elected unopposed in the positions of Chair and Deputy Chair respectively by their new council. I also attended the Rural & Provincial Sector meeting, the MTFJ (Mayors Taskforce for Jobs) meeting, LGNZ Elected Members Hui (connecting with colleagues from around the motu), and I took part in the CDEM Exercise Terremoto, which focused on preparing for a tsunami to hit the Eastern shoreline of New Zealand, following a severe earthquake in Chile.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 through the CDC induction process, attending workshops, visiting Council owned assets and attending LGNZ organised training. We’ve held our Risk & Assurance, Investment and Water Race Committee meetings. Adopted Carterton District Council’s Annual Report for the 2024/25 period, with both 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐍𝐙 & 𝐏𝐖𝐂 giving a big thumbs up for the accuracy of the information contained in the document. That is a major boost for your team of newly elected Councillors, as it provides a great foundation for Governance to build on, as we move onto the 2026/2027 Annual Plan and then the next 2027/2037 Long Term Plan. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐃𝐂 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭. Finally, your elected members and executive leadership team spent two productive days together at a retreat in Martinborough, setting the foundations for a strong and collaborative term ahead.

𝐀𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. I attended the Kuranui College Sports Awards Evening (wearing an old Kuranui College style uniform), the Hospice Wairarapa launch of the Hundy Club, the Aratoi Tranzit exhibition opening, and the 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐢𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 — an incredible milestone for a local business that has shaped our region for generations. I also joined the Wellington Heritage Festival closing event at Papawai Marae, and it was an honour to stand with our community and past mayor Ron Mark for Armistice Day at Memorial Square.

𝐖𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨. The Wairarapa Business Awards Gala Dinner was a fantastic evening — and a huge congratulations to everyone involved with the Daffodil Festival, as CDC celebrated winning the Vibrant Award. 𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭. Further 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 go out to the 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, who won the 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 at this years Evanz - Entertainment Venues Association NZ and the team could not be more stoked with this achievement! Judges comments: "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬. The team couldn't have done it without the support of our fantastic Wairarapa community, so a huge thank you to those who have supported the centre along the way! What an awesome way to see out 2025.

I also attended the 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 evening alongside your Deputy Mayor Grace Ayling, where the Pasifika o Wairarapa Trust recognises some of our regions outstanding Pasifika students by awarding them with a scholarship to help support them, as they move into tertiary studies.

It was great to get out and join the 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲 at Carrington Park, in partnership with Neighbourhood Support and CDEM, but it would be great to see more of our community attending events like this. I also enjoyed meeting with the 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, who continue to be an important, vibrant and growing part of our district.

Thank you to everyone who continues to welcome me into your events and conversations. Our district is full of passionate, dedicated people — and 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

21/10/2025

It was certainly an inspiring couple of days, with many topics covered providing valuable insight and advice into enabling me to lead your elected representatives in a positive way, as we make good decisions on behalf of our community.

Newly elected Wairarapa mayors Bex Johnson, Steve Cretney and Fran Wilde attended “Mayor School” in Wellington early this week, along with other mayors from across New Zealand.

20/10/2025

An enjoyable first day of Mayor's school, made even better with your ex Mayor presenting to those attending.
A great day of networking too.
Bring on tomorrow.