New ward councillor Heniti Buick has vowed to put Ōtaki first as she heads to a seat at the council table.

Heniti was elected as Ōtaki Ward councillor at the October 11 local body elections. Provisional results (as of Monday, October 13) had her with an unassailable lead, winning 1314 votes. Rob Kofoed got 920, and Cam Butler 653. Previous ward councillor Shelly Warwick was well out of the running, losing her seat with only 484 votes.

“Ōtaki is in my DNA,” Heniti says. “So of course I’m going to be thinking ‘will my decision be good for Ōtaki and its people?’ And if it’s an issue that affects the whole of Kāpiti, it’s got to be a decision that’s good for Kāpiti.”

She believes what has resonated with voters is her story – she was born here in a well-known local whānau, she was educated in Ōtaki, went away to study at Otago University, spent some time overseas and came back to work for the well-being of the town.

“I think my campaign team was also able to mobilise a cohort of people who had never voted before,” she says. “That’s not young people. I had 60-year-olds telling me they’d never voted, but they enrolled this time.”

Having motivated a groundswell of voters, she believes Ōtaki will have a big say in the General Election for MPs next year.

“We’ve created this campaign locally that can transform into everyone participating nationally.”

As a first-time councillor, Heniti offers not only a fresh new face at the council, but also fresh ideas.

At 36 she’s a relatively young councillor. She’s one of four women provisionally elected, including Mayor Janet Holborow, and councillors Liz Koh and Jocelyn Prvanov. She’s Māori (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Kauwhata ki Ōtaki). And she’s got life experience – including 10 years working in Australia as a dietician.

And she’s about to finish her MBA (master of business administration) at Otago University, no mean feat when she’s also leading one of New Zealand’s most innovative and successful community well-being organisations.

Under her leadership as chief executive of Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki (TPOoŌ), she’s overseen the establishment of a totally new medical centre in Ōtaki’s Main Street. With te ao Māori at its core, it’s attracted big numbers of patients – Māori and Pākehā – and has had no trouble recruiting the necessary doctors.

TPOoŌ offers a successful vaccination programme, including a mobile clinic. It actively engages with people in the community to look after their well-being – physically, mentally and socially.

It runs the lunch programme for local schools, operating out of the refurbished kitchen at the old children’s health camp. And it operates Te Haemata youth space.

The organisation has gone from seven people on staff when she started a couple of years ago, to 45.

Heniti says that in her work she’s had to confront some hurdles for Ōtaki.

“I thought the only way to overcome them is to sit at a bigger table where you can influence change,” she says. “That’s the council table, but just one of the places where we can influence better outcomes for Ōtaki.”

Can she successfully juggle the commitment of council responsibilities with her work at TPOoŌ?

“As we build our strategy and our team [at TPOoŌ], I’ve employed people to lead them properly. I’ve been building infrastructure to live without me. I feel I’ll have time for the council work. And I’m finishing my MBA soon, so that will free up about 15 hours a week.”

Heniti says she always needs a challenge and to be “in a space where I’m always learning”. The council role gives her that opportunity.

Apart from offering a powerful voice for Ōtaki, she says she wants to see the council become so efficient with its resources that it doesn’t have to put rates up the way they have.

“When the world get more efficient and relying more on technology, we should be more efficient. That shouldn’t cost more – it should cost less. It means decisions should be made on time and in the best interests of everybody. If you make a decision, execute it.

“I’m a fast mover, I fail often, but that’s how I learn fast and get to the right answers sooner. Otherwise I’m wasting time. That’s the energy I want to bring to council – different thinking, quick learning, and smarter outcomes.”