In October 2007 I was elected as a Havelock North ward councillor on the Hastings District Council. It has been a busy two years learning the ropes and becoming involved with Havelock North issues.

My niche at the council involves many issues that affect young families, young people, as well as safety concerns, such as the new on-lead dog by-law.

I have major concerns about the youth drinking culture that consumes Havelock North on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It was a real eye opener for me when I went out one Saturday night on the community patrol. Under age drinkers descend on the CBD before midnight, many seriously drunk, having consumed huge amounts of alcohol, often in the form of “ready to drink” bottles or alcopops. They drink as fast as possible, to get drunk as fast as possible. This is a community problem, not just the problem of the five local drinking establishments, as these teenagers are getting their alcohol from somewhere. In many cases their parents are providing it! There are no easy answers. I have been to safety audits, commissioned by the HDC, and heard community concerns and issues