LGNZ President/Mayor, Selwyn District Council

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Sam Broughton

“Life is given to us to give away, and I love the place I live in.”

“My favourite wilderness spot is heading into the mountains over Porters Pass and into the Craigieburn Valley. I enjoy the sense of excitement in Selwyn as more people move here, bringing energy for the future and willingness to change.”

So, it’s no surprise Sam wound up in local government, which he says provides a framework for enabling community-level decisions in a sensible and informed way.

For him, reward comes from seeing behind the scenes of all the great volunteer work that goes on, making each community the special place it is. On the flipside, the biggest challenge is making difficult decisions knowing you simply cannot please everyone.

He also sees a need for more sustainable funding tools, more collaboration on the big stuff, and more local decision making and influence on the things that shape how a town or community feels.

“Local government needs all sorts of people to be involved so long as they love their people and place, enjoy building up rather than tearing down, know how to listen and are open to changing their mind while making bold and informed long-term decisions for the benefit of Aotearoa.”