In the hushed hall of Fairfield Baptist Church last month, eleven potential candidates - including myself - were invited by Tim Macindoe to share a few thoughts with Hamiltonians gathered there. I accepted with gratitude—not as a declared candidate, but as a concerned citizen, deeply worried about the direction of our city.

One word stayed with me from that evening: moved. It captured the heart of what I shared - and I believe it’s a word Hamilton must reckon with this election year. It reflects where we’ve been, where we’re being pushed, and the kind of future we must now choose if we want to stay - not just in place, but on course.

1. Moved… Out of Our Homes?

Are Hamiltonians being priced out of their own city? Year after year, council decisions have caused rates to soar. I’ve spoken to long-time, faithful ratepayers - many on fixed or low incomes - who now fear they won’t be able to stay in the homes where they raised their children and hoped their grandchildren would one day visit.

Submissions to last year’s Long-Term Plan told a clear and painful story: a council that spends first and asks ratepayers to pay later. Renters feel it. Homeowners feel it. And still, the spending continues.

At the community meeting, Tim revealed that Hamilton’s debt has ballooned by 25 percent in just 15 months, now surpassing $1.25 billion. The gasp from the crowd wasn’t political - it was personal. It was the sound of Hamiltonians realising they might no longer be able to afford to live in the city they love.

2. Moved… Into Gridlock

But this isn’t only about affordability - it’s about accessibility. About how we move around our city. Or increasingly, how we can’t.

Hamilton’s recent transport policies have created what I’ve called council-created congestion. We aren’t reducing traffic—we’re bottlenecking it, jamming it up, and then wondering why emergency vehicles can’t get through.

While driving along Pembroke Street last year, a new $550,000 in-lane bus stop had stopped traffic. As a result, I had ample time to stare at the Waikato Hospital in the distance and wonder two things: who’s responsible for this mess, and, if someone’s life depended on getting to the Hospital fast, could they?

Whoever approved that design didn’t just create congestion - they created problems and life-threatening risks that previously didn’t exist there.

3. Moved… to the Ballot Box

And so now, it’s time to move in the one way that truly counts: to the ballot box. This election isn’t about party lines—it’s about principles and priorities.

If we want to stay in our homes without dreading the next rates bill…
If we want to move freely across our city without being stuck in engineered gridlock…
Then we must elect a mayor and council who understand what it means to live within our means - and who believe in building a city that works for everyone, not just for ticking ideological boxes.

Last Christmas was the first in nearly 21 years that our family of five didn’t celebrate together in Kirikiriroa. In November, our son moved to Australia - chasing affordable rent, better job opportunities, and a lower cost of living.

That was the cost of a city that no longer worked for one of its own.

This October, let’s move - deliberately, decisively - to save the Hamilton we love.

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Article originally published on CityWatch: A City on the Move — But Not in the Right Direction