Chanel Gardner ORC Councillor

30/07/2026

Annual Plan 2026-2027 ✔️

Good governance is rarely glamorous; it’s reading the detail, asking the hard questions, and weighing competing priorities carefully.

I’m proud of the work that’s gone into this year’s plan and grateful to everyone who contributed throughout the process.

https://www.orc.govt.nz/media/liqnopkd/annual_plan_2026_final_2026-04-30.pdf

*Thanks Robbie for the photo and Matt for participating 😊

14/07/2026

🌊 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲.

The Otago Regional Council is beginning a community conversation about Otago’s coastal issues and opportunities.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱.

It’s about how our coastline supports our communities, recreation, surfing, businesses, infrastructure, resilience, access, and our natural environment.

Too often people think, “It’s only engagement.” Then later, when formal consultation begins or decisions start taking shape, they wish they’d been involved earlier.

Whether you live in South Dunedin, Brighton, surf, walk your dog on the beach, run a restaurant/business in St Clair or simply care about what Dunedin looks like in 5 years’ time, your perspective matters.

📍 South Coast Boardriders Club
📅 Saturday 25 July
🕙 10.00 am

I’ll be there in my role as your Dunedin Councillor, listening to the conversations and hearing the different perspectives from our community. The results from this engagement goes back to Council as information to inform future decisions.

If you would like to see the Issues and Opportunities paper sing out, otherwise I hope to see you there.

* One final thought. Local government reform is happening, and the organisations making decisions about our coast may look different in the years ahead. But regardless of what those structures become, Otago’s coast will still need to be shaped by the people who know it, use it and care for it. If we don’t contribute our local knowledge and lived experience, those decisions will inevitably be made with less of it.

25/06/2026

This week, ORC demonstrated its governance role by ensuring an additional engineered flood protection option will be assessed before the next stage of public consultation on the future of South Dunedin.

As the regional council with responsibility for flood protection and natural hazards, it was important that we had confidence every technically credible option had been properly considered before asking the community to make long-term decisions.

This isn’t about starting again. Much of the technical work already exists. What ORC sought was a clearer assessment of this option alongside the others, including a better understanding of the costs, benefits and trade-offs.

While this adds around four months to the programme, I believe that’s a prudent investment when the decisions we make today will shape South Dunedin from now to the future.

Importantly, I also hope this gives the South Dunedin Future programme an opportunity to build on the renewed public interest. This is the right time to engage openly with the community, explain the options clearly, and ensure people have the information they need to participate with confidence.

For me, this isn’t just another Council project. As a St Clair resident, with family who have experienced the flooding and many friends who have lived with the uncertainty it brings, I know how much this matters.

I’ll continue to stand alongside our community throughout this process; asking the difficult questions, listening carefully, and working to ensure the final decisions are practical, evidence-based and give South Dunedin the future it deserves.

Thank you to the staff from both ORC, DCC and Jonathan Rowe and the SDF team who will now undertake this work. I look forward to supporting the next phase as we continue working towards the best possible long-term outcome for South Dunedin.

Dunedin city councillors have reluctantly voted to hit pause on adaptation plans for South Dunedin for four months following a last-minute...

04/06/2026

I’ve always found it more interesting to watch where money goes than where it comes from.

That’s why Ngāi Tahu’s decision to reduce its Sanford shareholding caught my attention.

Seafood is performing well. Sanford is performing well. This isn’t an obvious story about exiting a struggling asset. Which leaves two interesting questions.

Who is buying?

And what comes next?

One of the lessons governance teaches you is that every asset competes for capital. Good organisations continually test whether their money is working in the best place possible.

So if you’re freeing up $66 million from a performing investment, what opportunity looks more attractive?

Renewable energy? Water infrastructure? Tourism? Technology? People? Property?

Because when sophisticated investors make significant capital allocation decisions, it’s usually worth paying attention.

The Sanford shares are one story.

Who owns them next, and where the proceeds are invested, may prove to be the bigger one.

Ngāi Tahu is selling about half its 19.9% stake in Sanford.

02/06/2026

Attended the Green Island Fishing Club meeting last night.

It’s fair to say there is real concern amongst local fishers about the marine reserves due to come into effect on 1 July.

One thing that struck me is that this was never really a debate about whether our marine users care about the marine environment. We all do.

The debate was about location.

Many at the meeting are frustrated that the final outcome will see two islands included within the new reserve areas, reducing access to some of the safest and most reliable fishing spots for local families. For people who fish to put food on the table, or who rely on these areas because they offer shelter in challenging conditions, this is a significant loss.

For years, many of our commercial and recreational fishers tried to explain that:

• Otago is not the Hauraki Gulf.
• We are fortunate to have cold, productive waters with healthy fish stocks and diverse marine ecosystems.
• Our coastline and weather conditions already limit when and where people can safely get out on the water.

Our commercial fishers have distinct and legally important concerns, and we need to ensure they can continue to operate within the new rules. We expect further details on those arrangements imminently from DoC to ensure safe roll out.

The Green Island Fishing Club does not yet have that information, and their frustration is understandable. They have made it clear they want Minister Potaka and central government to hear their concerns directly and in person.

I support our recreational fishers in Otago, and so should you. They have rights to safely access fish in our waters as well as the right to be heard.

27/05/2026

Yesterday I presented the Councils Q3 financial results. Not the most visible or politically exciting but I think crucial for the public to have clear optics on where the ORC is at.

“At a headline level, these papers show ORC remains in a strong financial position at a time when many councils around the country are under considerable pressure.

Year-to-date, Council is reporting a surplus of $9.469 million, which is approximately $6.959 million ahead of budget, with the full-year forecast currently sitting at a surplus of $7.252 million.

The key drivers of that variance are largely timing-related, particularly planning underspend where work is currently on hold, the Large Scale Environment Fund shifting into next year, favourable public transport performance, and timing differences across flood, drainage and river management programmes.

Capital expenditure also remains under budget year-to-date, primarily reflecting the timing of flood and drainage works.

The papers also highlight continued balance sheet strength, including managed funds sitting at approximately $31.4 million at quarter end, with markets already recovering following late-quarter international volatility.

More broadly though, I think these reports reflect an organisation increasingly focused on long-term thinking, disciplined delivery, and pragmatic financial management during what is arguably one of the biggest periods of change for local government and environmental management in decades.

I also think they reflect a very clear governance focus on core business, achievable outcomes for communities, and ensuring ORC enters the Long Term Plan process from a position of financial resilience and stability.

Overall, these are strong results, and I suspect many councils nationally would be pleased to be presenting a similar position right now."

18/05/2026

Last night I attended the Pasifika Leadership in Governance event hosted by the Otago Southland branch of the Institute of Directors New Zealand, and it gave me a lot to reflect on.

One simple idea raised throughout the evening: leadership is ultimately about service. Not being a servant, but understanding that leadership carries a responsibility to care for people, communities and future generations.

Before running for Otago Regional Council, I probably hadn’t fully appreciated what it might mean to others to see a Pasifika woman in leadership. Then my friend Dr Xavier Walker said to me how important it was. It caught me off guard a little, because I’ve never wanted to be seen as “the Pasifika anything” or put in a box. Like most people, I simply want to earn my place on merit.

Because I didn’t grow up strongly connected to Cook Islands culture, I’ve sometimes felt a bit in-between worlds myself. But as an adult, I’ve come to understand that representation can matter quietly to people watching from the sidelines, especially when they don’t often see someone who looks like them in those spaces.

What I loved about last night was seeing incredibly capable men and women (who happen to be Pasifika bringing their culture and lived experience into leadership in such a grounded and authentic way.

One line from the panel has stayed with me:

“People don’t care what you know unless they know that you care.”

In local government, that probably matters more than ever. Thank you to everyone involved for such a thoughtful and genuinely uplifting evening.

13/05/2026

Today I had the opportunity to take part in a Year 13 careers talk series at Columba College alongside old girl Penelope Grellet, HR Leader at Silver Fern Farms

It was a relaxed and honest conversation about work, leadership, and the reality that careers are rarely a straight line.

I spoke about some of the highlights of my own journey, but also about the fact that is rarely been “smooth sailing”. I’ve made some spectacularly poor decisions along the way too!

Some of the strongest messages from both Penelope and I was that you do not need to have your whole life figured out at 17. Most careers evolve in unexpected ways. Often the opportunities that shape you most come from backing yourself, building good relationships, treating people well, and staying open to where life might lead.

The students at Columba are fortunate to have teaching and leadership staff who understand that modern working life, particularly for young women, can take many different forms. There is no single version of success anymore, and creating space for students to see that matters enormously.

Thanks to the school for the invitation, Penelope and her words and to the students for their thoughtful questions and engagement.

01/05/2026

At the Local Government New Zealand conference over the past two days in Christchurch, I was proud to represent Otago Regional Council, connect with colleagues from around the country, and be part of a small delegation able to share the results from our first six months; including being the only council there to announce our intended 0% rates increase overall.

With political leaders from across the spectrum all in one place, particularly in an election year, it also made sense to use the opportunity to build broader connections with MPs in attendance.

Otago faces challenges, but even greater opportunity. So while there representing ratepayers, I made a point of ensuring politicians from all sides knew who I am, where I’m from, and that Otago is a region worth deeper conversation; even without the numbers of larger voter bases.

Sometimes advocacy is simply about showing up, being visible, and making sure your region is part of the wider discussion.

Appreciated Hon James Meager taking the time for the photo: advocacy in action, working both ways!

29/04/2026

First day in our new ORC chambers today.

Rev Alofa Lave said it beautifully; at the end of the day, it’s still just a building.

What really matters is the people inside it.

The conversations.
The debate.
The relationships.
And the shared commitment to keep moving Otago forward.

We won’t always agree around the table, and that’s part of the job, but it’s a good reminder that strong communities are built not by buildings alone, but by people willing to do the work together.