Waitaki Property Guardians
About
Waitaki Property Guardians is dedicated to advocating for the protection of individual property rights through practical policies and solutions while considering cultural and natural values. Our primary goal is to represent the interests of local landowners and residents, ensuring their voices are central in community discussions and decision-making processes. By creating a platform for Members to unite as a group, we empower collective action for a stronger impact.
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Meet Our Dedicated Team
Kate Macgregor - Chairperson
Kate has spent 20 years working in the agricultural sector, based in the Central North Island for 7 years before returning to the South Island.
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Kate’s background is nutrient and environmental management and for the past 4 years has been self-employed as KM Environmental.
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Kate and her husband Paul have a farm at Ngapara where they finish lambs and trade bull beef. Kate and Paul have two children, Mac (4) and Florence (2), and cannot think of a better place to raise their children than in the rural community of the Waitaki District.
Kate became involved with the Waitaki Property Guardians as she’s invested in creating a positive future for the district and to provide a voice for ratepayers.
Sven Thelning -Treasurer
Sven Thelning is just as comfortable on the farm as he is high in the clouds. Sven is a busy father of three and combines his love of farming and flying whilst living in Herbert, South of Oamaru.
Seven has been actively involved representing a number of property owners concerned with the Waitaki District Council’s Draft District Plan. He is a regular attendee of Council and the Subcommittee meetings dealing with the Draft District Plan and as such, is very well versed in various aspects of the Draft Plan.
Mark Hay
Mark is married to Nicky and they live next to Cape Wanbrow in Oamaru.
Having recently sold Apex Engineering which he founded in 2007, Mark now divides his time between part time work, community activities and he serves on multiple committees.
He is passionate about doing the right thing and believes that we all need to do our bit to ensure a fair and successful community.
Frans Schlack -Secretary
Frans lives with Maxine in the Waianakarua area, just west of Herbert. Their interests, apart from maintaining their property, are enjoying retirement in combination with some casual work and supporting their local community.
Otto Dogterom
Otto is not only a very active member of Waitaki Property Guardians but has demonstrated in word and deed his concerns about the Waitaki District Council’s Draft District Plan.
Besides being a member, Otto is North Otago’s provincial president for Federated Farmers, a farming organisation looking out for the rights and wellbeing of farmers.
Simon Williamson
Simon and his wife Kirsty run Glenbrook Station in the McKenzie district. Glenbrook Station is run as a mixed farm with 7000 merinos, 130 beef cattle and crops like chicory and lucerne grown on 500ha under irrigation but, surprisingly, Simon still finds time to be an active community member around the Twizel area and is a fervently opposed against ‘moving the goal posts’ under the Draft District Plan that threatens closing up vast pieces of land of the high country.