Sven Thelning
Sven Thelning
for the
Corriedale Ward
Corriedale Ward
of
Waitaki District Council
Waitaki District Council
and
Waitaki Power Trust
Waitaki Power Trust
Embedded Files
I’m Sven Thelning, and I’m standing for councillor in the Corriedale Ward of the Waitaki District Council and the Waitaki Power Trust.
I’m Sven Thelning, and I’m standing for councillor in the Corriedale Ward of the Waitaki District Council and the Waitaki Power Trust.
I believe local government works best when it’s practical, transparent, and genuinely connected to the people it serves. As someone who lives, works, and raises a family in this district, I’m passionate about protecting what makes Waitaki special, from our rural success to our strong community values. I’m putting my name forward because I care about the future of our roads, our infrastructure, and the way we grow. As a councillor there are synergies between the Waitaki Power Trust and council which I intend to make the most of to look after these intergenerational assets.
Let’s make decisions that work for us, not just now, but for generations to come.
Key Areas of Experience & Interest
Key Areas of Experience & Interest
Council is responsible for many regulatory demands which it can put a local spin on, and my three main areas of interest at present are planning, aviation and aquatic.
The Waitaki District Plan
The government has stopped councils progressing the district plans which has prevented some good new policies but most importantly prevented some very restrictive and costly rules being imposed on rate payers.
A new plan will made under new legislation and I will be looking carefully at how it is formed with more input from locals at an earlier stage, perhaps similar to ECan's successful collaborative planning model.
Oamaru Airport
The airport has been a huge success. When I flew solo in 2004 the aero club was a part-time operation and was the only business on the field. Now, with the addition of just two tenants the airport is twice as busy as Dunedin, Queenstown and Nelson airports. This success comes with higher regulatory requirements at the same time as the runways are struggling under the volume of movements. The rate payer should not bear this cost and external funding may be available.
Waitaki Aquatic Centre
The aquatic centre had controversial origins with the loss of green space but more people use that space now as a pool than when it was grass. Children learn critical water safety skills and the elderly enjoy low-impact movement. The pool is one of our greatest assets but the structure is a few years from the end of the design life and no money has been put aside to renovate or replace it. We cannot rely on charity to maintain our assets. This will be a priority which I will pursue.
About Me
About Me
I’ve spent most of my life in North Otago, and I’m proud to call Waitaki home with my wife Violet and our three children. For the past six years, I’ve run my own agricultural compliance business, helping local farmers stay on top of health and safety systems, irrigation management, farm environment plans, and compliance audits. The business has grown through word-of-mouth, and I take real pride in delivering practical solutions that work for the people who work the land.
Before that, I managed an innovative dairy farm near Ngapara, and I hold a Diploma in Agribusiness. I’ve always been passionate about using technology to improve farm performance from heat-detection collars to on-farm mastitis diagnostics and precision irrigation. I’ve also advocated for around 30 rural and residential land owners in the Waitaki District Plan review process, aiming for fair and workable rules that protect productive farm and residential activities while still protecting the unique environmental and cultural values of the district.
Outside of agriculture, I’ve had a lifelong love of aviation. I trained and worked as a flight instructor including at the North Otago Aero Club, and I’ve also flown commercially between Oamaru and Christchurch with Mainland Air. Flying remains a passion of mine, and I still get in the air when I can while overseeing the operations at the aero club.
Community service is a big part of my life. I’ve been a member of the Rotary Club of Oamaru since 2017, serving as president and currently as secretary. Through Rotary, I’ve been involved in projects including the Oamaru Public Gardens playground upgrade, a monarch butterfly garden, and fundraising efforts for chemotherapy chairs at the hospital and transport for kindy kids.
I’ve also helped organise the Glencoe Gravity heli-biking event, which raises money for Maheno School and the Ovarian Cancer Foundation of New Zealand. It’s a great cause and a great day out. Another project I’m proud of is helping establish the disc golf course at Weston Domain, working with Sport Waitaki, Rotary, and generous local businesses.
I’m not in this for photo ops or titles. I’m standing for council because I want to see more long-term thinking, value for money, and therefore more affordable local government. I will bring an open mind and focus on fundamentals. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s what I’ll keep doing for Corriedale and the whole of Waitaki.
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