Graeme Mead Hamilton West City Councillor

26/05/2026

Today was a good day in Council, the Transport Sub Committee of Mesh Macdonald for Hamilton City Council the Chair, Geoff Taylor - Hamilton City Council Sarah Thomson - Hamilton City Councillor Andrew Bydder for Council and myself met and we had a number of decisions to make.
The speed limit reduction in Te Rapa that had undergone consultation and 80% of the respondents didn't want the reduction. This was passed by the elected members to remain at 80kmh and stay as it is.
The provision of a bus shelter at Wintec in Rotokauri and the agreement from staff to review the cost of bus shelters as part of the procurement review in June, the estimated cost that was shown in the agenda is going to reduce in cost. We also have agreement from Waikato Regional Council to extend the bus run to stop at this new site. This bus stop was approved.
The painting of road marking lines was also discussed and the estimated costs were again shown in the agenda, and I felt they were above market rates and therefore we will be placing a tender into the market for this work. It is proposed the costs come back to the Chair and Deputy Chair of Procurement and Staff to assess the results.
This is all part of the procurement maturity review that is being undertaken by Council as an outcome of the KPMG report.
For me personally i do hear the community voices and want to assure you that i look at every dollar spent as though it was my own money and want to get best value for money, or in some cases don't spend it at all.
it has a been a constructive couple of days working with staff to achieve todays outcomes..

23/05/2026

Alot to get through Tuesday and a fair bit to consider... and recognise the ratepayers and residents concerns and responses

22/05/2026

Pretty cool to see the Swarbrick park playground getting closer to a finish point, about 3 or so weeks to go.
Looks good and lots of plat space

12/05/2026

Theres are some wonderful people in our community and even greater businesses.
Thank you Troy from Wash Rite for heading down to The Dinsdale Office and having a big clean up after the mess that was the footpath.
You are just so good for doing this.
If you need cleaning done then please consider them.
They did this without charge to help out, super clean and looking smart.

10/05/2026

GRAEME MEAD
Your West Ward Councillor
HAMILTON
May 10, 2026

“It’s not council’s money being spent, it’s yours, and it must be used wisely.”

Being a councillor is one of the strangest and hardest things I’ve ever done.

You step into it wanting to make a difference for your city and your community, and very quickly you realise how much you don’t know about the machinery behind it all. Hours of reading. Hours of meetings. Endless reports, agendas, minutes and briefings. And change comes far slower than I ever imagined. I want everything fixed or changed by tomorrow...

What surprises you most though isn’t always the workload, it’s the people.

Some people only contact you when something is broken, when they’re angry, frustrated, or want something fixed immediately, or to let you know about challenges they are having, and believe me there’s plenty of those. Others criticise every move you make without ever seeing the work happening behind the scenes, or have ever met me.

And then there are the ones, the really important ones, who quietly support you, encourage you, check in, and remind you why you started and where you are heading.

One thing I never expected was how much your personal world changes. The random phone calls asking “what are you up to?”, the invitations for a drink, dinner or coffee… they slowly disappear.

It’s almost like people think you’ve changed as a person because you now sit around the council table. But at the end of the day, I’m still me, just carrying a bigger responsibility.

And honestly, there are times where it feels like you can get more information as a resident than you can as a councillor.

But despite all of that, I genuinely love what I’m doing.

The Procurement Committee is moving forward and we are starting to make progress.

We have to get the buying right. Every contract matters. Every dollar matters. Because at the end of the day, it’s not council’s money being spent, it’s yours and it must be used wisely.

My role is to ask questions. To make sure the processes are right. To challenge things when they don’t look right and to keep pushing for better value and accountability for the community. Its interesting to here that some meetings “I”m not wanted at” as I ask too many questions and too many "why did this happen"

It’s not glamorous work, and sometimes it feels like pushing uphill through roadblocks and resistance. But I also know that someday, if you keep pushing hard enough and long enough, things eventually start falling into place.

I’m not going away until I finish what I started, and there's lots to do.

This role is a heck of a journey. Harder than I expected. More personal than I expected. But I chose it because I care deeply about this community and the future of our city.

And that makes every frustrating day worth it, because tomorrow will be better.
[email protected]
Community • Accountability • Value • Representation

09/05/2026

Dropping off E waste, old batteries, cables and electronics.
Awesome job Hamilton City Council and recycling team down here.. lots of cars and waste being taken care of.
Finishes at 1pm today, beside FMG Stadium off Richmond St

05/05/2026

I’ve been checking through transport, infrastructure, contracts, and the costings behind them, and it’s been a challenge at times in the last 6 months. But i'm starting to get some direction now, and I feel im seeing outcomes that actually make sense.

One thing that keeps coming up is scope and the final cost.
We always have to come back to the original scope of a project, the basic needs, not every extra option that gets added along the way. The monent it goes beyond what's needed additions get expensive. That’s where cost control starts but can easily get away to large numbers.

There has been a council for a number of years, and they should have built up a long history of purchasing. That history can help at the start of a project, but only if it’s market‑correct. If the market has moved, or if we’ve been possibly paying above market, then history isn’t a guide, it should be a warning to be cautious or be price checked.

We’re also looking to trial some new products, get better estimates at the start of the process, and make sure we actually know whether we’re purchasing well. When we get that right, it builds trust, trust in the system, trust in the numbers, and trust in the decisions being made.
And for me, the test is simple:
If this was coming out of my bank account, would I spend this much on it?
If the answer is no, then we need to rethink it. It’s not my money and that’s exactly why I’m treating it as if it is.
At the end of the day, I was elected to ask questions, challenge the costs, and remember why I’m there. It’s far more complex and challenging than I ever expected, some days you’re working on something for next week, and other days you’re deep in something that won’t land for two years. But that’s the reality of the job, and I’m here to do it with the same standard I’d use for my own wallet.
If it looks to much, then it probably might be...

01/05/2026

Apart from the players, a heck of a great way to raise money.

This Saturday, we’re bringing together a group of Marist legends from years gone by for a great cause - supporting charity and our mate Ricey. 💚🤍

Johnny, Snowy and Coops are 3 of the 4 internationals taking the field (can you name the 4th?) are primed and ready to go.

Kick off 2pm with the Jerseys being auctioned off around 4:30pm. Lots of auction items and raffles with all funds going to MND and Hospice Waikato.
Prems vs Hamilton Old Boys kicks off at 5pm. Stag Trophy game.

See you there! 🏉🏉

27/04/2026

Just wanted to make sure everyone has my council email.
This is the best contact for me at council. I can keep track of the enquiries, please dont use messanger, or other email addresses.
Its this one here. [email protected]
Thanks in advance.