It must be an election year when you spend over 20 minutes discussing in what order the names on the Whangarei electoral ballot papers should be. Still, Whangarei is no different to any other region.

Every election year we get the same issues, with the same politicians grandstanding when typically they are quiet any other time. So what changes do elections actually bring? What causes this vast difference of personality? Some say ego, some say self-preservation, and some say it's just locals practicing their Oscar speeches.

With the big talk going on across the regions, what's happening about the real issues in the districts? We need to get vocal about Whangarei District Council’s debt level, Kaipara District Council’s review of motor boats at Kai Iwi lakes and the condition of new pipes in the ground at Ruakaka building developments.

You may not have realised this but the WDC has just spent more money releasing yet another website. First there was whangareimomentum.co.nz, now there is whatsitworth.co.nz. It’s yet another example of a very big PR job committed by Whangarei District Council, which is already $200m in debt.

The KDC, meanwhile, is receiving submissions regarding whether jet skis or motorboats should be allowed on the Kai-iwi lakes. Locals clogged Dargaville’s CBD with boats in protest on February 9. How many of them were actually consulted over the ban? You can have your say here.

It is very easy to see why the world has gone off politicians. Can this be reversed?