In 1985, not long after joining Hastings District Council as a town planner, Mark Clews ran a team workshop on how ‘plastic money’, internet shopping, and working from home might one day reshape the retail sector.
At the time, it sounded far-fetched but, 35 years later as he prepares to retire, it reads like a blueprint for the world we now live in.
When Mark (pictured) walked into Massey University in the early 1980s, architecture was the plan. But a strong tilt toward economics and geography and, as he puts it, “a bit of a thing for colouring in maps”, steered him into the world of regional planning. He hadn’t even heard of a town planner.
Four decades later, Mark is known across New Zealand’s planning circles by another title entirely: the ‘godfather’ of planning.
This year, Mark will retire after more than 40 years in local government, most of them at Hastings District Council, where his influence can be traced through everything from town centre renewal to major zoning decisions, climate resilience work, and multi-generational growth strategies.
Born in Gisborne and raised in Central Hawke’s Bay, Mark started his planning career with 18 months at Upper Hutt City Council, before returning home to Hastings in 1985 to join the council planning team. Back then, a planner’s toolbox looked very different.
“GIS (Geographical Information System) didn’t exist,” he recalls.
“We had enormous, printed maps showing every amenity, zoning line, building footprint and section boundary. They lived in steel drawers and were constantly being updated by the town plotting department.”
He remembers the debate over whether Council should move from typewriters to word processing, and the day the team got its first computer. “[It was] a bit after 1985; it was a big deal at the time.”
Mark’s official title may have evolved, eventually becoming Principal Advisor: District Development, but his focus has remained constant: guiding long-term, integrated development with community at the centre. He has seen and steered huge changes along the way.
He says three stand out. First, the introduction of GIS: “What once took hours with rulers and tracing paper now takes seconds.”
Second, the internet: a revolution in access and responsiveness. “People used to have to come into the office and wait for answers. Now they can find everything themselves.”
And third, and what he considers the most profound, public consultation.
“In the early days, you made a decision, put it in the paper, and waited to see if anyone objected. Now, we ask people what they need at the beginning, build that into planning, and go back with a draft for comprehensive public consultation. It’s completely flipped; and for the better.”
One of the hallmarks of Mark’s career has been long-view planning. The Lyndhurst residential development is a perfect example: work on the zoning and infrastructure began in the early 1990s, but homes would not be built for nearly 20 years.
“One of the lucky things about staying in one place so long – you get to see your plans take shape,” he says.
He is especially proud of Hastings’ first town centre renewal in the 1990s – a transformative project that removed the city centre ring road and created a pedestrian-friendly heart, complete with the now-iconic water feature. “It was a project with everything: long-term planning, big-picture thinking, commercial and community research, and a bit of flair. You could literally see the change taking shape in the centre of town.”
Other standout projects include the relocation of sportsgrounds from Nelson Park to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park, despite vocal opposition, and the strategic work that allowed large-format retail to occupy the former Nelson Park space.
“It was controversial, but the public had told us they needed better sportsgrounds and the big shops close to the smaller ones. That guided the decision.”
Mark’s future-focused mindset was never just about urban development. In 1985 – fresh on the job – he led a discussion about how plastic money, internet shopping, and working from home might change the retail sector.
“People thought it was far-fetched. Turns out we were just 35 years early.”
He also helped apply Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning to the Clifton to Tangoio coast, taking a long-term risk approach to issues like coastal erosion, climate change and sea level rise.
In 2011, he represented New Zealand in a climate resilience exchange programme in Park City, Utah, bringing global insights back to the region.
Across multiple growth strategies – HUDS (Hastings Urban Development Strategy), HPUDS (Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy), and now the new Future Development Strategy – he has consistently emphasised flexibility, intergenerational thinking, and community voice.
“Planning isn’t about maps. It’s about people and how we help them live well, now and in the future.”
As he prepares to retire, Mark is philosophical about the sector he has helped shape.
“Local government works best when councillors and officers work as a team, and by and large we have that in Hastings. Politicians should lead the big, public-facing decisions; staff need to provide the best possible information and advice to support that.”
His next chapter? “Playing it by ear,” he says. A bit of travel with wife, Kath, and getting through a chore list initially. Longer term: improving his Happy Gilmore-style golf swing, going along to art classes and trying out a bunch of other hobbies he has never had time for, some volunteer work – maybe outdoors with an environmental bent, and hanging out with his retired brothers-in-law and sister.
