“I’m not here to tickle spiders” – Nettles Lamont
Nettles Lamont is not afraid of speaking up or seeking change. The entrepreneur, philanthropist, trusted governance figure, mother, and past Riccarton Cup Day fashion competition judge has now added newly-elected councillor to her list of achievements – and no shocking government shake-up will stop her from smiling. Metropol editor Nina Tucker chats with the Christchurch socialite-turned-stalwart.
Nettles Lamont was three weeks into her role as Environment Canterbury’s new councillor for Christchurch Central when the government announced its plans to remove and replace regional councillors. The proposal, pitched in November, has been labelled the biggest shake-up of local government in 30 years – it seeks to swap councillors elected one month earlier for boards of mayors and minister-appointed representatives.
Fresh from a successful (and exhausting) campaign, Canterbury born-and-bred Nettles is facing the challenge with her signature ‘boots first’ mentality. “Surviving the onslaught that is already raining down with a smile and sense of humour intact,” she laughs.
“I am very aware that we need change. We can’t continue to operate in silos.” Nettles isn’t wallowing in self-pity over the hours and energy her campaign sucked up, she’s rolling “well-cut sleeves up and getting waste deep” into the job she was elected to do, and giving her two cents “to make sure at each step good decisions are made that reflect the needs and wishes of our community and at a cost we can afford” – reform and beyond.
COUNTRY GIRL
Hailing from an entrepreneurial family in rural Canterbury, Nettles is little sister to four older brothers. Her childhood was the blueprint for a solutions-motivated, debate-driven spirit. “I’m naturally curious, and I don’t suffer fools. If someone is in a role there is an obligation to be more than a passenger.” She’s known for asking the hard questions (and for the phrase ‘I’m not here to tickle spiders’) and it’s her curiosity and skill in connection, she says, that got her elected for regional council.
Before that, she was a student at the “school of hard knocks”. After university, Nettles moved away from accounting and auditing. “I have always been fascinated by numbers, narratives around them, and the levers that can be pulled to change that narrative for the better.” It just wasn’t quite right. “I was motivated more by strategy and the big picture.” She moved to Japan as a newlywed and came home with her first child, her focus split between being a mother and nurturing her first business, Conquest Training. It remains an extension of her problem-solving ability, upskilling a wide-reaching skillset for entities in the workplace.
A diverse mix of strengths and no less enthusiasm despite life being an occasional “baptism by fire”, Nettles joined the boards of a few charitable trusts on recommendation. “I found a natural affinity with governance,” she says. Best known in Canterbury for her commendable work as Chair of Cholmondeley Children’s Centre and former Ara Board Chair of Audit and Risk, Nettles now sits on the Canterbury Cricket board, alongside the role of Independent Chair at Quality New Zealand Ltd.
Each role reaches beyond the boardroom. Nettles has fundraised for Cholmondeley for 15 years and counting (she calls it ‘friend-raising’ as well), and early this year, she cycled the length of New Zealand’s North Island with patron Nuk Korako.
“It was one heck of a ride. We raised over $38,000. I am currently planning to do the South Island this summer, and would love some company, if anyone is keen?” That sum, alongside countless other initiatives led by fundraising manager Ingrid Larsen, is what brings Cholmondeley to its almost $3 million dollar annual operating costs to keep the doors open for Canterbury’s children in need.
LONG MAY IT LAST
Nettles never pictured being in politics. She saw herself where she could make a difference. “I have always been interested in politics, but only as an observer,” she says. “I was increasingly frustrated with some of what I was seeing. As I am getting a bit long in the tooth, I thought it was time to see if I could take some time to give back – and add something to the debate. The environment, our water and land are so important – we need to make sure we make progress that moves us forward.”
A strategist at heart, Nettles finds herself drawn to conversations of ‘what if’ – internally and externally. “I’m an interesting mix of brave and considered, somewhat the conservative entrepreneur,” she laughs. “My inner self is always at war. One half of me is saying, ‘let’s go forth and give this a go’, and my other half keeps reminding me to see if there is a good chance that the numbers will agree.” Each challenge she’s faced, each stepping stone of resilience has led her to a wiser sense of self. “I’m at peace with people judging me on the spot and underestimating me. People will do what they will. I will just carry on being the best I can be, moving forward with purpose,” she says.
So she campaigned. “It is hard. You become an oddity, somewhat like a sideshow.” Nettles loved making new connections while walking the campaign trail – now an admirer of all who do – and plans to take those stories with her in every decision in the new role as councillor. The job, long may it last, is an opportunity to translate her years of problem-solving into outcomes that give back to people and planet.
How will Nettles do it? “Raison d’etre,” she says, or the ‘reason for being’. “I’m a natural connector and am naturally curious about people and finding out their motivations and their raison d’etre. If you can find out a person’s why, you are more likely to find those degrees of confluence to make progress as an entity, a group, and even a society.”
NETTLES LOVES…
Her whole family: “My three grown children keep me present and are a constant reminder to enjoy the moment and to not sweat the small stuff. My mum is 94 and quite unwell,
so I find myself spending more time with her at present, having some of those important life conversations.”
Fashion! “I found a love of clothes, shoes and all associated things from early childhood. I remember sneaking into mum’s closet and finding delightful bits and pieces.
I love fashion, not for the sake of it, but more for how I feel when I walk out and know that inside and out, I’m giving the best version of me to the world.”
Her garden. “I currently have a range of vegetables and fruits that look very happy. I also have a cavalcade of monarch caterpillars to observe and assist as they continue their journey of metamorphosis.”
Geopolitics: “I love the cut and thrust of what’s happening globally. I’m closely watching the free trade discussions with India and New Zealand, looking forward to seeing a result in the short term.”
