New Zealand's longest serving mayor addresses speculation over his health, ability to lead and, for the first time, touches on the incident that led to his licence being suspended.
He remained tight-lipped, but now says it’s nothing ‘‘major’’. ‘‘No-one was hurt. No bumper-to-bumper exchange. No accident of any sort where a person got hurt.’’ But behind the golden smile, Shadbolt seems acutely aware he’s getting older. He talks about slowing down and says the ‘‘golden years’’ could be over, even though he doesn’t want to admit it. He didn’t expect to win the latest election and fears his chances of making it back into power aren’t good if his opponents play it smart. They’re surprising admissions from a man who carried an air of invincibility the moment he set foot in Invercargill.