Local Focus: Rion Roben on Candidate Camera

Watch the full Local Focus interview for Roben's views on the region's biggest issues, and our less important quickfire questions.

Rion Roben is vying for a spot on the Hastings District Council.

"I'm hoping that having a young family and working fulltime, I can bring a different voice to the council that's more reflective of working families," he said.

Roben says he has been interested in politics for a long time and encourages everyone to get out and vote.

"I think it's a really important part of a democracy. People shouldn't just walk into the role. They should be challenged, and the best candidates should go forward."

A supporter of local sport and the arts, Roben says that although there is an abundance of work in the region, there's not enough labour.

"We don't necessarily have the workers we need. We welcome seasonal workers from overseas to help us get through. And I think there's a demand for that to be more and more permanent."

He's keen to reassure voters that if elected, water will be top of his priority list.

"There's a strong voice in our rural communities around access and rights to water, and some of those are not being addressed in a way that I think they should be."

Roben says he's pretty capable on the home front, doing his fair share of cooking, housework and gardening. In his spare time, he enjoys board games as well as cycling and kayaking.