Judith Lacy’s Jottings: Palmerston North’s diversity reflected in its returning MPs

Three of the candidates for the Palmerston North electorate reflected the city's diversity. (From left): Tangi Utikere, Teanau Tuiono and Ankit Bansal. Photo / Judith Lacy

OPINION

Much is made of Palmerston North’s diversity. I’ve listened to many a speech that notes the large number of countries Palmy residents were born in, the range of ethnic and cultural identities, and the mindboggling array of languages spoken.

This is partly driven by it being a student city and a refugee resettlement centre.

Diversity attracts diversity, and let’s use the opportunity to blow our own pūtātara. Palmy is a great place to live.

Word is out, if the number of subdivisions, infill housing and traffic jams are any indication.

This election, the six Palmerston North electorate candidates were all men. While that is hardly diverse, one can offer logical explanations. Two candidates - Labour’s Tangi Utikere and the Greens’ Teanau Tuiono - are incumbents, and one could posit women didn’t put their hand up for the other candidacies.

What is diverse are their ethnic backgrounds - Utikere (Cook Island heritage), Tuiono (Ngāpuhi and Cook Island heritage), and National’s Ankit Bansal was born and raised in India.

While Ali Muhammad ran for the Greens in the Ōtaki electorate, he lives in Palmerston North, which he came to as a former refugee. Muhammad was born in Pakistan to parents who had fled Afghanistan and English is his fifth language.

Zulfiqar Butt also lives in Palmerston North. He ran for Labour for Rangitīkei and was also born in Pakistan.

Spreading the country-of-origin-diversity net a bit further, Whanganui resident Helma Vermeulen stood for New Zealand First in Rangitīkei. She was brought up in the Netherlands.

Speaking about the Rangitīkei electorate, I feel for those people who live in Palmerston North’s city, but due to the need to even out the population of electorates, are in the Rangitīkei electorate.

This includes Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith and at least two city councillors.

Massey University, IPU New Zealand and Ashhurst don’t have much in common with the Rangitīkei River, Manunui or Horopito.

Utikere and retiring Rangitīkei National MP Ian McKelvie are to be congratulated for working across Fitzherbert Bridge and the political aisle on Manawatū matters.

It will be interesting to see what Bansal does next with his energy, charm and work ethic.

One has to go back to the 2008 general election to find a National candidate who was having their second crack at the seat - in this case, Malcolm Plimmer.

While much is made about keeping national politics out of local government, the National Party needs to consider why its members - particularly its activists, campaigners and organisers - don’t stand on a National Party ticket at local elections, or at least wear a blue rosette.

Then we’d all be better able to assess who is in it for us and what track they might want to take the city down.

And whatever you might think of Utikere’s politics, you would have to be a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge to deny his work ethic, accessibility, modesty, passion for Palmerston North and knowledge of its people, organisations and processes.

He’s returning to Wellington on his beloved Capital Connection to a much-reduced team and the Opposition benches. A wag might suggest less queuing to get into caucus meetings.

No one likes queuing, but I find it heartening having to queue to vote as it shows democracy is healthy. I felt virtuous beyond all proportion walking to my nearest polling place on Saturday in the drizzle, and saw two people I knew also exercising their democratic rights.

Our diverse representatives in Wellington will return with Palmy pride in their veins, or as Utikere calls it, the “Palmy Cookie quinella”.

Plus, Act MP Andrew Hoggard is from Kiwitea, so we have a Manawatū trifecta.