Election 2020: One Party candidate focuses on jobs and home ownership

Jobs for locals and support for people wanting to own their home are priorities for One Party Whangārei candidate Daniel Watts.

He is among nine candidates vying for the Whangārei seat, held by National's Dr Shane Reti, in next month's election.

"Supporting first home buyers should be paramount and people who are working should get government support showing that they are working and working towards something, and supporting families especially," Watts said.

"Definitely jobs and a better economy but in that keeping up within New Zealand and giving jobs to people who are in New Zealand."

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Other pressing issues, he said, were the euthanasia referendum and abortion, which needed to be looked at again and for people to vote no.

Watts would support Ports of Auckland moving to Northport as there is better infrastructure and a very elaborate, robust plan showing how it's going to work.

"I am all for the idea, however, I think it needs to have a bit more to it first."

Northland councils should be amalgamated as it's "just easier because there are many chiefs for one village."

He's saying no to the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) due to health concerns and insufficient research thus far.

Watts is concerned people may looking to negative ways of coping with the pressures of Covid such as the use of methamphetamine which, he says, is already a major problem in Northland.

Local councils in Northland should be amalgamated to reduce the "many chiefs for one village", according to Daniel Watts. Photo / John Stone

Housing, jobs, and tackling depression would also help get people off meth, he said.

"So what needs to be done is supporting those people not only to get off it long term but to have something else to go to, not just the two or six-week course to get off it but something to get them into work, get them into a programme."

His biggest influence in life has been Jesus Christ and just the way he spoke to people, no matter who they were and having a very strong sense of what is right and advocated for people— anyone and everyone.