The Te Tai Tōkerau electorate encompasses all of Northland from Cape Rēinga to the North Shore communities of Auckland City. Photo / NZME
The Te Tai Tōkerau electorate encompasses all of Northland from Cape Rēinga to the North Shore communities of Auckland City. Photo / NZME
With the general election approaching, time is ticking away for eligible voters to decide who they want to lead their electorates and the country. On Monday advance voting began ahead of the October 14 election.
The Advocate asked those candidates vying for the Te TaiTōkerau electorate three questions considered important to voters: Why should people vote for them; what they think the issues are in Te Tai Tōkerau; and when it comes to policies, what their priorities are for their electorate. Here is what they had to say.
Tribal affiliations: Ngāti Hine, Ngātiwai, Ngāti Whātua, Te Waiariki, Ngāpuhi.
1. E mihi ana ki ngā whānau o te rohe pōti o Te Tai Tōkerau. My name is Hūhana Lyndon, I’m a single mum of three teenage daughters and the Green Party Candidate for the Tai Tōkerau electorate. I was born and raised in Tai Tōkerau and am a committed hapū kaimahi. I have a diverse work portfolio including primary industries, education, health and social services and hapū iwi development. As an advocate for He Whakaputanga me Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the kaupapa of Te Rōpū Kākāriki (Green Party) resonates with me for taiao (environment), people, wellbeing and social justice underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
As a candidate, I offer visible, connected and accountable representation. Understanding the local challenges and seeking remedies via central or local government is important, I aim to be an advocate for the North alongside my general electorate counterparts.
2. We have very real challenges in climate change, housing, infrastructure and living costs - Te Rōpū Kākāriki offer strong bold leadership on people and wellbeing and protecting our taiao.
3. Our Green Party Manifesto provides a road map of policies that reduce inequalities with a fairer tax system, and our income guarantee of $385p/w provides a baseline income in times of need. Increase public and community housing, and regulation on private rentals for healthy, safe and affordable homes. Our party recognises the importance of small- to medium-sized businesses; we need to ensure that regulation and compliance are relevant to the size of the business. We advocate for central and local governments to procure services locally. We support education and training including the extension of trade training and universal student allowance. Tai Tōkerau needs to be future-proofed with climate adaptation planning alongside hapū and iwi. I seek two ticks in this year’s general elections - Hūhana Lyndon, mō Te Tai Tōkerau. Pōti Te Rōpū Kākāriki. Party Vote Green.
1. People should vote for me because I get things done. On top of my portfolio responsibilities, I’ve been able to really advocate for the people of Te Tai Tōkerau. Having a strong voice and influence in Government means I am able to take the concerns of the people, find solutions and action them accordingly.
2. It’s clear that the big issues are the cost of living, housing, roading and infrastructure. I’m proud of the mahi that this Government has achieved to date. We’ve been able to lead our country through some challenging times while looking after all New Zealanders. The global economy has taken a hit in recent years and that means that things have been tough for a lot of our whānau. We have a plan, a costed plan and under this Government we’re now seeing our economy turn a corner. We’ve already delivered some great outcomes for housing, and our suite of cost-of-living initiatives will make life a little easier for our whānau. We’ve built more houses; we’ve made significant investments to help our people recover from significant weather events. We need to keep going to see that mahi through.
3. One of the key initiatives that I’ve been leading is our cyclone recovery efforts in Te Tai Tōkerau. A part of that work is looking at our preparedness as a region for future weather events. I’ve led a taskforce that has been talking to our communities, understanding their needs, taking a stocktake of what climate resilient plans are in place and how we bring them all together. This is key for our region. We need to give our communities at the end of the road assurance that once the main highways to our towns are cut off, they will be self-sufficient.
Maki Herbert - Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party's Maki Herbert.
1. A vote for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party will bring the commodity of the cannabis industry to Northland. This could mean industries and tourism, horticulture farming, particularly the hemp industry. We need our whānau/families to be safe in their homes.No more damp, mouldy, leaking Kiwi houses! Hempcrete has a natural hygroscopic performance capacity. Hempcrete walls can absorb moisture from inside the building when there is an increase in humidity. A hempcrete home is one of the healthiest buildings to live in. The outside of the hempcrete home does not need any cladding to keep it watertight; it is rendered with lime plaster.
2. Firstly, housing has emerged as a significant concern. Our party endorses the hemp industry. We propose implementing policies to encourage job growth, supporting local businesses, and creating training programmes to upskill our workforce. By investing in our community, we can reduce unemployment and improve the overall economy. A constant frustration for our residents. Potholes, inadequate maintenance, and limited infrastructure investments hinder travel safely and efficiently. By voting for our party, together, we can overcome these issues and create a thriving community that we can all be proud of.
3. When it comes to policy priorities for my electorate, our focus is on regulations and restrictions that currently surround cannabis. We can breathe new life into the hemp industry and create a thriving sector. Our single-issue policy, which advocates for the legalisation of cannabis, has far-reaching implications that positively impact various areas of governance, health, education, justice, law and order, race relations, the economy, and the environment. The rights granted to Māori in the treaty regarding land use for survival are honoured without the fear of arrest or land confiscation. Vote Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party. Together, we can bring about the change our electorate needs and deserves.
Te Tai Tōkerau candidate Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. Photo / Te Pāti Māori
1. I am a fighter for justice and prosperity where there is little to none. I have a proven record of on-the-ground service to whānau for 30 years. I am of this place, Te Tai Tōkerau and Muriwhenua, born and raised. I am ready, relentless, and able.
2. Poverty is a long-standing and primary issue. Whānau are desperate and homeless. The cost of living is intolerable for many, coupled with the mental load to keep whānau safe. Family violence, suicide threats and the maltreatment of children and young people are on the rise.
3. Poverty in paradise is the norm for many in our Te Tai Tōkerau electorate. Make food and water affordable and accessible for all and regulate the suppliers properly. Improve a tax system that requires the wealthy to pay their way. Remove tax from the most vulnerable. Te Tai Tōkerau people and places are vulnerable to climate chaos. We have become more prone to floods, fires, and drought where already vulnerable communities live. We will focus on the exposed communities and invest in their ideas and adaptation plans. Collaborate with people at their place, they know their land, rivers, coastline, cities, and communities better than anyone.
Poor health status is an outcome of scarcity and dislocation from culture and land. Optimal health is where we are focused. Further investment into whānau, hapū and iwi Māori systems and organisations rural and urban, that know and understand the issues but have the solutions too. By whānau for whānau, where all will flourish. Safe shelter is a priority. More social housing for Māori is a starting point. Procurement to local and Māori businesses is a must, tied to infrastructure and viable roading systems.
Independent candidate for Te Tai Tōkerau, Paturiri Toautu.
1. Ti hei mauri ora! Paturiri is a voice for the voiceless and his kaupapa is to empower the poor and the powerless. To give a voice to those of his Māori people who are ostracised and stigmatised by society: ex-inmates, gang members, the homeless, addicts etc. So their voices can be heard as usually they are either totally ignored or utterly judged and condemned. But everyone has mana... dignity from the Creator. Amene.
2. Homelessness, imprisonment, addiction.
3. Homelessness. To address homelessness here in Te Tai Tōkerau, Paturiri would work with local councils and iwi throughout the rohe to find practical solutions to help those in need of housing. One of his kaupapa will be to have at least one shelter in each main town throughout the Te Tai Tokerau. Such as utilising a council-owned whare/building/house and/or iwi whare to use for emergency housing. This could be run by volunteers with a strict no drugs/alcohol policy etc.
Habilitation centre. Rather than building more “prisons” which are proven to be totally ineffective in reforming wrongdoers’ lives - Paturiri uses the term wrongdoer, rather than “criminal”, as the word “criminal” degrades a person saying they are evil, bad, rotten, useless, etc. Kahore! They may have committed a wrong but they still have mana and can be reformed. So by calling them a wrongdoer, you recognise they still have value and can be redeemed, even though they must still be made accountable for their wrong. So Paturiri would like to see a major habilitation centre built here in Te Tai Tōkerau on Māori land that is 100 per cent aimed at reforming, redeeming and rehabilitating wrongdoers and addicts. He would work with local iwi, councils and the Government to make this happen. Kei te pai.
