WHBS students grill Whangarei election candidates

VOTERS: Senior Whangarei Boys High School students at yesterdays' election rally. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Dr Shane Reti told senior Whangarei Boys' High School students he was probably the only person in the room who was qualified to administer drugs able to euthanize someone or terminate a pregnancy.

"A vote for Shane Reti is a vote 'no' to abortion and 'no' to euthanasia."

He was replying to a question the Whangarei seat hopefuls answered for Whangarei Boys' High School senior students in the latest "mock election" aimed at inspiring younger people to vote.

Taking turns on the podium at yesterday's event were Whangarei's National MP Shane Reti (QSM), Shane Jones for New Zealand First, Ash Holwell for the Greens and Robin Grieve for Act.

Labour candidate Tony Savage arrived apologetically late, while apologies were already in from Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis (Labour), Hone Harawira (Mana) and Chris Leitch (Democrats for Social Credit), who could not attend.

New Zealand First's Shane Jones explained the "conscious vote" aspect of some decisions in the House.

He said he would not vote for euthanasia and was not motivated to change the current abortion laws, although he firmly believed the choice for abortion should belong with the mother.

In strong terms, he also told the young men in the audience that too many teenage women in Whangarei were getting pregnant and carrying the responsibility.

"Shame on the boys," he thundered.

During an introductory precis of their parties' general philosophies and stances, Mr Holwell said the Greens were not in the centre, "we're in front".

He said the Greens were the leaders because they were "the brave ones", having started many "conversations" about social and environmental issues the other parties were only now beginning to talk about.

In his turn, Mr Grieve paraphrased the old Sir Winston Churchill adage: "If you're not a socialist when you're young you don't have a heart; if you're not a capitalist when you're old then you haven't got a brain."

Mr Grieve said 100 years of having a welfare state in New Zealand had failed.

Other questions included the candidates' and their parties' stances on education, immigration and the problem of homelessness and unaffordable housing.

In the mock vote, Mr Holwell won, then, in order, Dr Reti, Mr Jones, Mr Grieve and Mr Savage.