Candidates offer fresh look for boards

Joseph Bergin (left) is standing for the Takapuna-Devonport Local Board and Chris Waterman for the Kaipatiki Local Board. Photo / Greg Bowker

Two North Shore high school students have put up their hands for election to the new local boards that will be crucial to the Super City's success.

Rosmini College head boy Chris Waterman and deputy Joseph Bergin, both 18 and in Year 13, say they are standing to ensure North Shore youth is heard in the headquarters of the new Auckland Council.

Their hopes of raising the quality of life in their communities is tempered with experience of how local government works.

On a voluntary basis, Mr Waterman has been youth representative on the Glenfield Community Board for the past 18 months.

Mr Bergin, his fellow debating team member, has regularly attended meetings of the community boards for Northcote-Birkenhead and Takapuna.

"It's been a valuable lesson," said Mr Waterman. "As a member of a strong and unified board, you do have influence.

"People don't know how much effect community board decisions have on their lives until an unpopular decision is made and then it's a long bureaucratic way back to reversing that decision."

A feeling that Youth Council views were ignored by local government reformers prompted Mr Bergin to stand.

"They said the first Auckland Council would decide a lot of the stuff so I thought, I want to be part of it."

Young adults aged 15 to 24 years make up 15 per cent of the Shore's population.

Mr Bergin, the youngest of seven children, has paid the $200 nomination fee for the Takapuna-Devonport Local Board election.

"Campaigning will take a chunk out of my part-time job earnings at the Bridgeway Cinema [at Northcote Pt]," he said. "But I'm running with a group under the 'New City New Look' banner, which will subsidise my campaign costs."

Mr Waterman, too, is reducing his costs by joining a ticket, in his case "North Now".

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board will have six members for 57,300 people. Kaipatiki Local Board, covering suburbs west of the Northern Motorway, seeks eight members to represent a population of 85,900.