Watch the Local Focus video to see all of Taikato’s answers on a range of questions.
Pare Taikato will stand for the Labour Party as its new candidate for the Bay of Plenty.
The Bay local was selected after Labour List MP, Angie Warren-Clark’s decision to relocate to Northland and stand in Whangārei for the election this October.
Infrastructure and housing are the most significant issues Taikato hopes to tackle if elected.
“We’re not just talking about potholes and the tar seal on the roads but infrastructure connected to the development of housing,” she said, citing wastewater, stormwater, drinking water and energy as the main factors.
Housing affordability in the Bay of Plenty is also a top concern.
“We have issues with homelessness and people sleeping in cars, and vehicles. I know this through my work in the electorate community office, that we still have people coming in, a lot from other regions actually heading to the Bay of Plenty seeking a better way of life.”
With a background in horticulture and the local kiwifruit industry, Taikato says climate change is an essential issue in the Bay when it comes to managing and maintaining crops.
Watch interviews with candidates for Bay of Plenty electorate:
Local Focus: Labour candidate, Pare Taikato on Candidate Camera
Local Focus: National Party candidate, Tom Rutherford on Candidate Camera
Local Focus: ACT candidate, Cameron Luxton on Candidate Camera
Local Focus: NZ First candidate, Kirsten Murfitt on Candidate Camera
Local Focus: Leighton Baker Party candidate, Wendy Gillespie on Candidate Camera
The role was advertised as an 'intern cleaning position'.