Watch the full Local Focus interview for Yates' views on the region's biggest issues, and our less important quickfire questions
Education is the big issue for Mercia-Dawn Yates who is hoping to keep her seat as a Rotorua general ward councillor.
"Education is the foundation," she said.
"If we can get our communities involved and understand more about the importance of going to school - after Covid and two years of truancy – we need to find solutions to get our kids back into school."
When asked about co-governance, Yates said she was a partnership person and preferred it to the term "co-governance".