Tanczos prefers to hear not talk

By JO-MARIE BROWN

Green MP Nandor Tanczos is taking his message to the voters but he is doing less talking than others in the campaign.

On the road around the East Coast with local candidate Catherine Delahunty, the 36-year-old spent most of his time listening to voters' opinions.

"I'm really aware that it's just bullshit really for me and other politicians to come in and say, 'I've got the answer to your problems. Vote for me and I'll sort it out'," he says.

The dreadlocked Rastafarian greeted voters who bowled up to shake his hand and even signed autographs for his admirers.

"It's for my sister," one young schoolgirl explained as she trotted away clutching an envelope signed by Mr Tanczos. "It's her birthday today."

The slightly built Mr Tanczos remained unfazed when one man dominated his time to lament the rise of violent crime while dozens of other voters passed by.

"People don't go up to Bill English and say 'bro, what's up' because they don't see any connection between their reality and his."

Mr Tanczos is this week touring provincial North Island towns with Ugene, the genetically modified tomato sculpture that has sprouted body parts including a cow's udder, human feet, fish lips, bulging insect eyes and a lizard's tail, to push home the Greens' message.

"It stuns people a bit," Mr Tanczos admits. "It's a way of grabbing attention and as an introduction to start talking about the GE issue. It's a way of opening debate really." People stopped to gawk at Ugene, perched on the back of the Green party's Hilux ute parked in Whakatane's main street yesterday.

Mr Tanczos travelled up the coast from Gisborne this week, and with appearances planned in Rotorua, Hamilton and Tauranga over the next two days, he finds that the schedule is taking its toll.

He wearily rubs his eyes while checking his cellphone messages between meet-and-greets.

"The stuff I enjoy more than anything, even though it is exhausting, is getting out among real people."

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