Election 2020: Whanganui candidates appeal for votes in Grey Power election debate

Alan Clay, Harete Hipango, Hillary Kieft, Steph Lewis, Jonathan Marshall, Heather Marion Smith and Charlotte Weber spoke at Tuesday's candidates meeting. Photos/ Bevan Conley

All seven general election candidates vying for the votes of Whanganui people converged on the War Memorial Centre yesterday to speak to Whanganui's older community.

The seven vying to be Whanganui's MP after this month's general election fronted an audience of about 200 at Tuesday's Whanganui Grey Power candidates' meeting.

Green Party candidate Alan Clay opened proceedings at the War Memorial Hall, talking about senior issues, as well as climate change and public transport.

Clay talked about his party's plan to respond to Covid-19 by building public transport infrastructure across New Zealand, creating jobs, but also providing Kiwis with more transport options.

"It's a health crisis, it's an economic crisis, it's a social crisis."

Incumbent MP, National's Harete Hipango talked about why she and her party believed they should occupy the treasury benches.

"I'm here for the hand up, not the handout. I'm here to empower and to enable, and that's what the National Party is about," she said.

Hipango focused on why she believed she was a strong representative for the electorate.

"I'm diverse, from ground level to ivory tower level," she said.

"I haven't chosen to do this, I was called to duty, called to serve."

Independent candidate Hillary Kieft said she was still in the process of developing policy, but touched on her main focus of looking after New Zealanders from "the womb to the tomb".

Kieft, who raised a rubber model of a 26-week-old foetus, said she fought for the unborn.

"I believe the unborn have every right to life."

As well as abortion, Kieft commented on issues such as inheritance taxes.

"I will prevent the long arm of the government from introducing death taxes. They are diminishing your assets to pay for the Covid-19 spending."

Alan Clay, Harete Hipango, Hillary Kieft, Steph Lewis, Jonathan Marshall, Heather Marion Smith and Charlotte Weber spoke at Tuesday's candidates meeting. Photos/ Bevan Conley

Labour candidate Steph Lewis began backed her party's term in government.

"Here in New Zealand we face a decision; a choice whether we rebuild and recover under Jacinda Ardern's leadership or whether we take a step backwards," Lewis said.

"It's keeping people in work, retraining others and investing in infrastructure projects. Our plan includes investing in people.

"We are preparing for our future by investing in health, education and clean energy."

New Conservative candidate Jonathan Marshall seemingly forgot where he was for a short time.

"I love Whangarei, I mean Whanganui," he said.

After a widespread laugh, Marshall got his pitch back on track, talking about his party's policy on gender and sexual education within schools.

"I will not support ... gender education for children. I believe that to be the role of the family," he said.

"I'm tired of seeing my values eroded. I'm tired of seeing my community's tikanga being destroyed."

Social Credit candidate Heather Marion Smith, an "old school mate" of former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, talked about the history of her party, as well as her wider family.

She focused on what her party sees as the failure of New Zealand's monetary policy before her time expired.

Charlotte Weber, the candidate for the newly formed Advance NZ party, brought along a vocal group of supporters but also drew vocal opposition.

She claimed that to combat Covid-19, we should "boost our immense systems, go out and get more sun and have more supplements".

Despite the controversy, Weber believes her party is the voice for all New Zealanders.

"We are sending a message which is resonating with common sense Kiwis, which is challenging the two-party paradigm.