Making a difference to child poverty is top of Whanganui community outreach adviser Tim Easton's list. Photo/Bevan Conley
Making a difference to child poverty is top of Whanganui community outreach adviser Tim Easton's list. Photo/Bevan Conley
Tim Easton has seen the face of true poverty. And that will be fresh in his mind as he steps into his new role.
The 31-year-old, who started as Whanganui's Labour community outreach adviser two weeks ago, said addressing child poverty in New Zealand was high on his radar.
He is inspired by what he saw during his seven-month stint with the NZ Army in Afghanistan.
Once he watched as a man walked down the road about 2am with his family huddled in -20C with no shoes on.
"That image has stuck in my mind - they were dragging rugs and you just think, where are they sleeping?"
Mr Easton said that opened his eyes to what poverty is and coming back to New Zealand he was much more aware of it.
"While we [NZ] are extremely lucky by international standards, there are still people here, including kids, who are living in poverty.
"In the lead-up to the election, and post election policy announcement showed their focus on child poverty and lifting 64,000 kids out of poverty really resonated with me."
But it wasn't always politics that Mr Easton thrived off.
The former Whanganui High School student left his hometown to attend Victoria University in Wellington.
He studied law and commerce - and then an opportunity came up that changed him.
He joined the NZ Army reserves part-time as a way to fund his studies.
"You do weekend work so they feed you, they clothe you, they home you for pretty much for the weekend. You go out, run around the bush, get trained up.
"It's rewarding - you form really good mates, good team bonding. The level of training you get in the army is amazing - leadership, problem solving, perspective and it's unlike any other training."
In his last year of study Mr Easton was offered a full-time job graduated role with the NZ Army.
"I jumped straight into graduate work without finishing the degree and then picked it up later."
During his time with the NZ Army he did a seven-month tour in Afghanistan and a six-month tour in Egypt working for the Army General Staff doing public policy.
Former Whanganui High School student Tim Easton was deployed to Egypt. Photo/Supplied
He said that experience shaped the person he is today, and his interest in public policy and how policy is formed grew.
Mr Easton has since finished his degree, worked in central Government and Parliament in Wellington, before returning to his hometown with his soon to be wife, lawyer Rebecca Hay.
Four days a week he commutes to Palmerston North, and will be found popping in and out of Adrian Rurawhe's office on the top of Victoria Ave in Whanganui when it opens in a few weeks.
The advice he gave students unsure about a career path was: "Find someone you respect and look up to. Work out why you look up to them and how they lead, don't just go for the flashy jobs."
And for students who are contemplating a career in politics he said, get "stuck in."
"Get involved with as many people as you can - talk to people and find out their struggles or issues - it's really rewarding to be able to make a difference in people's lives."
