Tāmaki Makaurau’s candidate race is already heating up. But there is still time to represent your community.
“…if you don’t stand for something – you’ll fall for anything”.
Nominations open on Friday 15 July, and on Friday 12 August candidates officially standing in the elections will be announced. Candidates need your vote to be your elected representatives and to help you have your say. To have the best people elected for the job, it is up to you as voters to choose the candidates you think are better than the rest.
Last night, Auckland Conversations: Inspiring Leadership hosted a stellar line up of young leaders who shared their community leadership insights. Stand up for what you believe in because as one of the panelists, Robett Hollis put it, “…if you don’t stand for something – you’ll fall for anything”.
The insightful evening was hosted by Dr Michelle Dickinson, who energetically led the discussion with Bharat Mahajan, Brianna Fruean and Robett Hollis. The panelists drew from their unique experiences as leaders in the health industry, as a global climate activist and as a media and tech entrepreneur. Each highlighted the qualities that we need to see in leadership – trust, ability to execute and diversity.
“You are not given superpowers to be a leader – my community is my superpower.”
An audience of about 80 people beamed in to hear about what leadership means to these change makers. Although they won’t be standing in Auckland’s local elections, they had some words of wisdom for prospective candidates. If you didn’t get the chance to join the event, click here to watch the recording.
“Aucklanders need to be well represented so they can identify with more like-minded candidates, that are relatable through common values and priorities for Auckland.”
Auckland’s local elections needs candidates who are civic-minded – people who are driven by our communities’ needs. This means actively caring about and helping your local area and the people who live there. Since Tāmaki Makaurau is the most multi-cultural city in the country, a diverse range of candidates are in demand to represent all the different communities, as the panel explained, “with more perspectives involved, better decisions can be made for all.”
Currently Auckland Council has only one elected member that is under 24 years of age. That is, one person representing all the youth of Auckland. Also under-represented are Māori and Pasifika representatives. Just over seven per cent of current elected members are Māori, about 11 per cent represent Pasifika people and roughly five per cent are of Asian ethnicity.
Auckland Council staff are working with advisory panels and a range of diverse community groups to provide as many touchpoints as they can to spread the word and encourage more participation. It’s possible that if we have more voters than we did last time, many more communities would be represented and heard.
For more information on being a candidate, and getting ready to vote, visit voteauckland.co.nz
