Greens push for Maungakiekie
The Herald continues its series on the battleground seats that could influence the election result. Kirsty Johnston talks to some of the candidates in Maungakiekie
the air — due to the Greens’ decision to put Swarbrick in the seat — a move pundits have criticised as a weakness in the two parties’ “memorandum of understanding”.
“The Greens chose to run arguably their highest profile and most energetic Auckland-based candidate, Chloe Swarbrick, in a marginal seat that Labour is targeting,” said political pundit Ben Thomas.
He said it was an indication the agreement was not going smoothly.
However, Swarbrick said her goal was to increase the party vote from the electorate, and to get “as many Green MPs into Parliament as possible”.
Maungakiekie incorporates Point England, Tamaki, Panmure, Mt Wellington, One Tree Hill, Penrose, and parts of Onehunga. It’s population is young, and diverse, with more than 20 per cent each of Asian and Pacific people, and 10 per cent Maori.
In the past 12 months, two major issues in the area have been the $1.8 billion East West Link, a roading project; and the controversial Pt England Development Enabling bill, allowing a housing development to be built on a reserve.
Lee supports both moves, although she says there needs to be “mitigation” to offset the impacts of the four-lane Link.
She also said jobs and housing were a key priority, with a drive for local employment to make the area a hub of activity with its increasingly population.
“To do that, the area needs a dogmatic representative to make sure growth happens in the right way, and has a progressive community-focused outcome,” she said.
Radhakrishnan would scale the roading project back, and hopes to be able to look at alternative sites for housing that don’t impact on the reserve.
She also wanted to champion housing, and jobs, in a way that made people feel involved.
“[People are] not having their voices heard and needs championed and that what’s I want to do.”
Swarbrick also disagreed with the legislation around the Pt England issue, and said the Greens would work with iwi to come up with a different solution. She called the roading project a “gross misuse of transport funding”.
The Greens would instead allocated the money to rail and public transport.
Denise Manase Ken Derrick Priyanca Chlöe Michael