Coromandel candidates air views
I grew up in the Bop-whakata¯ne and Tauranga but have had a long association with the Coromandel electorate — with family in O¯ mokoroa, Katikati and Waih¯ı. I also play my clarinet in the Katikati Concert Band and worked parttime at Katikati Medical Centre for five years. I now live in Thames close to my older daughter and family. I work as a regis- tered psycho- logist with people with mental health issues across the Coromandel so I see the challenges people face in their daily lives.
Currently, I’m a trustee of Thames Community Centre and on the committee of Thames Citizens Band. I have been brought up, like my parents did, to serve my fellow community members.
I have long been of the opinion that Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said the true measure of a society is how well it looks after its most vulnerable citizens — so my values resonate very strongly with the values of the Labour Party. The party that considers the needs of all New Zealanders — not just the wealthy few.
After a long career in special education where I worked as a teacher, a guidance counsellor, a psychologist, a school principal and a senior manager for the Ministry of Education, I returned to hands-on work as a psychologist working for various government departments like Corrections, working both in the prisons with offenders and in the community.
So my career has brought me into contact with all sectors of society. I will bring my people skills and my leadership and business management skills to being a strong voice — a strong advocate for the Coromandel in Parliament. A strong advocate for getting Coromandel the infrastructure, education and health services that we need in this rural electorate. Plus I want to see the Coromandel’s economic, social, environmental and creative future develop so all residents have a happy and prosperous life. I want to encourage innovation in business and farming/ horticulture/aquaculture and creativity in the arts on the Coromandel as we have extremely talented and skilled people drawn by our beautiful environment to live here. I’m in it for you and I’m in it for the Coromandel — so please vote two ticks for me on October 14.
I strongly believe in equality, freedom of choice and personal responsibility for everyone. I’m a regular Kiwi girl who has experienced life the way it really is, rather than being a polished career politician. I know what it’s like to raise a child as a single parent, to be made redundant, to support someone you love through mental illness, to lose your annual crop in a storm, to wonder how you’ll pay the bills.
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I’ve owned and worked on a kiwifruit and avocado orchard for the past six years and have experienced first hand the challenges business owners
Joanna Verburg — Act Party
face. I’ve had a 25-year career in corporate banking and foreign exchange, working with small businesses, government departments and corporates all over the country. I understand the domestic economy as well as the global economy New Zealand must interact with in order to grow.
A key to growing our economy is to encourage growth in exports and small businesses, not stifling our No. 8 wire ingenuity as the current government is doing. I want to see New Zealand realise its enormous potential so that we can raise the standard of living for everyone.
■ Pamela Grealey — Green Party
I’m Pamela Grealey, the Green Party candidate for the Coromandel. I run my own business that provides support and mentorship to local entrepreneurs to build and run sustainable and successful businesses. As a community service, we also provide employment ad- vocacy, advice and support to both employees and businesses who may be unsure of their rights and responsibilities in a work situation.
I joined the Green Party because its core values of ecological wisdom, social responsibility, appropriate decision-making and non-violence resonate strongly with my own. I am standing because if we don’t act now to decrease our emissions and work to reduce our impact on the environment then we leave a broken world for our descendants. I cannot stand by and let that happen.
I live in Kapanga Coromandel Town which gives me a good view of the issues that the area has faced due to recent catastrophic events which impacted our roading network and damaged many businesses’ ability to function at full capacity. Our policies will provide support for communities and individuals affected both by the transition to a net zero emission economy and the impacts of already unavoidable climate change. And our public transport policy will ensure that public transport networks are well integrated to provide an alternative to a car. I will continue to advocate for this for upper-peninsula residents.
I see many people who are impacted by our low/casual wage economy which is a part of life on the peninsula and I am pleased that we have a raft of policies geared to lift people up while ensuring we remain within the planet’s boundaries. By rebalancing the tax system to ensure it’s more equitable, we can help lift every family out of poverty and fund our dental policy guaranteeing everyone gets free basic dental care, ensuring we’re all going to be happier and healthier. And our renters pledge will ensure everyone has a safe, healthy, and affordable place to make their own.
In every policy area, the Green
Party’s commitment remains resolute: to build an Aotearoa that thrives on inclusivity, sustainability, and justice. Our vision is one of unity, where the wellbeing of every citizen is paramount.
With more Green MPS in government, we have an opportunity to protect the climate, restore nature, and build an Aotearoa that works for everyone, so: two ticks Green this election!
■ Scott Simpson — National Party
Only a party vote for National will get Coromandel and our country back on track.
Ours is a region impacted by heavy weather events earlier in the year. We’re still a long way from recovering from those cyclones. The impacts of high inflation, crime in local communities, poor access to health services, a nation divided in ways I’ve never seen before in my lifetime, are only accentuated here locally in our Coromandel electorate.
As the sitting MP, I’m asking for your vote again so I can be the voice and face of our region in Parliament and in a new Christopher Luxon, National-led government.
The issues that confront our region are the issues that confront our nation. Recent local gang violence and outbreaks of lawlessness only