Look past age, says mayoral hopeful
Nelson mayoral hopeful Rohan O’Neill-Stevens wants to bring ‘‘a new kind of leadership’’ to the city.
At 22, O’Neill-Stevens is the youngest Nelson city councillor by more than 20 years, and if elected would be the youngest mayor in New Zealand history.
But he said his track record as one of New Zealand’s youngest councillors (he turned 20 the year he was first elected in 2019) showed he was capable of the top job.
‘‘Where does that concern [with age] come from? There are valid aspects to it, but at the end of the day over the past two and a half years I’ve proved myself to be very competent.’’
He said he was someone ‘‘passionate about and across the issues facing our city, and with vision and strong values’’.
‘‘Not one of those qualifications is determined by age.’’
He said his decision had been inspired by people both in the community and ‘‘a few other councillors’’ recommending he throw his hat in the mayoralty ring.
‘‘We need leadership that’s willing to be dynamic,’’ he said.
He wanted to be as accessible and open as possible if elected mayor, with regular chances for people to speak with him on any issue ‘‘whether it’s for 30 seconds or 30 minutes’’.
‘‘We can afford to have leaders that spend the time to do that, while still getting the other mahi done.’’
He said he announced his bid now because he wanted to give voters the opportunity to get to know him.
‘‘Electing a mayor is a matter of trust and I want to give Nelsonians every opportunity to get to know exactly what kind of mayor I’ll be.
‘‘Trust isn’t built through flashy advertisements, a nice website or smart-looking billboards, trust is built through
conversations and shared experience.’’
O’Neill-Stevens said his platform was shaped around three pillars: ‘‘A strong city, resilient community, and healthy nature’’.
He said he wanted to build a shared understanding both within the council and in the community of what the city was working towards and why.
Specific policies and campaign issues would be released on his website in the lead-up to the election.
‘‘People should know beyond the nice words and platitudes what people stand for.’’
He believed councillors should have clear portfolios to make it easier for the public to know who to speak to about a given topic, that council workshops should be livestreamed, and that closed meetings should be avoided.
His current plan was to run for both the mayoralty and the council.
No other Nelson councillors have yet put their hand up for the mayoralty race.
The local body elections will be held on October 8.
‘‘People should know beyond the nice words and platitudes what people stand for.’’ Rohan O’Neill-Stevens
Nelson mayoral candidate