Kightley to run for local board seat
Performer and writer Oscar Kightley will be running for the Henderson-Massey local board in Auckland’s upcoming local elections.
Kightley – who in 2009 was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to television and theatre – was selected by the Labour Party.
Kightley’s career includes acting (Sione’s Wedding, Harry) and writing for stage and television. He was one of the writers and voices for adult animated comedy television series bro’Town, and he performed in and was a creator of theatre group The Naked Samoans.
In 2019, the actor led a panel for Auckland Council on why Aucklanders should vote in the local elections, and Kightley said he has been passionate about local government since his days as a reporter for The Evening Star.
‘‘During the last election I urged people to get out there and vote, as well as urging the Pasifika community to run. And this time I decided, why not take my own advice and give it a go?’’
Kightley spent his childhood growing up in West Auckland’s Te Atatū North, after arriving in Aotearoa from Samoa at the age of 4, so he said the area was very familiar to him.
He still lives in Te Atatū Peninsula, and wanted to be involved with the local community.
‘‘I’m hoping that I can be part of the local board and be part of the process of making the community better.
‘‘I want to make sure the west gets what is fair – it’s a very diverse community, in terms of both ethnicity and socioeconomic groups. Not everyone out west is the same.’’
Kightley said he wanted to make sure the west ‘‘kept the cool stuff’’ about it, but also help it become more lively as Auckland continued to expand.
He said he wanted to see more people getting involved and voting during this year’s local body elections, especially younger people.
‘‘We’ve got some cool new people coming in this year, and I guess what I’d say to people is, ‘Go and find out about the candidates and vote.’’’
‘‘I want to make sure the west gets what is fair – it’s a very diverse community.’’
Oscar Kightley, writer, comedian and local board candidate