Pledge to tackle South Waikato issues

With horns beeping and cheers resounding you’d think Howie Tamati was a South Waikato local.

The Maori Party Te Tai Hauauru seat candidate visited Putaruru and Tokoroa on Friday while out campaigning for the upcoming General Election.

He will go head-to-head with Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe.

Considering the South Waikato is a rugby league stronghold it’s perhaps not surprising that the former international rugby league player and coach, who is the president of NZ Rugby League, was welcomed with open arms.

‘‘I went to Tokoroa High School and spoke with all the young guys who are aspiring to be good rugby league athletes and gave them a little bit of background about the demands of rugby league at the highest level. It was awesome,’’ he said.

‘‘There are so many good people here, they are friendly and they are passionate about the Maori Party so it’s been really enjoyable.’’

But it wasn’t all just fun and games with Tamati, also eager to promote the key areas he wants to focus on if elected.

‘‘A lot of people know me as the rugby league player but I have actually been working for the last 30 years doing other things,’’ he said.

‘‘I spent 15 years in local government, worked in prisoner rehabilitation, I was chairman of NZ Maori Rugby League for eight years, 10 years in waka ama, I am now completing Maori triathlons, and I’m the current chief executive of Sport Taranaki.’’

‘‘My background has been in sport so health, wellbeing, and physical exercise are passions. There are so many issues that derive from inactivity so it is important for our people to actively take the first step and I will encourage that,’’ he said.

Tamati said addressing the South Waikato’s struggle to get and maintain doctors would be a key area he’d focus on.

‘‘I have been working with Dr Lance O’sullivan (Kaitaia based doctor and New Zealander of the year 2014) around his kaupapa IMOKO,’’ he said.

‘‘His concept is around having assessments made by trained people online. It means people can be dealt with within 15 minutes rather than having to wait for a doctor for three days and I think that is the way of the future for areas like this.’’ He encouraged Maori to enroll and vote.