Mayoral candidates step up
It’s an idea which mixes the old with the new. We call it: The Hamilton Soapbox. Starting this Friday, the
Waikato Times will invite two candidates standing in this year’s Hamilton mayoral race to step onto our soapbox and talk to the people.
No teleprompter. No filters. No props.
Each candidate will be given two minutes to share their vision for the city.
The soapbox sessions will be held in the central city and passersby will be encouraged to put their best questions to candidates.
How will Hamilton’s next mayor manage the city’s burgeoning growth while keeping rates in check?
What should happen to the city’s disused Founders Theatre?
Does the city council really need to own the Claudelands Events Centre?
If you want answers, then head along to one of our sessions.
The Hamilton Soapbox will run for four weeks, with all eight mayoral candidates invited to speak.
Each Friday session will also be videoed and posted on Stuff.
A news story will run the next day in Saturday’s Waikato Times.
Stuff’s Waikato Region Editor Jonathan MacKenzie said the soapbox sessions will be essential watching for all Hamilton voters.
‘‘The Hamilton Soapbox is low-fi. It’s an old school, grassroots method of candidates reaching the people,’’ MacKenzie said.
‘‘It’s something that we really like because it’s informal and really quite direct.
‘‘Candidates have the opportunity to talk to people literally on the street and espouse their views.’’
The last soapbox session is scheduled for September 27, by which time viewers should have a strong grasp of what each mayoral hopeful stands for.
‘‘Candidates will say how they’ll run the city to people who are going to be voting, and it’s not at all staged or contrived,’’ MacKenzie said.
‘‘It is what it is, and that’s why we like it.’’
The videoed sessions will form an important element of the
Times’ election coverage.
‘‘We know readers love good video and this is an opportunity for us to get good videos of the candidates. These videos are going to be spread far and wide on our various networks – obviously on Stuff, but also on Stuff’s Facebook page and the Waikato
Times’ Facebook page, and on Neighbourly as well. It will certainly be getting out to voters and I think it will give viewers a strong background on the candidates and a solid basis for them to decide who they want to run the city.’’
Those registered to vote will receive their voting papers in the post between September 20 and 25.
Voting closes at noon on October 12.
In 2016, Andrew King won the Hamilton mayoralty with a sixvote majority over Paula Southgate.
King and Southgate are contesting this year’s mayoral race, along with James Casson, Jack Gielen, Louise Hutt, Lisa Lewis, Angela O’Leary and Mike West.