Our Kaiwāwāhi Matua, Jak, was tasked with reaching out to all the Mayoral Candidates, and he did. But there wasn’t exactly a plethora of responses and he was met with blank automated email responses and calls being dropped upon attempting to contact the candidates via the good old landline. However, we did receive two responses and they’re included here – but we’ll also show you the other candidates for your consideration when voting.

 

Riki Manarangi

 

What will you be looking to put in place as a response to Kirikiriroa’s increasing ram raids, is there a solution you have in mind?

 

Working with the central government to reinstate community policing like we had previously (you can see the remains of the Hillcrest police office near The Warehouse). I believe more community police will help to mitigate the disconnect between people given police will start to know particular people within a local community which will help to remove the us and them mentality. Youth will feel less compelled to upset people in the police force they have more of a relationship with.

 

How will you support tertiary students at The University of Waikato or Wintec?

 

Waikato is my alma mater where I gained my Bachelors in both Management Studies and Law as well as an Masters in Law and Management Studies (1st Class Honours) so It always feels like home and felt like a second home even when I guest lectured for a 500 level finance paper in August this year. However, while I was a student, I once wanted to be involved in politics but it felt so out of reach and I suspect it is the same for many students now. So I would want to ensure that those interested in participating in local government politics from either Waikato or Wintec are enabled to do so through a youth councillors programme. 

 

What separates Kirikiriroa from other major cities in Aotearoa?

 

We are the fourth biggest and youngest city in the country so facilities around the city need to cater better for our younger population including more and more events and festivals at our Council owned facilities like Globox/Claudelands Arena. Leading on from this, the fact we are flat so the city should find ways to make biking feel safe for the community which will help us in our climate change ambitions. We live within the golden triangle between Taamaki Makaurau and Tauranga. Also that we have the best university in the country helps separate us from the rest 😉

 

What, in anything, do you think needs to be done with the CBD?

 

Revitalisation by enabling intensification and stop previous generations holding on to nostalgia and protecting old housing stock in the old suburbs near the CBD. We should protect specific examples which resemble houses of the time but ultimately we need to enable more people to live in warm, easy to heat, insulated houses within walking distance of the CBD which will get people out of cars and cars off the road to help us achieve climate ambitions but again ultimately revitalise our CBD with foot traffic in the process. At the same time it will mean more homes to house more whaanau on the same sections and get our whaanau out of emergency housing like motels on Ulster St or worse cars given we will have more housing supply in our city.

 

What are the key elements your campaign is centred round?

 

Enabling tauira alongside our broader community to have a voice in decision-making is my underlying platform. Instead of the traditional model where you elect someone who makes heaps of promises to you and then makes decisions on your behalf, I want to make only ONE promise…that you the community will have the ultimate power to decide on significant issues. I will put forward a well informed position with justification but then empower the community to make the ultimate call. Direct Democracy has been effective in making Switzerland the lighthouse democracy so why can’t we phase out representative democracy which is proven to bring in people who simply make broken promises prior to elections then do what they want following this.

 

Do you believe there to be a wealth gap evident in Kirikiriroa?

 

Absolutely, and we continue to empower communities to mitigate this wealth gap!

 

Why should tauira vote for you?

 

Because I am fresh still in my 30s; I live in Claudelands and have lived in the East Ward for 21 years so understand our local community and its needs; I’m Maaori, Pasifika and Paakehaa so can walk in all three worlds; I managed one of Council’s most important instruments, its Policies and Bylaws, for four years so I know how the machine works and how to deal with staff; I have been on numerous community sporting boards locally over the past 15 years including University of Waikato Combined Sports so I get this community; I am an alumni of Waikato (the best uni in Aotearoa!) But beyond all of this most importantly I want to leverage tech to involve tauira in decision-making…


HCC Candidates

Mayoral Candidates:

  • Lee Bloor
  • Lachlan Coleman
  • Jack Gielen
  • Horiana Henderson
  • Riki Manarangi
  • Donna Pokere-Phillips
  • Paula Southgate
  • Geoff Taylor

East Ward:

  • Andrew Bydder
  • Anna Casey-Cox
  • Mark Donovan
  • Jack Gielen
  • Ryan Hamilton
  • Horiana Henderson
  • Jess Hona
  • Amy-Leigh Hopa
  • Peter Humphreys
  • Jason Jonassen
  • Russelle Sonya Knaap
  • Ross Macleod
  • Riki Manarangi
  • Raymond Mudford
  • Kesh Naidoo-Rauf
  • Jenny Nand
  • Jacqui Stokes
  • Jake Tait
  • Tania Temoni-Syme
  • Maxine van Oosten

West Ward:

  • Dave Boyd
  • Rudi du Plooy
  • Jose Gonzalez
  • Louise Hutt
  • Sanjay Joshi
  • Dhirendra Kumar Naresh
  • Angela O’Leary
  • Emma Pike
  • Shanti Ralm
  • Matthew Small
  • Melissa Smith
  • Dan Steer
  • Roger Stratford
  • Geoff Taylor
  • Sarah Thomson
  • Michael West
  • Ewan Wilson

Māori Ward:

  • Melaina Huaki
  • Maatai Ariki Kauae Te Toki
  • Donna Pokere-Phillips
  • James Ratana
  • Moko Tauariki
  • Te Pora Thompson