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- By Casey Costello, Minister for Customs, Seniors
One of the parts of my current role that I value most is being able to get out and about around New Zealand, meeting with people. In recent weeks, New Zealand First has been holding public meetings throughout the country.
It has been encouraging to see how many people are turning out to listen, to engage, to challenge, to discuss and to learn.
With more than a year before we next go to the polls, it is a positive indicator that New Zealanders are turning up to be part of politics.
In many of the recent meetings I have had the opportunity to talk with local government candidates who are currently campaigning. With the voting period running between September 9 and October 11, it is a busy time for them.
Local body elections are important to our communities. Those who are elected are often criticised and even more often taken for granted.
Those who choose to put their name in the hat have different motivations and varied backgrounds, but, from my experience, are driven by an ethos of service.
Campaigning is not easy, it is frequently self-funded, and it is demanding. Many candidates do not come from any political background, which can be a good thing, and are willing to step out of their comfort zone when asking for votes.
Whether standing for re-election or as a new candidate, this campaign period is the time when all of us, as ratepayers and citizens, have an opportunity to make decisions that will affect our communities.
Complacency is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in these elections.
Building awareness and motivating people to vote is a big part of the local body campaign process.
I have met many candidates in recent travels and know some personally. What is common among them all is that they have decided that, rather than commentating on the problems, they are willing to step up to contribute to solutions.
The part we play, as voters, is to turn up to listen to our candidates when we can, and most importantly, turn out to vote.
