DIARY OF A CAMPAIGNER: DAY 18 VISIONARY LEADERS

DAY EIGHTEEN:
Tuesday 7 September 2010
It is 9 days until the ballot papers start arriving in the letter boxes and 32 days until ‘D’ day decision day on 09th October.

There’s 9 day’s remaining till we all receive our voting papers. I’m standing as a Local Board member for Citizens & Ratepayers in the Owairaka subdivision of Albert Eden. From now until the 17th September, I’m going to list for you what I stand for and what I believe in. You’ll be able to make up your mind about whether my values, C&R values and yours are in synchronicity.

I come from a long line of great Māori Leaders. On my Father’s side there’s Hauiti the East Coast Chief who we are direct descendents of. I am also related to Sir Apirana Ngata who held the Eastern Māori parliamentary seat from 1905 to 1943. Among his achievements were his schemes for consolidation of fragmented land titles, the development of unproductive land, Māori health and welfare and the establishment of the Pioneer Māori Battalion in World War I. My Father Jerry Teretiu Hauiti was a great leader, he was from Te Araroa on the East Coast but sadly he passed away when I turned 16. My Father was a visionary who instilled independence in us his children and a hard work ethic that included a healthy ambition to achieve well at school. My Aunty Elsie my Mum’s sister, although she was the youngest of her whanau – was a tohunga tikanga me nga kawa o Nga Puhi. She was fun but had an air of gravitas about her that she probably inherited from my Nana. My maternal Grandmother Raiha Lucus nee Riki was formidable. I don’t remember her but the stories have painted her as steeped in historical knowledge, articulate in English and Māori and extremely confident.

So I am used to following in the wake of strong visionary leaders who worked hard for their whanau and communities. That’s why I have chosen to put my efforts behind Citizens and Ratepayers. This Party supports strong, confident articulate individuals. C&R encourages individual expression and are firm believers of unity in diversity. The Māori leaders I have mentioned were forward thinking solution seekers with can-do, will-do attitudes. Me and my Owairaka Local Board members Cam Morris, Saraha Turner and Murray Doreen are can-do, will-do people. We are leaders all of us - we either run our own businesses or we are Centre Managers. We find solutions when others offer excuses. So when a small shop owner asks why the Council hasn’t moved her rubbish in two weeks – we won’t fob her off to a call-centre, we’ll have it shifted. When Brian the Dairy Owner wants to know why the Police refuse to see him after being robbed at knife point, we’ll work to establish patrols and security systems to protect hard working folk and deter low life crims from repeat offending.

The C&R Owairaka team is a can-do will-do group who individually are Leaders in their own right, collectively a formidable force and united in our support of Citizens and Ratepayers. This is why we’ll succeed in Owairaka. The community of Albert Eden want action, the people of Owairaka want progress. We are the team who can give it to them.