Whanganui needs a future-focused mayor who looks ahead to 2050 and beyond. Let's chart our course towards a sustainable, progressive, exciting and inclusive future together.
Policies
Civic Education & Engagement
Youth Mayor & Councillor Civic Leadership Programme
Community Participation in Decision-Making
Mayoral Engagement in Schools
Meet the Mayor
A Family-Friendly City and District
Keep the Whanganui East Pool Open
A Youth Hub for Whanganui
Lower Victoria Avenue and Riverfront Upgrade
Expand the Rotokawau Virginia Lake Playground
Driving our Economic Future
Unlocking the Southern Gateway
Establish the ‘Invest for Whanganui Fund’
Grow the Whanganui Marine Sector
Promote Sister City Exchange Programmes
Whanganui as a Centre of Design and Culture
Establish Tertiary Arts Qualifications
Whanganui as a Global District
Pivot Towards the Whanganui River
The Biennial Whanganui Awa Festival
Safeguarding our Environment
Planting Native Trees
A Council that Leads
Enable Environmental Investment
A Sustainable Council
Priority Status for Policies
My policy platform reflects the type of council I wish to lead. However, any mayor needs to be able to win the support of a majority of elected members to implement their policies and must always take into account affordability issues. Council will need to pivot as new priorities emerge and must continue delivering on everyday services and pre-existing projects.
To ensure that my proposals take these factors into account, they are spread across a possible three-term timeline. Click the button below to download the priority status'.
My Values
Freedom of speech and expression
No one has a monopoly on good ideas, nor should anyone be discouraged from participating in the community because of the views that they hold. As mayor, I will always encourage the expression of a variety of perspectives, regardless of my personal position on an issue. This also means ensuring that councillors are free to express their personal views in the public sphere.
Promoting constructive disagreement
As mayor, I will promote constructive disagreement as a strength, not a weakness. When people disagree it often leads to better decision-making because ideas are challenged, interrogated and subjected to greater levels of scrutiny. Disagreement enables us to learn and grow, by testing the strength of our ideas against the ideas of others.
Conviction and decisiveness
If elected, I will be a mayor who leads with conviction. I believe that ratepayers and residents should be left with no confusion about the values and policies of their elected representatives. Throughout my time on council I have always expressed my views with passion and conviction, acknowledging that at times people will strongly disagree. If elected, I will not shy away from leading the challenging conversations and making my views clear on these issues.
Respectful engagement
All conversations, no matter how difficult should be conducted respectfully. I believe in listening to understand, not just to respond, and will promote a culture at council that is respectful, cohesive, and where challenging conversations take place while always upholding the mana of the people involved.
Integrity in governance
Two of the most important responsibilities of a mayor is to employ and monitor the performance of the chief executive, and to lead the development of council’s annual and long-term budgets. The last few years have been really tough on households, with inflation pushing up the costs of goods and services, groceries, fuel, energy costs and so on. Council faces the same challenges and has to budget to meet the true costs of delivering council services like roading, footpaths, water infrastructure, and community facilities like libraries, swimming pools, and museums.
If elected mayor, I will ensure that our budgets reflect the true costs of operating council services. This means that sensible rates increases are required to make sure that footpaths and potholes get fixed, that parks and reserves are properly maintained and that our insurance premiums can be paid. Sensible rates increases also mean that we can pay down debt, ensure that our environment is protected by properly investing in water infrastructure, and so that we can respond to the changing needs of the district by providing new services for the future.
As mayor, my full focus will be on leading the development of annual and long-term budgets. After three terms on council, I know how important strong leadership is in ensuring that this process is well-considered, and that the community is properly included in the conversation. If elected, this will be a top priority.
Commitment and focus
If elected mayor, the role will be my full-time position. I will not seek any additional employment and my focus will be on delivering for Whanganui. I will continue in my voluntary roles within local community organisations as these give me a depth of understanding on local issues that inform the decisions I make as an elected member. I will be a mayor who turns up, who is fully involved in community events and activities and who fronts both the easy and hard conversations with passion and energy.
Equity and fairness
As mayor, I will apply an equity-lens to decision-making. Council resources are finite which means they need to be allocated on the basis of need and on the basis of what will deliver the best outcome for Whanganui residents. I am committed to ensuring that council resources are distributed in a manner where the entire district, in all its diversity derives benefit.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi, multiculturalism, and diversity
Whanganui is a district built on a bicultural foundation, with a strong multicultural sector and a diverse population. If elected mayor, I commit to honouring our obligations as a partner to Te Tiriti and working with iwi/hapū to preserve the culture and tikanga that gives Whanganui its richness. I will celebrate and promote our cultural and ethnic diversity as a source of unity and pride.
Participation and openness
If elected mayor I will lead a council that encourages democratic participation in decision-making processes. This means providing forums for feedback that are accessible and appropriate for a diverse range of residents and ratepayers. I will continue my practice of being open on social media about current and future council decisions and providing opportunities for engagement and feedback.
No one has a monopoly on good ideas, nor should anyone be discouraged from participating in the community because of the views that they hold. As mayor, I will always encourage the expression of a variety of perspectives, regardless of my personal position on an issue. This also means ensuring that councillors are free to express their personal views in the public sphere.
As mayor, I will promote constructive disagreement as a strength, not a weakness. When people disagree it often leads to better decision-making because ideas are challenged, interrogated and subjected to greater levels of scrutiny. Disagreement enables us to learn and grow, by testing the strength of our ideas against the ideas of others.
If elected, I will be a mayor who leads with conviction. I believe that ratepayers and residents should be left with no confusion about the values and policies of their elected representatives. Throughout my time on council I have always expressed my views with passion and conviction, acknowledging that at times people will strongly disagree. If elected, I will not shy away from leading the challenging conversations and making my views clear on these issues.
All conversations, no matter how difficult should be conducted respectfully. I believe in listening to understand, not just to respond, and will promote a culture at council that is respectful, cohesive, and where challenging conversations take place while always upholding the mana of the people involved.
Two of the most important responsibilities of a mayor is to employ and monitor the performance of the chief executive, and to lead the development of council’s annual and long-term budgets. The last few years have been really tough on households, with inflation pushing up the costs of goods and services, groceries, fuel, energy costs and so on. Council faces the same challenges and has to budget to meet the true costs of delivering council services like roading, footpaths, water infrastructure, and community facilities like libraries, swimming pools, and museums.
If elected mayor, I will ensure that our budgets reflect the true costs of operating council services. This means that sensible rates increases are required to make sure that footpaths and potholes get fixed, that parks and reserves are properly maintained and that our insurance premiums can be paid. Sensible rates increases also mean that we can pay down debt, ensure that our environment is protected by properly investing in water infrastructure, and so that we can respond to the changing needs of the district by providing new services for the future.
As mayor, my full focus will be on leading the development of annual and long-term budgets. After three terms on council, I know how important strong leadership is in ensuring that this process is well-considered, and that the community is properly included in the conversation. If elected, this will be a top priority.
If elected mayor, the role will be my full-time position. I will not seek any additional employment and my focus will be on delivering for Whanganui. I will continue in my voluntary roles within local community organisations as these give me a depth of understanding on local issues that inform the decisions I make as an elected member. I will be a mayor who turns up, who is fully involved in community events and activities and who fronts both the easy and hard conversations with passion and energy.
As mayor, I will apply an equity-lens to decision-making. Council resources are finite which means they need to be allocated on the basis of need and on the basis of what will deliver the best outcome for Whanganui residents. I am committed to ensuring that council resources are distributed in a manner where the entire district, in all its diversity derives benefit.
Whanganui is a district built on a bicultural foundation, with a strong multicultural sector and a diverse population. If elected mayor, I commit to honouring our obligations as a partner to Te Tiriti and working with iwi/hapū to preserve the culture and tikanga that gives Whanganui its richness. I will celebrate and promote our cultural and ethnic diversity as a source of unity and pride.
If elected mayor I will lead a council that encourages democratic participation in decision-making processes. This means providing forums for feedback that are accessible and appropriate for a diverse range of residents and ratepayers. I will continue my practice of being open on social media about current and future council decisions and providing opportunities for engagement and feedback.
About me
Whanganui is a district steeped in richness, from the magnificent Awa, to its built heritage, indigenous and post-settlement history, family-friendly parks and playgrounds and its status as a centre of design, art and culture. It’s a place where I was born and raised, educated at St Anne’s Catholic School and Whanganui Collegiate, and spending five years on the Whanganui District Council Youth Committee as a teenager. I attained my degree from Massey University before returning home to run for council in 2016.
After nearly nine years on council since I was first elected at the age of 21, I am offering my passion and energy for Whanganui and my experience in local government to be your mayor as part of a new generation of leadership.
As our district continues to grow we need to charter a course for the future that is sustainable, progressive, exciting and inclusive. A future where our economy lifts household incomes, with a humming CBD, vibrant public spaces and modern inner-city living. Where our waterways are clean and our environment enriched, a future where our arts, culture, events and cuisine reflect the diversity of our people, where children and young families find well-being and where older people experience social connection and safety.
Alongside my nine years as a councillor, I have a wealth of community experience that I will draw on as your mayor. I am immersed in our community through the following roles:
- Chairperson of Age Concern Whanganui
- Deputy-chairperson of the St Anne’s Catholic School Board of Trustees
- Former volunteer at the Home of Compassion and Nazareth Rest Home.
- Former Whanganui District Health Board elected member
- Former chairperson of Youth Services Trust (now Whatever Whanganui)
- Rotarian (Rotary Club of Whanganui)
- Former board member of the Hakeke St Community Centre
- Current coordinator for the Whanganui Young Professionals Network through Business Whanganui.
I have previously been employed as sports coordinator for the New Zealand Masters Games, a student advocate at Massey University, a compliance assistant at Craigs Investment Partners and an independent marriage and civil union celebrant.
While on council I have chaired several council committees, panels, and iwi partnership bodies, and spent two terms as the council representative on the Youth Committee, as well as serving a term on the Rural Community Board. I sit on the performance review committee for the chief executive and have represented council on external boards and trusts and served a term on the New Zealand Young Elected Members Committee.
My immersion in the Whanganui community means that I can confidently engage across the district in all its diversity. From rest homes, to marae, to schools, community halls and board rooms, I have a passion for people and understanding what makes our community tick.
If elected mayor, I intend to show up every day with energy and drive for our district.
My 2050 blueprint envisions the type of future I see for Whanganui in 25 years’ time. At 30 years old, I have a stake in that future and don’t want to miss the opportunity to give back to the district that has given me so much over the course of my life. Being mayor isn’t just about the next three, six, or nine years, it’s about setting up the foundations that create a vibrant and prosperous district for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
download the 2050 blueprint
