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Outgoing Palmerston North city council deputy mayor Aleisha Rutherford speaks at the Greens’ campaign launch.
Palmerston North’s outgoing deputy mayor has thrown her support behind the Greens’ candidates for the upcoming election, saying they are needed to ensure future-focused decisions and action.
One candidate also used the party’s campaign launch to have a subtle dig at opponents not openly declaring their political leanings, writing another page in a longstanding story about party politics in Palmerston North’s council chamber.
Greens candidates Brent Barrett and Kaydee Zabelin officially launched their campaigns for Palmerston North City Council seats at St James’ Catholic School on Saturday.
Barrett is aiming for his third term on council, while Zabelin (Ngāi Tahu) is seeking election in place of one-term Greens councillor Renee Dingwall, who withdrew from running for health reasons.
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Speaking at the launch, Palmerston North deputy mayor Aleisha Rutherford, who is not seeking re-election, said the diversity of the council had significantly improved during her nine years in office.
But more work was needed to ensure a city with more than 130 nationalities and an average age of 33 was truly represented by its elected members.
She was backing the Greens candidates due to their commitment to apply an “evidence-based lens” to decisions.
“We need people comfortable making tough decisions that may not be well received, but are in the interests of our future.”
She also wanted Zabelin on council to ensure women were heard, especially with three women – Rutherford, Dingwall and Susan Baty – stepping aside.
“We need women front and centre of decision-making for the future of our community.”
WARWICK SMITH/Stuff
Kaydee Zabelin says she will bring her expertise in various areas, including resource management law, to the council table if elected.
Zabelin said the next three years would see significant change, with upcoming resource management law changes and the impact of climate change due to be a particular focus for the council.
Her experience working with resource management law would be especially helpful, she said.
The council could make various changes to make the city more resilient to the impact of climate change and inequality, ranging from protecting natural habitats to investing in more and better social housing.
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Greens councillor Brent Barrett says he is proud to be part of a campaign openly showing its political colours.
Barrett said he was proud to be standing again on an openly Green ticket, noting the council ballot was “awash with candidates who mask political preferences” while saying they were independent.
Fifteen council candidates specifically said they were independent, and another 14 put no affiliation at all, despite some being former National Party candidates or aligned to conspiracy theory movements.
While other cities seemingly have no issue with party politics in the council chamber, Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith and other councillors and candidates have regularly opposed it.
Barrett asked supporters to give Zabelin their first preference, him their second, then Labour-backed Johnson and Zulfiqar Butt their next preferences.
Left-leaning councillors had created real change, providing key votes to ensure Māori seats, better bike infrastructure, paying council staff the living wage and improved social housing, he said.
“Teamwork is the power that creates change.”
Palmerston North’s mayoral candidates and Te Pūao Māori ward candidates will take part in a debate at the Globe Theatre on Monday, with council candidates doing the same on Tuesday at the Globe Threatre. Both debates begin at 6pm and will have NZ Sign Language Interpreters present. Both nights will be livestreamed on Stuff.co.nz and the Palmerston North City Council’s Facebook page and aired on Manawatū People’s Radio.
