Tihe mauri ora! E te Atua nāu te korōria
Te whare e tū nei, tēnā koe
Te papa i waho nei, tēnā koe
Te mana whenua o tēnei rohe, tēnā koutou
Te hunga mate kit e hunga mate, haere, haere, haere
Te hunga ora ki a tatou te hunga ora
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa
Let there be life!
Glory be to the Lord,
I greet the house we stand in
I greet the land outside
I greet the local people
I pay tribute to our ancestors/to the dead
I give thanks for those of us living
Greetings to you all
Thank you all for coming this afternoon, it is awesome to see so many of you here.
Its time for a change
Firstly, let me acknowledge the team effort in getting us here today – a last minute change due to the Heretaunga College staff and students of their hospitality school having covid. The people on who’s land we stand today, those who have gone before us, we stand on their shoulders, those of us in the present, for this is where we are, and for those that come after, for they are our future.
We do what we do for them, our future generations.
Upper Hutt should be a place where individuals, families/whanau feel safe in their homes, schools, parks, workplaces and on our roads. Where they live, work, learn, connect and play.
Where the people thrive, because the environment and communities around them support them to do so and because our culture does.
It’s time to thrive.
It should be a smart city which actively supports sustainable business, good environmental outcomes and empowers youth.
A smart city, where the leadership acknowledges where it has come from but also has a clear direction where it is going.
A community where history is as important as the future.
A city that supports businesses to be sustainable and profitable , which positively feeds the economy, and when the economy is well fed, communities thrive. Acknowledging that businesses are owned and run by people – who’s health and well-being is paramount – and have an impact on the environment which should be positive too and even circular.
It’s time to put people first.
A city that is connecting neighbourhoods and promoting engagement and collaboration, ensuring the growing population is connected by good, well-planned infrastructure (roads, water, power, digital) which meets the needs of the future.
A city that focuses on what the future generations will inherit from us. It beholds city leaders to have this as a priority, because when putting people first, the environment around them needs to support good health and well-being. Papatuanuku sustains us with nutritious local food (farmed and wild), clean water and air, and native ecosystems to enjoy and nourish the soul. It’s time to care for our environment
Youth – it’s time to empower and equip our youth, our growing population has a huge number of talented, smart and driven youth, they are our immediate future. And we need to acknowledge and nurture them.
My vision is to engage more youth in decisions which shape our future, encourage active participation in our local democracy, and to build a sense of belonging and connection across the generations. It’s time to involve everyone across the community in the decisions we make – engage, listen, build solutions together.
Together we can build a brighter future – a future that our children and our children’s children can continue to live, work and play in the Upper Hutt we know it can be.
It’s time for change.
I am a third term Councillor because I care about you – the Upper Hutt community. Because, the community has so much untapped potential.
Because this is 2022 and the world has changed.
Because I have the skills and knowledge to stand up for you, the people of Upper Hutt. I am not afraid of open consultation, hearing the voices of the people
I have the vision, skills and passion that brings people together and together we can change our city.
I am a Mayoral candidate because its time.
He waka eke noa, kia ora.