- General Election candidates’ meeting
- Hosted by: Grey Power Howick Pakuranga & Districts Association
- Venue: Pakuranga Bowling Pavilion, Lloyd Elsmore Park, Pakuranga
- When: Friday August 25, 10am
Three minor political parties will bring reason, balanced argument and hopefully entertainment to not only our local seniors but to any member of the public. Yes, open to all this is a free public meeting with the prospect of hearing what the Greens, Social Credit and the Opportunities Party have to say.
Green Party: Barry Coates is the party’s spokesperson for Senior Citizens. He speaks also for Trade, Internal Affairs, Commerce and Consumer Affairs and ODA. He has worked on issues such as globalisation, mining, labour rights and environment, is the former executive director of Oxfam NZ and has a long history of helping those in need. Barry has business experience, a degree in economics and a Masters from Yale University. With his economics experience he advocates strongly in parliament for a fairer, more sustainable economy.
Barry has also been working with Grey Power in a Greens and Labour inquiry into Aged Care.
Democrats for Social Credit: Heather Marion Smith is the Democrats for Social Credit advocate for seniors.
She holds a degree and post-graduate diploma, both in economics from Massey University. Before retiring, Heather taught Economics, English, History and Junior French in Taranaki and Wanganui high schools.
She has been a candidate for Democrats for Social Credit in the Whanganui electorate as well as writing and presenting submissions to Parliamentary Select Committees on her party’s behalf.
As an active member of the NZ National Council of Women, she became their economics convener for two terms. Her chief concern is the way public sector debt-servicing erodes people’s incomes – a major consequence being widening income disparities. “The sad thing,” she says, “is that there is existing legislation which could be invoked readily to prevent this trend, but no-one currently in Parliament is willing to recognise it.”
The Opportunities Party: Ex-Green Party stalwart David Hay has had a long career of public service in both central and local government.
Prior to obtaining his Masters in Public Policy and a conjoint BCom/BA, he spent 10 years as a kitchen hand, a chef, a truck driver, a furniture removalist, a builder, and manager of a community access radio station (2RSR FM, in Sydney).
The late 1980s and early 1990 saw David in policy work at the NZ Maori Council where he helped establish Maori radio and television. That experience taught him the need for a society to change and evolve.
He later wrote his master’s thesis on broadcasting policy, focusing mainly on economic theory and rhetoric, but also bringing the concepts of politics, constitutional law and cultural analysis to bear on the topic.
David currently works as an independent policy consultant and, as a hobby, is learning to write code and design websites.
