Election 2023: Wigram, an electorate with a foot in both camps (Wigram electorate profile)
In the lead-up to the 2023 general election, The Press is profiling Canterbury’s electoral races. Here’s what you need to know about the candidates running to be Wigram’s MP. (By reporter Liz McDonald)
The electorate of Wigram covers suburbs in the southwest of Christchurch including Spreydon, Hillmorton, Hornby, Sockburn, Wigram, Hei Hei and Islington, and parts of Hoon Hay, Addington and Riccarton.
It is flat land which takes in the city’s large industrial area plus several retail and commercial hubs, with major new housing areas alongside long-established residential neighbourhoods.
At the time of the 2018 census, a third of the electorate’s residents were born overseas, 26% identify as Asian, and 9.7% as Māori.
Ninety per cent of the electorate’s working population are employees, one of the highest percentages in the country.
One fifth of workers are professionals, 15% are technicians and trades workers, and almost 9% are machinery operators and drivers.
Over the years, and various boundary changes, this electorate has unfailingly chosen a left-leaning MP.
But the party vote has been a different story. National won the seat’s party vote in both 2011 and 2014, and was just edged out by Labour in a neck-and-neck finish in 2017.
Last election, following a boundary change which swung the electorate south, Labour easily won the Wigram party vote for the first time in years.
This year, incumbent Megan Woods will line up against nine other contenders.
Woods is No 5 on that party’s list and holds the housing, construction and infrastructure portfolios. She’s held Wigram since 2011, when Jim Anderton retired. In 2020, she was more than 14,000 votes ahead of the National candidate, Hamish Campbell.
This election, Campbell has tossed his hat into the ring for the next-door Ilam electorate, so challenging Woods for National will be businesswoman and election first-timer Tracy Summerfield.
Summerfield has been a chartered accountant for over 25 years, ran her own childcare business which she sold in 2021, and is a qualified teacher who formerly served on the Early Childhood Education Board. She is at No 37 on the National list.
Lining up for the Green Party again will be Richard Wesley. Wesley works as a capital programmes adviser for the Christchurch City Council, and has previously worked as a project manager for Scirt and Vbase. Sitting at No 26 on the Greens’ list, he is involved in a range of environmental projects.
ACT will be fielding Ankita Lynn, a data consultant who specialises in data governance. Lynn previously worked for Parliamentary Services and other public organisations, and sits low on the ACT list at No 56.
Perennial candidate and low-polling specialist Tubby Hansen, who has unsuccessfully campaigned every general election since 1969, is again standing for the Economics Party.
Rounding out the list are Blair Anderson (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party), Debra Cullimore (Leighton Baker Party), Geoff McTague (Independent), Wiremu Thomson (Independent) and Christine Van Duivenboden (NZ Loyal Party).
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.7% Yes
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49.4% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
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