Election candidates locked for hotly contested Rangitata seat
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Eight candidates are standing in what is set to be a hotly contested Rangiata electorate in the upcoming general election.
Incumbent Rangitata MP, Labour’s Jo Luxton, will go head-to-head with National’s James Meager, who is out to reclaim the traditionally National seat in Canterbury.
The Rangitata electorate was among those that swung left as the red wave swept the country in the 2020 election.
It meant Luxton achieved a first for Labour in the region, turning the National stronghold of Rangitata from blue to red as part of Labour's landslide victory.
Former Rangitata MP and National candidate Andrew Falloon quit in the lead-up to the last election amid allegations of him sending indecent images to women.
In 2017, he easily won with 56% of the vote, compared to Luxton's 36.6%.
That flipped in 2020, when Luxton beat Falloon's last-minute replacement Megan Hands, with 49.2% of the vote, while Hands received 40%.
Meager is the newcomer for National, hoping to turn the electorate back to blue.
Even if Meager does win, Luxton sits at 19 on the Labour list so she would likely retain her place in Parliament.
It is tipped to be a traditional two-horse race in Rangitata between the Labour and National candidates, but the minor parties are well represented, except for ACT.
ACT had a huge boost in 2019 claiming 9.7% of the electorate’s party vote, but will be without a candidate in 2023. Elaine Naidu Franz resigned as the ACT candidate after historic social media posts came to light and the party has not put forward a replacement.
The other candidates standing in Rangitata are Robert Ballantyne (NZ First), Barbara Gilchrist (Green), Karl Thomas (New Conservative), Wayne Shearer (New Zealand Loyal), Karl Thomas (New Conservatives), and Dolf Van Amersfoort (New Nation Party).
For those on the Māori roll in the district, they will vote in the Te Tai Tonga electorate.
Labour’s Rino Tirikatene has held the seat for four terms and is standing for a fifth.
He is running against Tākuta Ferris (Te Pāti Māori), Geoffrey Karena Fuimaono Puhi (Independent), and Rebecca Robin (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party).
Advance voting opens on October 2, with the polls closing at the physical voting booths at 7pm on October 14. Provisional results are expected to start coming through from 7pm that night.
+++FACT BOX+++
Rangitata candidates:
Robert Ballantyne, New Zealand First Party
Michael Clarkson, Rock the Vote NZ
Barbara Gilchrist, Green Party
Jo Luxton, Labour Party
James Meager, National Party
Wayne Shearer, New Zealand Loyal
Karl Thomas, New Conservatives
Dolf Van Amersfoort, New Nation Party
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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48.6% Yes
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49.4% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
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I am heavy forward, but backward, I’m not. What am I?
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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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