Back
403 days ago

Election 2023: Wigram, an electorate with a foot in both camps (Wigram electorate profile)

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

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).

Image
More messages from your neighbours
18 hours ago

Riddle Me This: Can You Out-Smart Yesterday’s Champ?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

How can the number four be half of five?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image
2 days ago

Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.

This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
.
Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

Image
Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
  • 84.3% Yes
    84.3% Complete
  • 14.2% No
    14.2% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1382 votes
1 day ago

What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

Image