Join us to hear how the local Parties line-up against each other - and have your questions answered to help you decide on your vote.

What will your party do if newly elected in the first 100 days for SMEs?  

Businesses want certainty so they can plan and run their operations successfully, both domestically and in international markets. Our members would like to see cross-party agreement on minimum wage settings, will your party support this? 

Regional economic development - if elected what will your party do to support the Otago region to sustainably grow?

Please add any questions you may have to the comments/notes section when you register. 

CANDIDATES' BIOS

We would like to give our candidates a warm welcome and below are brief introductions for each of them:

1. National Party Candidate: Miles Anderson
Southburn-based farmer Miles Anderson has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Waitaki for the 2023 General Election.

Mr Anderson has been a farmer for more than 20 years and has served on the Federated Farmers board and as chair of its Meat & Wool Industry Group.

“It’s an honour to be selected as National’s candidate in Waitaki. I am working hard to meet as many people as I can across the electorate to campaign for a National Government,” says Mr Anderson.

“I have lived and worked the Waitaki electorate for most my life and believe this region and its people represent the very best of New Zealand."

“I’m standing as National’s candidate because only National can strengthen our economy so we can reduce the cost of living, lift incomes, build the infrastructure we need and deliver health and education services which focus on outcomes, not bureaucracy."

“Under Labour, the cost of everything is climbing and stretching families’ budgets in communities across Waitaki. The Government is fueling inflation with wasteful spending and bad policy which sees our businesses unable to get the staff they need."

“As Chris Luxon said recently, we need to back our farmers like we back the All Blacks. National understands the contribution farmers make to New Zealand and will work with them, not against them. As a farmer, I will always be a strong advocate for our primary sector."  

“I’m ambitious for Waitaki and the people who make it one of the best places to live in New Zealand. I’ll back our communities and can’t wait to fight for the opportunity to represent them as part of Chris Luxon’s National team.”

Contact Details:
Email: miles.anderson@national.org.nz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilesAndersonWaitaki

2. Labour Party Candidate: Ethan Reille
Ethan loves his community and believes it has the potential to lead the way for New Zealand. He knows that the Waitaki needs a strong, local and present voice to champion this and advocate for local communities on current issues.

Throughout his time in Waitaki he has worked in Community Development Support at the Waitaki District Council, he has been a representative on the Stronger Waitaki stewardship group, chaired the Waitaki District Youth Council, was Headboy at Waitaki Boys' High School, and Youth MP for Rachel Brooking MP.
Ethan knows his community is doing it tough right now. His focus is on ensuring towns are looked after as much as our cities and that essential, local services such as health-care, education and businesses are supported.

Ethan has been a strong advocate for his community and believes its diversity needs to be recognised and celebrated more often, whilst also ensuring rural communities have what they need to thrive.

Ethan's key focuses for Waitaki are on:

• Being a representative for all people of Waitaki.
• Ensuring Waitaki has the resilience for the economic, environmental and social challenges ahead.
• Delivering timely and accessible health and wellbeing services.
• Investing in local schools and ECE to deliver for our children.
• Attracting and welcoming more people to Waitaki by boosting housing availability and affordability.
• Investing in our employers, to attract and keep their skilled employees.
• Diversifying the economy and investing in innovative sectors.

Contact Details:
Email: ethan.reille@labour.org.nz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EthanReilleforWaitaki

3. Democracy NZ Party Candidate: Roger Small 
Roger is a staunch campaigner to stand up for rural New Zealand. Roger has been a farmer for more than 30 years, he and his family run a mixed arable and lamb fattening farm near Waimate in South Canterbury.

He is actively involved in his community, including as chair for his local catchment group. Roger has been the Groundswell NZ co-ordinator for South Canterbury.
“I believe in education and a local community driven by a hands-on, practical approach to find solutions rather than excessive regulation and the punitive taxes model currently in play.”

Party Leader, Matt King says that Roger is the right man to promote the concerns and ideas of the residents of Waitaki. “It’s clear from every conversation that we’ve had, that Roger cares deeply about New Zealand. I have no doubt in my mind that our team and our country will benefit hugely from Roger’s expertise and commitment.”

In accepting his candidacy, Roger wants to push for common sense, affordable policies in Parliament and return autonomy back to local communities with decisions and allocation of resources being based on need rather than race.

“Bureaucracy has become a monster that is manipulated by political propaganda rather than true evidence. This needs to change with full accountability of the politicians and officials who should all work for the good of all the people of New Zealand.”

Contact Details:
Email: Roger.Small@democracynz.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RogerSmallDemocracyNZ
Phone: 027 689 0600

4. ACT New Zealand Party Candidate: Sean Beamish
I was born and raised in Otago, attended high school and Polytech in Dunedin, and have called Lake Hawea home ever since (albeit from a distance at times).
Following my Mechanical Engineering studies, I pursued a career in maintenance which took me from the ski resorts of Otago to the resources sector in Australia, on to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and later to Papua New Guinea.

I am standing to promote the ACT Party vote in the Waitaki as ACT policy represents the real change required to get NZ back on a positive trajectory and tackle the challenges we face. My background has instilled the important relationship between cause and effect. Doing the work to understand the root cause of a problem is the only sure path to solving it.

The Waitaki has always been full of innovators getting out there and solving problems. The region has a proud heritage, created by people who thought creatively and were willing to do the hard yards. ACT demonstrate these qualities in the budget and policy they present and are the only party proposing more freedoms for everyday Kiwis to do the same.

Contact Details:
Email: sean.beamish@act.org.nz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ACTWaitaki
Phone: 021 111 7188

5. Green Party Candidate: Pleasance Hansen
I am a 5th generation Kiwi, with ancestors arriving from old Europe, Norway, and Celtic England between 1841 and 1906.

I am passionate about the planet, and am highly motivated to create a better, fairer world for everyone. I have been a Green Party member since 2010, and a Green Party voter since 1999.

This is one of the most crucial elections our country has faced for a while, with climate events showing us we need to act now. I believe the Green Party is best positioned to help New Zealand become more climate resilient. To do this, we need to see more of our Green MP’s enter Parliament.

Contact details: 
Email: pleasance.hansen@greens.org.nz
Phone: 04 801 5102