East Coast electorate
East Coast is currently held by Labour's Kiri Allan, who won comfortably with a margin of 6,331. Allan is not standing again in 2023. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in East Coast – 50% to National's 27%. It is the largest general electorate in the North Island by land area.
East Coast candidates
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Don Richards
Why I'm standing
I am standing on the single issue of a monetary system that serves society, rather than society serving the monetary system. In 2021 to 2022 the Reserve Bank created 55 billion dollars and provided it to private banks. The Reserve Bank did not borrow that money, it simply created it. I say that the Reserve Bank should create funding for infrastructure projects and fix our roads rather than provide it to private banks.
About me
I have worked in a number of key industries including BP Oil during deregulation of the oil industry, Standards New Zealand and the Dairy Board as it merged into Fonterra. I have also organised harbour wide beach cleanups of Wellington beaches and was the Wellington Regional Environmentalist of the year in 1999. I also ran a campaign to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean that finished when whaling stopped.
My priorities
- The Reserve Bank should create funding for infrastructure projects.
- The Reserve Bank should create funding for mitigate the effects of climate change.
- By doing items one and two it will free up tax revenue to address child poverty and our health system.
Get across the policies, candidates and parties
Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2023 general election. Compare the parties, candidates and policies to see where you stand.
Policies
Compare the parties’ positions on the key issues this election
Candidates
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Parties
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Things to know...
Your two votes shape New Zealand’s next parliament. You need to be enrolled to vote.
Read explainerEnrol to vote by Sunday 25 October
You need to be enrolled before you can vote. You can enrol online at vote.nz.
Voting day is Saturday 7 November
Head to your nearest voting place on the day, or vote early from 26 October.
You get two votes
One for a party (the party vote) and one for a person in your area (the electorate vote).
Your party vote is the most powerful
It decides how many seats each party gets in Parliament. That’s what Policy helps you figure out.
