I have spent the last 18 years advocating for social justice and drug reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a historic election with a chance to vote on the cannabis legalisation and control referendum and I am encouraging a yes vote. I also believe only The Opportunities Party policies can truly deliver the transformational change that this generation deserves.

I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in even if it's unpopular. I'm tenacious and I speak my mind. I also believe in fun and humour and not to take myself too seriously. I am a devoted husband and a father of two. I have a Masters degree in botany from the University of Otago and worked at the University for over a decade before founding New Zealand's first cannabis museum.

I want New Zealand to be a country where everyone has a great education, the opportunity to work in high paying jobs, and be able to own an affordable home. I have a vision where Kiwis with a wide range of mental health needs can approach a wide range of services and receive world-class care tailored to their individual and community needs. I believe we can make New Zealand a better place to live, work, and raise a family through better public policy, and those are the policies of the ACT Party.

I moved to Wellington from Auckland in 2017, and flat in Brooklyn. I left the private sector where I worked as a corporate affairs consultant to work behind the scenes in Parliament to pass the End of Life Choice Act. I switched from being a Greens voter to an Act supporter while studying international trade and economics at university. The ability for free markets to lift countries from hardship was a revelation to me. I'm also a committed social liberal.

I want to change the laws on cannabis.

I have a masters degree in law. I have seen the devastation on society in NZ that the prohibition laws have caused over the 50 years I have been a lawyer. As a Human Rights Lawyer and legal academic since I had a teaching fellowship at Otago University at the age of 23, I have defended the rights of NZers to grow and smoke cannabis. I have changed the ACC laws by successfully suing them to make sure inflation is taken into account (Appleby v ACC).

I want to continue to play my part in a Labour-led government that is keeping Kiwis safe and well. We have made a lot of progress in making New Zealand a better and fairer place, but there is more to do. As Minister of Finance I want to see us keep Covid-19 out and build our economy back to deliver decent jobs with good wages. I want to embed our wellbeing approach where we value the health of our people, environment and communities just as much as our economic prosperity. Lets keep moving!

I am in politics because I believe in social justice. To me that means that every person is given the support to achieve their potential. I grew up believing that we are all our brothers and sisters' keepers, that we should treat others as we wish to be treated and if we work hard we will achieve our goals. It is those values I try to live up to every day.