The Opportunities Party

It's time for real change. It's time we address the fundamental underlying issues in our society, instead of ignoring them or throwing money at the symptoms. Rising inequality, housing unaffordability, and our climate and environment crisis have been getting worse for 30 years; National or Labour, the outcomes are the same. TOP is the only party focused on the real drivers of these issues. TOP's policies will deliver systemic change, to make sure every Kiwi has the opportunity to thrive.

I grew up on the North Shore, and feel very lucky to live here. I was a lawyer for 7 years before becoming deputy leader of TOP, working as a civil litigator, and a Crown prosecutor. I am also studying a Master of Public Policy. My practical knowledge about how our justice system works, and the challenges facing so many people in our society, will be crucial to my role in parliament. I have seen the systemic issues, and now it's time to fix them.

In 2017 I voted for TOP. I thought that would be enough to get TOP in to parliament and enable them to enact the bold change needed to confront and address the underlying drivers of NZ's 'severely unaffordable' housing and its wide-reaching impacts on the economy. It wasn't enough. My options were either to vote for them again and expect a different outcome, or put my name forward as a candidate. In order to play my part in fixing the long-term systemic issues in this country, I have chosen the latter.

I am an entrepreneur, mechatronics engineer and founder of a small business based in Nelson that develops, manufactures and exports a high-tech, high value product to elite-level athletes in overseas markets. I bring a penchant for systems thinking and an entrepreneurial, get-it-done attitude. I'm not afraid to tackle our long term systemic issues head-on, focusing on best-practice, evidence-based solutions that address the root causes rather than dealing only to the symptoms.

I was freaking out about the future for my children until I found TOP. Now I have hope. TOP has the vision to lead NZ forwards. Not left or right, just forwards. We are the only party willing to address NZ's issues at a fundamental level. Unaffordable housing, poverty, unswimmable rivers, climate change, the exporting of our pristine water overseas and many more. TOP has evidence-based policies to fix our biggest challenges. We won't buy your votes with our policies. We'll do what works.

I grew up on a Waikato dairy farm. I attended school and university in Hamilton. I wrote a PhD on concepts of home for returned long-term travellers. I attended Playcentre in Hamilton East. TOP brings a new approach to politics. We are not career politicians (there should be no such thing). We are standing to make fundamental changes based on evidence and research. I am passionate about getting the shenanigans out of politics. Less lobbying, more integrity. Less politics, more policy.

NZ has the most unaffordable housing in the world. This is the leading cause of poverty in NZ. It is due to successive government policy failure over 30-40 years. We must start correcting this for future generations. My main area of interest has been developing a housing and urban development policy for TOP. Fixing our tax system and re-engineering our cities is critical to our ability to cope with the climate and social challenges facing us. It can be done, and that's why I am here.

Whilst I have tried my hand at a range of skills, from sticking Easter egg halves together in a chocolate factory, refugee support work, or counselling people in a psychiatry clinic in Japan, my real profession is being a registered architect, designing buildings and houses throughout NZ. I know what is required to get our housing and urban development back on track. Housing should be a social good, not a get rich quick scheme. We need more experts in government and less career politicians.

Why do political parties over promise and under deliver? The housing crisis, poverty, low productivity and wages, the cost of living and our environment all continue to deteriorate. The reason is no party has the courage to make substantive change. They prioritize popularity over substance, office over outcomes. TOP is unique in its courageous and unflinching commitment to best practice, evidence based policy that will significantly improve everyone's standard of living. That is why I am with TOP.

I have lived in Westmere (and now with my young family) all of my adult life. I'm a community volunteer having coached a kids football team at WSAFC for six years, established Predator Free Westmere and managed the famous Bayleys Westmere School Triathlon. I am an independent contractor in the construction industry. I'm a student of te reo Māori and a keen cyclist. I believe in fairness and equality of opportunity and that neither will ever be realized until we make housing affordable again.

I am running for election because I have been severely disappointed in the ability of our established political parties to do anything about constantly rising rent and housing costs, about lowering our carbon emissions, and about our stubbornly low productivity. This has been going on for over thirty years now, and Labour and National have ignored expert advice on how to solve it time and time again. TOP has collected that expert advice into our policy, and that's what we're running on.

I'm a scientist with experience doing research and development for high tech products and companies, in New Zealand and Europe. So I understand how to use evidence and research to make the best decisions possible with available information, and I understand when it's time to seek new information. I'm also passionate about communicating research as clearly as possible, so that the public can be active participants in decision making, not just passive receivers of decisions made on their behalf.

I am running as a candidate because I straight-up believe we can, and should, do much better for our people. I have lived my entire 31 years under either a Labour coalition or a National coalition who have consistently and endlessly made the decisions that have resulted in the systemic problems our country faces. We have exceptionally high levels of poverty, some of the most unaffordable houses in the world, and underinvestment in key services like health and education. It is time for change!

My background is in physiotherapy which I got into because of a passion for human health and well-being. Central to modern physiotherapy is a demand to apply "evidence based practice". That is using latest evidence and research to provide the best outcomes. So that is my primary commitment – to use latest knowledge in order to maximise the success and well-being of all our people because ultimately a smarter, cleaner, more prosperous society is better for all of its inhabitants.

Through my study in public economics, I became aware that there was an ingrained issue with New Zealand's tax system. The property tax loophole which incentivises investors to put their money in property and not in businesses that could provide jobs and boost the economy in a real way, this was (and still is) the root issue of exponentially growing house prices. This drives up rent prices which has a direct hand in producing poverty. I want to help the youth of NZ become aware of this.

Youth are not represented well in politics. I will be one of the voices for youth in this country because the status quo is robbing us of our futures. We have a system that is incredibly extractive and not investing enough into regenerating the environment, improving health holistically and the importance of arts and culture. I have a deep interest in public economics and believe New Zealand can lead the world implementing a new economy that places importance on equity whilst being prosperous.

I believe we do a lot of things well in this country but have started to fall behind due to the short-sightedness and unwillingness of our politicians to make the fundamental changes to fix our inequalities. I believe that The Opportunities Party has the policy to fix the root of these problems and not just the symptoms through: affordable housing and rent; tax and welfare reform with a universal basic income; support for our small businesses; researched Infrastructure spend with environmental focus.

I am a sports-mad Chartered Accountant who has lived most of my life in Glenview and did my schooling at St Johns College followed by Wintec/Waikato Uni. I spent 10 years at KPMG Hamilton before following the summers to play cricket in England. I am at the coal-face of where small-business and tax policy is put into action and can attest to the benefits of simplifying our tax and welfare system. I also personally struggled to get onto the property ladder so know the urgency that we need this fixed.