Meet the candidate: Bruce Carley values what Act stands for

Bruce Carley is the Act Party's Bay of Plenty candidate. Photo/John Borren

As a soon-to-be 18-year-old, Bruce Carley was preparing to cast his first vote, a milestone which seemed to spark his interest in politics.

Politics was a topic his whole family were interested in but Mr Carley said fate could have played a part in his decision to join the Act Party and stand as a candidate.

"While I'd followed the issues and always voted, I hadn't actually considered getting involved myself until one of my sisters casually suggested it one day in early 2014," Mr Carley said.

"Coincidentally, that same day I was asked by both Jamie Whyte [Act's then-leader] and David Seymour to consider standing for Act," he said.

"It seemed like fate had dictated it, so here we are."

Mr Carley is Act's Bay of Plenty election candidate, highlighting housing and education as the Bay's biggest issues - high priorities for his party too.

"It's becoming harder and harder for people to afford their own home, and renting is getting out of hand, too.

"Education is another challenge, particularly with so many young families being raised in the Bay."

Mr Carley, who was an Act list candidate in 2014 and elected to the board this year, said in the four years he had lived in Tauranga he had met many hard workers from around the region and heard their concerns.

Running marketing for a chain of outdoor power-equipment stores across the Bay and Waikato, based in Tauranga, Mr Carley was born and raised in Auckland.

Self-described as "rapidly approaching 50", he has spent more than 30 years working in the marketing communications industry. He also ran his own branding development business for about 10 years.

The move into politics, he says, will hopefully help strengthen Act's position in Government.

"I'm not campaigning for electorate votes at all, and certainly don't expect to poll anywhere near the other candidates standing in BOP.

"This campaign isn't about me by any means . . . We've had as many as nine MPs in the past, and even in the current term with just David Seymour as MP for Epsom, Act has achieved a great deal."