Nick Johnston is the first candidate to announce that he will be running for the vacant Hamilton constituency seat on Waikato Regional Council (WRC) in the upcoming by-election.
The 30-year-old Hamilton City Council strategist and community advocate said he was happy to stand as a progressive voice to represent Hamilton.
Nominations to contest the seat opened on Monday, January 16 and will continue until noon on Monday, February 13. Potential candidates are being encouraged to put themselves forward.
The by-election itself, which will take place between March 20 and April 11 by postal ballot, comes after the death from illness of Waikato Regional councillor Lois Livingston late last year.
"The kind of councillors that I've always admired, both in city council and regional council, have been ones that have quite a wide focus and quite a wide variety of interests that they want to advocate for," said Johnston.
"I think Lois was a really good example of that, with her many achievements well beyond the scope of regional council, so that's what I would hope to bring to the role - a community advocacy for Hamilton City on the WRC and a holistic approach."
Johnston said he had been involved in a number of meetings already with the purpose of gaining an understanding of the politics of the WRC, particularly some of the key challenges ahead, including the Healthy Rivers Wai Ora plan to clean up the Waikato and Waipa rivers, of which he was a strong supporter.
He ran for Hamilton City Council last year but did not gain enough votes to secure a seat in the East Ward which he was contesting.
If elected to the WRC, Johnston would like to carry on with his policy of working to achieve better bus routes within Hamilton, which he had previously advocated talking to the WRC about when he was running for Hamilton City Council.
Johnston's experience in governance has included trustee roles with Creative Waikato, Boon Street Art Festival, Hamilton Live Music Trust and the Hamilton Independent Broadcasting Community. Johnston is also a member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network.
The WRC is welcoming other potential candidates to put their hand up to contest the by-election.
"We encourage people to stand to help make the mighty Waikato region the best it can be," said WRC chief executive Vaughan Payne. "Being on the regional council is an incredible opportunity to make decisions on a wide range of important issues affecting the 440,000 people living in the Waikato. It's a chance to help forge an exciting future for the Waikato so it can be enjoyed for generations to come."
Waikato Regional Council is responsible for governing and managing the natural resources around the Waikato region, which play an important role in its economy.
The Council also maintains protection against flooding to protect people and urban property, productive land and national highways, and manages biosecurity, biodiversity, emergency management and transport services.
Information on running for the Hamilton constituency seat on the Waikato Regional Council is available at waikatoregion.govt.nz/elections