Election Candidate Profile: Damon Rusden (Green Party)
Napier Electorate:
If you ask Damon Rusden what motivates him, his answer is simple:
"I can't imagine doing anything else, other than doing what I can to help others who don't have the same advantages in life as we do."
The Green Party candidate for Napier has recently returned to Hawke's Bay after finishing up his study at the University of Victoria.
At 23, the Hastings resident is the youngest contending an electorate in the region - and among the youngest in the country. While his opponents may have more experience, he believes he offers a different voice.
"I represent something new and unique I think. I bring two new perspectives, youth, an intergenerational perspective ... and I think it's a relatively unique upbringing in terms of what I can speak about and talk on based on my experience."
A state house upbringing - in both Hawke's Bay and Manawatu - has contributed to his motivation to address social issues, and raise the standard of living.
"Even though I didn't have a great upbringing in New Zealand ... we're still pretty well off overall, and I don't see any other point in being here if it's not to try and leave it a better place."
Born in Palmerston North, his father was "in and out of prison" while his mother worked at a Women's Refuge for most of his childhood years.
With the amount of hours she worked, "I grew up in a Women's Refuge basically".
"Looking back now I think the foundation for our politics and everything else is basically our childhood, and the environment we were raised in," he said.
While studying at Victoria University, he was introduced to politics. His drive to join the Green Party, and then fight to represent them, was motivated mostly by environmental issues.
"We've [ruined] the planet. We've been doing this for hundreds of years, what [annoys] me is that now we have the knowledge of what we're doing, we continue to do it.
"At some point any responsible government has to realise that for too long we've put ... this economic growth, this selfishness for more and more and more, first.
"For so long we've put one above the other, I think we have to look at resetting it. There are solutions, we can harmonise our economy and our environment, it's just going to take, honestly, a bit of sacrifice, and I think the political will to do it."
Although the environment appears to be a major political issue, with other parties discussing problems, Rusden said the Greens were the party leading that charge, with the policies already established to do so.
"The foundation of our party is basically the environment."
His younger sisters, aged 6 and 12, were another motivation.
"I don't want them having poisoned, polluted rivers where they're playing Russian roulette with their health."
Mr Rusden was not ruling out getting elected into Parliament, but said it was a "long shot". The focus of his campaign is to engage with Napier residents, boost the Green Party profile, and raise awareness on the issues facing the electorate, and the country.