Infrastructure, housing and climate change top of mind for Labour’s new Bay of Plenty candidate.
Watch the Local Focus video to see all of Taikato’s answers on a range of questions.
Pare Taikato will stand for the Labour Party as its new candidate for the Bay of Plenty.
The Bay local was selected after Labour List MP, Angie Warren-Clark’s decision to relocate to Northland andstand in Whangārei for the election this October.
Infrastructure and housing are the most significant issues Taikato hopes to tackle if elected.
“We’re not just talking about potholes and the tar seal on the roads but infrastructure connected to the development of housing,” she said, citing wastewater, stormwater, drinking water and energy as the main factors.
Housing affordability in the Bay of Plenty is also a top concern.
“We have issues with homelessness and people sleeping in cars, and vehicles. I know this through my work in the electorate community office, that we still have people coming in, a lot from other regions actually heading to the Bay of Plenty seeking a better way of life.”
With a background in horticulture and the local kiwifruit industry, Taikato says climate change is an essential issue in the Bay when it comes to managing and maintaining crops.
