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."