The Opportunities Party announces Bay advocate Buddy Mikaere as candidate

Buddy Mikaere clearly recalls the lightbulb moment which saw him switch up his community advocacy role into something more formal - list candidate for The Opportunities Party.

"I was up at our marae, Huria Marae, where they are running a feed the homeless programme. Then I went back to my sister's place and was watching Parliament TV and thought 'look at these d*******s, insulting each other and doing anything but looking after the state of the country'.

"I said 'we need to do something about this'. That's when I got into The Opportunities Party stuff."

Mr Mikaere announced his new role on Facebook this week and has been overwhelmed with positive responses so far.

"I've already been late to two meetings today because people are stopping me on the street to talk to me about it," he said.

The published historian is well known in Tauranga for his work advocating for the community, including during the Rena disaster.

"I'm interested in so many things and if I can help with something, I can. I suppose if you had to describe it I would describe myself as a facilitator between iwi and council."

But it was justice, particularly youth offending, where the 66-year-old wanted to really make a difference.

"For many years I've had a close connection with the Corrections Department. We've got several hundred people in jail, in there because they are seeking bail. That's an issue I'm really stuck on. By changing the Bail Amendment Act, to not have those people locked up right away, that immediately gives you a saving and you can direct that money into things like rehabilitation," he said.

"The other thing I'm interested in is the Youth Court ... raising the age (of people it adheres to) to 20."

"We need to give them the chance to turn themselves around, without chucking them into an area with hardened crims.

"Young kids get really desperate and try to do dumb things. It's the bravado of the age. And we need to make sure being poor is not an excuse for committing crime."

Mr Mikaere has two children and six grandchildren. He said the party's policy to give $200 to young people would help prevent young people struggling financially from offending.

He said he was aware there would be naysayers and questioned whether their opinions came from proven facts or just assumptions.

"We have the ability to make the solution," he said. "It's worth it to try."

Mr Mikaere also said if he was offered the Maori affairs spokesman role, he would be glad to accept.

What is The Opportunities Party

Created by millionaire entrepreneur Gareth Morgan, The Opportunities Party claims it is 'Not left, not right ... but what works. It asks would be voters to 'Care. Think. Vote'. Its vision is: All people have aspirations, and all of us have a right to fulfil those aspirations. We also have a responsibility to ensure others have the same opportunity.