The 36-year-old is a creative producer and community advocate with work focused on access and wellbeing, particularly for the community’s most vulnerable.
Walker, in a statement, said they were standing for the Green Party because they were Te Tiriti-led and offered “solutions and a positive future for the diverse communities and regions” that make up the electorate.
“I’m incredibly proud to be from Te Tairāwhiti, because I can reference the communities that make our region thrive. In the face of hardship and destruction, people wrap around one another here, but they’re largely doing that voluntarily and heavily under-resourced.” Walker said.
“Imagine what we could do if we had a government that backed the people?”
Walker said the East Cape needed climate mitigation, direct local government resourcing, funding equity and infrastructure.
They referred to the states of emergency, slips and flash flooding across the North Island so far this year.
“The current Government knew climate issues would worsen.
“They are exploiting and extracting from this whenua to line the pockets of the wealthiest.”
They said the Green Party had planned and costed policies for affordable and accessible housing, education, public transport, apprenticeships, and equitable health care for rural and Māori communities.
East Cape candidates announced to date
Incumbent Dana Kirkpatrick (National), Jo Luxton (Labour), Jordan Walker (Green) and Cail Smith (Opportunity).
