After getting a good look at politics in last year's local body elections, Whangarei man Ash Holwell will stand for the Green Party in September's national elections.
Mr Holwell stood for mayor of Whangarei in October's local body elections on the TogetherTahi ticket, getting almost 1000 votes.
The party said Mr Holwell is adding grassroots experience and innovative thinking to ''the exciting line-up of Green candidates for the 2017 election''.
Mr Holwell has worked as a community and cultural leader in Whangarei during the past four years, since his return from a stint overseas. He has been a significant contributor to Whangarei's renewal, helping to create Whare Bike; a professional theatre group, Company of Giants, with actor/director Laurel Devenie; and, a community centre ONEONESIX on Bank St.
"The experience of living and working in communities that are struggling, because they aren't being listened to, is a huge motivator for me in my work. Running with the Greens is a powerful extension of this passion, and I dream of enabling the communities that I know and love, to flourish with a new government that actually cares about them," he said.
This ground-level engagement has helped develop numerous organisations and opportunities for Whangarei, creating a consistent track record of collaborative solutions that work.
"Over the past four years, we've demonstrated that communities who share creatively, really do improve their collective wellbeing and quality of life. The skills and resources within our communities in Aotearoa are enormous.
"We just need leaders who are brave enough to trust and empower those communities to unleash their full potential."
Mr Holwell said the amount of support he gained last year during the council elections, by speaking about inclusion, innovation, and presenting an exciting vision for Whangarei's future, was enormously exciting.
"I think this showed that Whangarei is ready to engage with the issues that matter, and to keep creating a beautiful place for us to live together. I am excited to be able to contribute to the discussion about how we can collectively develop an equitable and brave community."