Campbell spoke to Local Democracy Reporting about his platform.
He believes the council table needs more “young go-getters with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit” in the mix.
Born and bred in Gisborne, Campbell said he had travelled the world and lived in other parts of New Zealand, but there was nowhere else he wanted to be more than “Gizzy”.
“I biked here this morning. I walked along the beach this morning. I think our size and our isolation are almost our assets because there’s enough of a city if you want it ... but then it’s got that small-town vibe.”
Campbell said he had had a good run of making things happen over the past 10 years in small business, starting with opening Neighbourhood Pizzeria in a shipping container and then moving to its current location near the Ballance Street Village shops.
“We’ve been doing business as a family in the village for like 40 years. My father owns Pharmacy 53 (located at the Village),” he said.
Campbell wants to continue helping build “cool stuff in Gizzy,” but this time from inside the council chambers.
Bike paths along every waterway in the city and bringing the World Surf League (WSL) to the region are a couple of his ideas.
Campbell believes the bike lanes will not cost a huge amount of money as the area is small and compact.
“I might be wrong when I get in there, but there’s always a way through it,” he said.
Campbell wants to be “a champion for Gisborne” through his council role and elevate it through more events, if elected.
“With the Gisborne Boardriders, we’ve talked about bringing the World Surf League here and having a bit of a festival of surfing.
“If Gisborne can have one of the best New Year festivals (Rhythm & Vines) in the world, then we can have the World Surf League here.”
He also wants more playgrounds and activities for families to do when it is not sunny.
He bought The Wainui Store with his sister and brother-in-law and owned it from 2003-2008.
As a Wainui resident, he saw a missed opportunity and so last year he opened the Neighbourhood Cantina restaurant by the beach.
However, he said he found the council operations staff to be roadblocks and believed there needed to be a “mentality switch” inside council.
“Setting up the cantina was really hard. Having a ‘yes’ mentality is important. And it’s quite a ‘no’ [mentality] in there, or pass it on to someone else.”
Campbell is intrigued by local governance at a council level and interested in experiencing it.
“I want to be at the table for what happens next in Gizzy.”
Campbell is one of 19 candidates seeking eight general ward spots.
