Jonathan Coleman, National party, Northcote

Jonathan Coleman

Dr Jonathan Coleman, 38, is a first-time candidate for National in the Northcote electorate and 35 on the list (running against Labour MP Ann Hartley).

Current job: Medical doctor and adviser in the healthcare sector (now a full-time campaigner).

Identifies as: New Zealander.

In the last few years you've been involved in healthcare consultancy. Do you feel out of touch with what's really going on?

I also worked as a GP when working as a healthcare adviser. For the two years before my Northcote campaign I was practising in Otara most Fridays, and the vast majority of patients were of Pacific Island or Maori descent, so I know the issues people are facing in terms of both health and economics in one of the poorest areas of New Zealand. It's a great environment for keeping both feet firmly on the ground.

Do you have healthcare insurance?

Labour's been kidding people for years that the public health service will meet all their needs. I have private health insurance, because as a doctor I know that there are many conditions impacting people's quality of life that are just about impossible to get treated in a New Zealand public hospital. Either that, or waiting lists are so long that people have to spend months in a disabled state before they get the treatment they need. Life's too short not to be operating at full steam.

What is our biggest healthcare worry?

The growing numbers of New Zealanders developing Type 2 Diabetes. It is a lifestyle disease, and unless we get more active, eat more healthily and lose weight, the long-term complications are going to have a devastating effect on the health of Kiwis, and place an unaffordable financial burden on the healthcare system.

There has been talk of taxing junk food. How would you deal with the obesity epidemic?

Taxing junk food would be a cop-out response. Conquering obesity is about teaching our kids healthy lifestyles, encouraging physical activity, and reinforcing it by getting junk food out of our schools. I can show you primary schools in South Auckland where kids have a $1 pie for breakfast from the school tuck shop, then follow up with more of the same for lunch. That's what has to stop.

Are you in favour of the vaccination programme for meningitis B?

Definitely. I have seen first-hand how quickly this disease kills and the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any risks.

It's unusual for National to take a seat off Labour these days ... are you counting on Northcote's tendency to swing?

I'm not counting on anything but hard work and talking to people about our policies and why a change of government now is crucial to the future of this country.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen says tax cuts now would mean taking from our children's generation. Where can spending be cut without consequence?

In the past six years the bureaucracy has increased from 30,000 to 38,000 with no improvement in health or education ... so there's room for some pruning. If we can remove some of the red tape that encroaches on every aspect of New Zealand life, you'd think there would be significant administration savings too.

What's the most pressing problem in your electorate?

Traffic congestion, specifically Onewa Rd and access to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Buses, walkways and cycleways are all very well, but the reality is that Northcote people work all over Auckland, and many have to drive.

Sling some mud: What's the biggest mistake the Government is making?

Labour has got severely out of touch with the electorate. New Zealanders are fast realising this Government doesn't represent their interests.

And what are they doing right?

Playing a major role to block the recent Japanese attempt to increase the number of whales they could slaughter each year was a good thing.