Language the 'key' for Botany candidates

Paul Young. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Connecting with voters in their own tongue may be the key to winning in one of the country's most diverse electorates, says the candidate of a new "Chinese party" in the Botany byelection.

New Citizen Party candidate Paul Young, who says he speaks English, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese and Japanese, thinks that will give him an edge over other candidates in an electorate with more immigrants than New Zealand-born locals.

"When we communicate in a language they are comfortable with, people will speak from the heart and we get to listen and understand their views," Mr Young said.

"If you run meetings in English, many of these migrants will just keep quiet and nod politely even if they do not agree because it's not a language they are comfortable with."

More than a third of the 57,000 Botany electorate speak a language other than English, Maori, NZ Sign or Samoan.

Mr Young, 47, played down the involvement in the New Citizen Party of Jack Chen, the main man behind the failed Natural Dairy NZ bid for South Island farms. He said Mr Chen was just "a supporter".

Mr Young will be campaigning on limiting MPs to two terms, improving the economy and reducing GST. He is originally from Taiwan and has lived in Botany for 21 years.

Ten candidates will contest the byelection next month for the seat vacated by National MP Pansy Wong.

Yesterday, Prime Minister John Key launched National candidate Jami-Lee Ross' campaign after a two-hour walkabout at Botany Town Centre. Mr Ross, a sitting Auckland councillor, is the front-runner to replace Mrs Wong, who resigned in December over the misuse of her international travel subsidy.

Mr Key said people living in Botany represented "modern New Zealand".

"They are a multicultural society, they work hard, they are ambitious and they just want to get ahead. That's what they want to do," he said.

Labour's candidate is Puketapapa Local Board member Michael Wood.

BOTANY PROFILE

Paul Young
* Has the highest immigrant population of any electorate
* Immigrants outnumber the locals
* Second highest Asian population
* Second highest for languages spoken other than English, Maori, NZ Sign or Samoan
* Most overseas secondary school qualification
* Highest number of residents who are Buddhists

Candidates:
Hussain Al-Saady (Pirate Party), Leo Biggs (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis), Penny Bright (Independent), Robin Caithness (Join Australia Movement), Robert Goh (Independent), Lyn Murphy (Act), Jami-Lee Ross (National), Michael Wood (Labour), Paul Young (New Citizen), Wayne Young (Independent)