Local Focus: Whanganui candidates defend their credibility in a crisis

Local Focus asked National, Labour and Green candidates for Whanganui what gives their party credibility to lead New Zealand out of the upcoming Covid-induced recession.

"The Labour-led government has led an incredibly strong response in terms of responding to Covid health crisis," said Steph Lewis, for Labour. "We are in an incredibly privileged position in New Zealand when you look at our overseas counterparts. Our economy, thanks to the decisions to go hard and go early, our economies have been able to open up much faster than many countries overseas, because of the strong health response."

MP for Whanganui and National Party candidate Harete Hipango says it is experience.

"Experienced ministers who have been ministers in the different areas," Hipango said. "But also I put the take on it, it's about our families. I'll always bring it back to family and community and those of us who are best positioned based on experience, coming from families strong in the community, strong team, experienced and proven."

Green candidate Alan Clay says the nation is at a watershed moment.

"[The Greens] think ahead and we act now, and that's what we need to do to get out of this recession. We need to think ahead, we need to envisage what sort of society, what sort of nation we want to build, from this point."

Also standing in the Whanganui electorate:
• Jonathan Marshall for the New Conservatives
• Heather Marion Smith for Social Credit
• Charlotte Weber for Advance NZ
• and Hillary Kieft as an independent

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