Candidates to front up to Napier Grey Power

Napier and Districts Grey Power member Maxine Boag says questions important to the local branch will be posed at a meet the candidates event today.

The Napier and Districts branch of Grey Power has some hard-hitting questions lined up for a meeting today that will be attended by Napier electorate candidates standing for the general election in September.

More than 140 people were expected at St Columba's Church, Napier, at 1.30pm today, where candidates for the main parties would be asked their opinion on a range of issues, said Napier Grey Power publicity officer Maxine Boag.

As of yesterday, Labour Party MP Stuart Nash, National Party candidate David Elliott and Green Party candidate Damon Rusden were confirmed as attending, with a possibility that Ikaoroa Rawhiti Labour MP Meka Whaitiri would also be present.

Ms Boag said the candidates would be asked questions that were important to Grey Power members.

These included party policies on raising the age of superannuation, and the candidates' position on subsidising dental care for low-income and older people.

They would also be asked their views on whether their party intended to build state houses in Napier to provide income-related rents to needy families, how their party would address inequities in accessing health services, and whether their party would change the law in respect to the Supreme Court ruling on the Ruataniwha dam land swap.

She said set questions had been laid out to give every candidate the opportunity to respond.

"There may be time for other questions, which we have asked people to give us in writing at the door."

It was expected the meeting would continue until 2.45pm.