Rotorua Lakes Council candidate Mariana Morrison.
A Rotorua Lakes Council candidate in this year’s local elections says she is “only human” after revealing she has twice filed for bankruptcy.
Mariana Morrison, who is running for a seat on the general ward in the October elections, said she was addressing this now in the spirit of “transparency and integrity” and that blemishes on her financial record from more than a decade ago were not relevant today.
According to the Insolvency Register, Morrison was declared bankrupt in October 2007 and June 2011. Morrison applied for both bankruptcies. The information has always been publicly available, but Morrison decided to front-foot the issue on Facebook last week.
Morrison said her first bankruptcy was filed without understanding the long-term consequences.
She cited solo parenting and loss of employment as reasons for the second bankruptcy. She was 22 and 25 respectively and believed the bankruptcies would eventually expire.
However, in 2009, in between Morrison’s bankruptcies, the Insolvency Act was amended to keep a person’s details on the public register “indefinitely” in the case of two or more bankruptcies. That included those before the amendment, ensuring Morrison’s two bankruptcies remained public in perpetuity.
With her debts repaid, two attempts, in 2017 and 2021, to annul her bankruptcy were unsuccessful, she said.
“This chapter of my past does not define who I am today, I am only human,” she said. “It was a mistake made in youth, without full knowledge of the consequences.”
She was confident her previous financial difficulties did not disqualify her as a potentially successful candidate for Rotorua Lakes Council.
“What defines me is how I’ve responded, grown and continuously stayed committed to serving others,” she told Local Democracy Reporting.
“I believe the best leaders are those who’ve overcome adversity and can lead with understanding, integrity and without judgment, but understanding.”
Morrison, the granddaughter of entertainment royalty Sir Howard Morrison and a former Bachelor NZ contestant, went on to have a career in the navy as a chef and broke records as an open water swimmer.
She also obtained degrees in law and business and remained steadfast when quizzed on her appropriateness to handle council and ratepayer-generated finances.
“I’ve managed enormous budgets and delivered with accountability,” she said.
“Local government is about governance, making informed decisions and setting strategic direction. I bring both the experience and qualifications in strategic leadership to this role.”
Previous bankruptcy is not a prohibitive factor in running for local elections in New Zealand. To be eligible, election candidates must be aged over 18, be a New Zealand citizen and pay a $200 deposit.
Morrison is up against 21 other candidates for the general ward, with just six seats available. A further six candidates are looking for a seat on the three-member Māori Ward. Five are standing for the mayoralty and Karen Barker is assured of the rural ward seat, as she is unopposed.
Voting papers will be sent out to enrolled voters from September 9, with voting opening on the same day. Voting will remain open until noon on election day, October 11.
Preliminary results will be announced on election day with final results confirmed between October 16 and 19.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.