Mount Albert By-Election Reflections
AUTHOR: Judy Turner
We went into this by-election very much the under-dog. We stood no candidate in the last general election in Mount Albert and so we had virtually no local profile to build on. This coupled with the fact that during the campaign, we were seldom invited to attend public meetings or debates, meant we had to stick to a fairly traditional campaign with hoardings, leaflets and lots of door-knocking.
On Sat 13th June voter turn-out was unimpressive, and I suspect many National supporters who had become disenchanted with their candidate stayed home rather than transfer their vote else-where. Our own result was disappointing to say the least.
However we have finished the campaign with a new support base of mainly Indian immigrants in Mount Albert who are small business people with strong family values and tangible political interests. These people hosted meetings for myself and Peter Dunne, delivered leaflets and are keen to stay connected to us.
I was supported in my campaign by a small band of party faithful who did lots in their precious after-work hours, erecting and maintaining hoardings, attending meetings and accompanying me to the few debates I did manage to get invited to. Contrast this to the literally hundreds of both Labour and National activists who worked all day for weeks door-knocking etc.
Campaigning is never a level playing field and those of us in smaller parties have to do the best we can with the resources we have.
Mount Albert is an amazing electorate. It is rich in history (I even tracked down my great-grandmothers house) and culturally diverse. It was not unusual when door-knocking to walk from a beautifully restored villa with a BMW in the drive, next door to a line of run-down two-bedroom flats with migrant families crowded into each unit.
Campaigning is a great opportunity to remind voters about the causes we champion and that define us. While the Greens advocate for the physical environment, UnitedFuture remains the political voice for the relational environment on which we all depend ............ THE FAMILY !
The Greens haven’t packed up and gone home because other parties have developed environmental policy and like-wise we would be foolish to think that just because other parties have slapped together some family policy that we are no longer politically relevant.
In these difficult times the family needs more than ever a dedicated political voice that looks to their interests and measures all policy against its impact on the family.