There are 10 candidates belonging to various parties running for the Hamilton East electorate seat in 2023 elections – one less than previous election number.
None of these candidates have been in the Parliament before, and majority are first timers in politics also. Hamilton East seat was traditionally held by the National party until Labour party wave turned the tables and Jamie Strange won. Strange, however, is not contesting again.
Main contest is likely to be between candidates of two main political parties -National’s Ryan Hamilton and Labour’s Georgie Dansey. Some of the fringe party candidates have already publicly stated they are standing to secure party votes.
Voting starts on Monday, 2 October, and you can vote at any voting place in the country if you are not in the city. On election day, Saturday 14 October, all voting places will be open from 9am to 7pm.
Hamilton East electorate covers the inner city and suburbs east of the Waikato River – from Flagstaff in the north to Riverlea in the south.
According to Electoral Commission data, in this electorate there are total 63,055 estimated eligible population with 83.43% enrolled as on 10 Sept this year.
Here is a brief profile of candidates -in alphabetical order, who are running for Hamilton East seat:
Alex Corkin is The Opportunities Party’s candidate who wants to “solve the deep issues – housing, climate, health, education.” What motivated Alex – a technology specialist to contest is his passion to ensure Kiwis have the “opportunities they need to reach their full potential.”
He envisages a New Zealand “where starting or investing in a business holds more value than acquiring yet another investment property.” He also would like to “return GST from new builds to council and shift tax burden from work to land.”
Georgie Dansey – a runner-up in last year’s Hamilton West by-election is Labour’s candidate. She is a union chief executive, a small business owner and Hamilton East has been her home for nearly two decades.
Ranked 31 on Labour’s list, Dansey expects to be a champion for small businesses in Parliament and to make sure their voice is heard.
A former teacher, Georgie Dansey is keen to ensure “fair and equitable access to education, health and work”, and will give priority in “supporting businesses to thrive.”
Himanshu Parmar, ACT’s candidate, is a Waikato liquor retail business owner who has called Hamilton his home since moving from India in 2001.
This 39-year-old father of two, Himanshu has been himself a victim of retail crime repeatedly. This has prompted him to take his fight – and that of other retailers in similar position, against ongoing and rising crime to a higher platform.
Featuring at number 13 on ACT’s list, he wishes to be an “authentic voice for hard-working small business owners in Parliament” and help deliver the “change our country needs.” Read More...
– from NewsViews
