Election 2023: Banks Peninsula, the most engaged electorate in the city
In the lead-up to the 2023 general election, The Press is profiling Canterbury’s electoral races. Here’s what you need to know about the candidates running to be Banks Peninsula’s MP. (By reporter Liz McDonald)
Formerly known as Port Hills, the electorate takes in all of Banks Peninsula and the suburbs around Lyttelton Harbour and the Port Hills, as well as Sumner to Ferrymead, Woolston, St Martins, Somerfield, and parts of Halswell and Bromley.
Physically, it is dominated by hills, valleys, harbours, and the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River.
Banks Peninsula’s percentage of voters aged 40-plus is higher than the national average.
Almost a quarter of the electorate were born overseas, and almost 10% listed themselves as Māori.
Twenty-four per cent were in rented homes, and 15% had had spent more than 15 years in the same home, making it the second most settled electorate in the country.
The electorate’s residents are already very engaged in the election. In 2020 it had a bumper turnout of 89% of enrolled voters, one of the highest in the country.
This year 98% of Banks Peninsula’s eligible votes are enrolled, more than any other Christchurch electorate, and with 56,000 voters on the general roll it has the most voters in the city.
Current MP Tracey McLellan won the seat for Labour in 2020 with 51.9% of the vote, and a healthy majority of 13,000-plus. Next came National’s Catherine Chu with 25%, who was then a Christchurch city councillor, and the Greens’ Eugenie Sage, a sitting list MP now in her final term, with 12.7%.
Labour also captured a majority of the party vote, with 50.5%.
This time around McLellan is the only repeat Banks Peninsula candidate, but she has some well-known challengers.
National’s contender is Vanessa Weenink - a first-time candidate who was previously a member of the Labour Party who campaigned for MP Duncan Webb at the last election. She has been chair of NZ Medical Association’s general practitioner council, and deputy chair of the NZMA board. Until recently she worked as a general practitioner and was previously an NZ Army medical officer in Afghanistan and East Timor.
Lan Pham will represent the Green Party for the first time, taking over from Sage. Pham is a freshwater ecologist who founded the Working Waters Trust. She was an Environment Canterbury councillor for six years and ECan’s highest ever polling candidate. She sits high on the Green Party list at number six.
ACT’s candidate is Laura Trask, who sits at number 10 on her party’s list. Trask was a pharmacist who is now an employer. She runs a family business handling emergency response planning for organisations and businesses.
Standing for the NZ First Party will be Lindsay Kerslake, who has a background in farming and business, and has held governance roles in the horse racing industry.
The remaining candidates are Doug Allington (Democracy NZ), Paran Jeet (Animal Justice Party), Lisa Mead (NewZeal), and Peter Wakeman (Independent).
Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙
One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.
So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?
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60% Yes, supporting people is important!
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25.7% No, individuals should take responsibility
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14.3% ... It is complicated
Addictive Eaters Anonymous
After ten years of depression, my life had hit rock bottom
I remember being ‘different’ around food for most of my life. This included things such as being the person who had two cream buns at morning tea when everyone else had one; eating icing sugar by the spoonful directly from the packet; and being the family member who went into the kitchen after dinner to eat the leftovers. There are numerous other examples – too many to list. I could overeat anything. If I couldn’t get my preferred favourites (e.g. chocolate), I’d be eating the vegetables.
Poll: Do you have a go-to adverse-weather checklist for your family? ☔⚠️
As reported in the Press, the same low-pressure system that lashed the North Island over the weekend is now making its way south, bringing heavy rain and strong winds with it. It’s a soggy start to the week for many of us.
With more wild weather on the cards, we’re curious: do you have a go-to adverse-weather checklist for your family? Or are you more of a “grab the torches and hope for the best” household?
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42.1% Yes - we like to be prepared
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42.1% Nah
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15.8% This is on my to-do list!
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