Media Statement Embargoed 6am Thursday 20 June 2019

Labour Announces Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Council Candidates for 2019

The Labour Party has selected Manurewa business owner Ilango Krishnamoorthy and economist and former Labour cabinet minister Peter Neilson as our two candidates to contest the Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Council positions for this year’s local body elections, announced Andrew Beyer the Chair of the Labour Party Manurewa Electorate Committee, Andrew added, Ilango and Peter both have extensive business and community service experience along with the local links to be strong advocates for our community.

Ilango Krishnamoorthy is a South Auckland business and community leader . He has lived in Manurewa for nearly 30 years and seeks more co-operation between the Council, the local boards and the local MPs for the benefit of our community.

Hon Peter Neilson is an experienced economist, and policy adviser who knows how to get things done at both the council and central government level. He has family links with the Manurewa Papakura area. His son Alexander lives with his wife in Papakura and a brother and his wife live in Waiau Pa just down the road from Karaka.

Labour has decided to stand candidates for the two Manurewa Papakura Council positions this year, in addition to the Manurewa Local Board to provide better representation for all the communities in Manurewa and more effective Councillors at the Auckland Council, says Andrew Beyer The full Manurewa Local Board Labour team including Ilango Krishnamoorthy will be announced soon.

We all know what the regional issues are traffic congestion, affordable housing, better planning for our future and safer communities. The other big issue is restoring trust in our council and councillors. Says Ilango Krishnamoorthy

Peter Neilson and I both understand Auckland is a fast-growing city needing to catch up with investment in social and transport infrastructure that has to be paid for. We also know that rates are a cost that needs close monitoring by councillors. Our backgrounds include managing large projects where cost control was essential. Says Ilango, we will work to minimise rate increases and ensure Manurewa Papakura gets the priority it needs.

Peter Neilson says the people of Manurewa and Papakura need councillors to represent them that can persuade their fellow councillors to make the decisions to best help South Auckland and the city as a whole. There are two parts to fixing this . First, we know politicians pay more attention to the people who turn out to vote. We have to lift the number of people who vote in local body election in Manurewa Papakura and across South Auckland. Second, we need to have councillors who understand our needs and will work with the Auckland Council the local boards and our MPs to make things happen. The easiest Councillor strategy is to grandstand in the media, alienate the council staff and fellow councillors, achieve very little and then as a consequence persuade most of the community to not vote.

As councillors our priority will be to restore trust in our elected representatives, by working co-operatively with our local boards, our MPs, the council and our fellow councillors says Peter Neilson

We are both looking forward to serving the wider community as councillors concluded Ilango Krishnamoorthy.

Candidate Biographies

Ilango Krishnamoorthy

Ilango Krishnamoorthy came to Manurewa from India nearly thirty years ago and set up his successful printing business in Lambie Drive, in Manukau City. Ilango lives with his with his wife and family in Hillpark Manurewa where his children attended local schools. He has been actively involved in the Let’s Beat Diabetes campaign in Counties Manukau.He came to New Zealand with two university degrees in Science and Automotive Engineering. He graduated with his MBA from Waikato University in 1996. Ilango has been an active member of the Labour Party and currently serves on the Ethnic Council Policy Team. He is also an Indian community leader who played a key role in establishing the Hindu Temple in South Auckland. Ilango wants to see a safer community, greater understanding of the benefits of diversity and a much wider appreciation of what Manurewa Papakura offers the whole region. The Vodafone Events Centre and the Botanic Gardens are fantastic facilities that unfortunately many Aucklanders have never visited. He wants more Aucklanders to understand what Manurewa Papakura offers.

Ilango will also be a candidate for the Manurewa Local Board.

Hon Peter Neilson

Peter Neilson is a consulting economist with his own consultancy firm advising central government and local government agencies as well as businesses and NGOs mainly on bringing about policy reform. Peter was brought up in Auckland and went to school in Glen Innes and Glendowie before attending Auckland University where he graduated with a B. Com in Economics. He understands the transformational experience of being the first in your family to get a good education. While a student at Auckland University he stood as a Labour Party candidate for the former Auckland Regional Authority alongside David Lange, Helen Clark and Jim Anderton. After graduation, he married librarian Megan Clark who was raised in Papatoetoe and moved to Wellington with her to become the economist at the Department of Labour. He had met his wife Megan at a Labour Party meeting held at Phil Goff’s house in South Auckland. At the age of 25 Peter was selected to stand for Labour in the then National held Miramar seat. He won the seat being elected to Parliament in 1981 alongside Phil Goff and Helen Clark. He was appointed the Associate Minister of Finance to Sir Roger Douglas, the MP for Manurewa in 1987. He was also appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Revenue and Public Works and Chairman of the National Roads Board. After leaving Parliament Peter became an international government reform consultant. More recently he was CEO of the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development and CEO of the Financial Services Council. Peter is currently Chair of the Simplicity Trust which distributes 15% of the fee income received by the low fee KiwiSaver provider Simplicity to charities. Peter has also served as a board member for WWF New Zealand, was a deputy Chair of ACC.for many years and recently joined the National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing board.

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