The Green Party has announced Benjamin Doyle (they/he/ia) (Ngāpuhi / Pākehā) as their candidate for Hamilton West in this years’ general election.

Benjamin has spent nine years in education as a high school teacher, in both Tāmaki Makaurau and Kirikiriroa, and more recently as a Kaupapa Māori researcher at the University of Waikato. They have also spent time organizing community wānanga for rangatahi Māori, artists, and takatāpui & LGBTQIA+ people in Kirikiriroa and across the motu.

“I am excited and honoured to give voters in Hamilton West the chance to support a progressive candidate who represents a vision for bold climate and social action, and who will energetically advocate for and with our diverse communities in Kirikiriroa”, says Doyle.

We can redesign the way we do things. We can rebalance the economy to meet the needs of everyone, protect our living planet, and ensure nature can thrive. But the pace of change is too slow. Climate pollution is not coming down fast enough; too many people are struggling to make ends meet; too many homes are unaffordable and unhealthy; wealth is out of balance; and native plants and animals are under threat.

Doyle says that “these challenges should not be treated as separate. People and the environment are inherently connected and therefore solutions to the issues we face need to be dynamic and intersectional. Climate action is social action, and social action is climate action.”

Koinei te wā. Now is the time to make a meaningful commitment to people and Papatūānuku. Now is the time to honour and uphold the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in order to ensure that all people in Aotearoa are treated equitably, and with dignity and respect. Now is the time to take action for our tamariki and mokopuna.

A party vote for the Greens will set the pace and direction of the next Government. Only the Greens will take bold climate action, protect nature and rebalance wealth so everyone can live a good life.

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