Politician visits

For the last two weeks, we have been visited by Nicky Wagner, Jo Hayes, Poto Williams and Duncan Webb. Before they came, all I knew about politics was that there were some parties and people voted for a party they want to be the government and they can create the policies. Here are some of the things I learnt from the four people that visited us.

Jo Hayes
Jo Hayes is a current list MP for National. She is campaigning to win the Christchurch East electorate. You can join the National party at the age of 13 and the party leader keeps everything in line. The politicians go around with big signs to get peoples attention, sometimes they get rude responses or they get a toot. You need to persuade people to vote for you.

Duncan Webb
You have to have relevant policies and you should explain why people should vote for you. Don’t say “Vote for me I am cool and awesome!" You have to explain who you are and what you will do for the community. When you want to persuade people, listen to them and use their ideas. Don't bribe people so you can be proud of what you have accomplished.

Poto Williams

Make sure you are able to present yourself in a way that shows what your group is about. You have to have a meaning for our tagline and always be positive. There are 70 electorate seats (Generally) and you should have fair opportunities to all. Ask people what's important and once you've found out, talk and find out what you can do about it. Stand out from all the others so people can notice you.

Nicky Wagner

You need to have good policies so people will vote for you. It's hard to become a MP like its hard to become an All Black. Wear the colours of your party so people know who you are and what party you stand for, and also to cover all things people are interested in.

Do you know what party your family is voting for?