Eleven female candidates for the Dunedin mayoralty and council was cause for celebration at a candidates forum at the Dunedin City Salvation Army Hall last night.
The event, run by the Dunedin branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand attracted about 200 people. They listened to 10 of the female candidates and a proxy for the 11th.
The main issues discussed by the candidates were the local economy and job opportunities.
Rachel Elder, Carmen Houlahan, Christine Garey and Phyll Esplin believed council could do better in managing the city's growth. They believed the city's economy could be doing better, and they wanted to see more sustainable growth in Dunedin.
Mrs Elder was concerned about poverty and lack of opportunity, and how it was impacting on families and young people in Dunedin.
''I'm not seeing individuals and communities grow, and my alarm at the lack of job opportunities and choices here in Dunedin, and its impacts on these individuals and families, sees me standing here today.
''To grow, Dunedin needs to get its name out there as being a welcoming city. Welcoming and supporting business, manufacturing, investment, new ideas, IT, tourism, immigrants, students and international students, events and conferences creates growth, spending and, more importantly, more opportunities and employment for our people.''
Mrs Houlahan said she would like to see more businesses come together and work more collaboratively with council to grow the local economy.
Ms Garey said there was much to celebrate about Dunedin, but there was more work to be done.
Nanette Linklater and Ann Galloway believed the Dunedin City Council was not always good at listening to its ratepayers, and needed to be more responsible with ratepayers' funding.
Mrs Linklater said the cycleways fiasco was a good example.
''A great idea, but with more planning and more investigation, it would have been far better and it would have saved an enormous amount of money.
''We need to stop going outside the city to employ architects and consultants. We need to keep business in Dunedin.''
Liesel Mitchell and Donna Matahaere-Atariki believed if Dunedin was going to grow, the heart of the community was key.
Ms Mitchell said economics was a good measure of a healthy community, but not the only measure. She believed continuity, creativity and community were critical.
Ms Matahaere-Atariki believed encouraging people to take up education opportunities would enable families and communities to do things for themselves.
Marie Laufiso aimed to give voice to those communities considered disenfranchised, marginalised and physically isolated. She also aimed to provide equitable access to Dunedin's wealth.
''Their voice is important and their participation in the process is important.''
Kate Wilson asked voters to make sure they voted for people who would create a fair and diverse representation of the community.
''I'm sorry, I'm one of those councillors that doesn't like to be on the front page of the ODT - not because I'm shirking responsibility, but because I think a council that is effective should be getting on and doing things nicely.
''Anyone can be on the front page of the paper if they want to be outrageous. But that's not what this city needs. The city needs people working together to find consensus, and that's not always easy.''
