About 20 people attended a meet the women candidates meeting organised by Amy Pearl from the Te Whare Pora Trust, in Wanaka last night.
All five candidates standing in elections in the Upper Clutha area attended.
Motivated by the fact only five women candidates were standing for election out of a possible 22 seats, Ms Pearl said Wanaka needed female voices heard in local government.
All five candidates said they had strong women in their lives to thank for what they had achieved and for being involved in politics
Ella Lawton said she wanted to continue the work she had started as a councillor for the past three years, particularly on the Aspiring Track Network and Link Upper Clutha.
Community board chairwoman Rachel Brown said growth was an enviable challenge and she wanted another chance to make sure the balance between growth and susceptibility was right.
Former councillor Jude Battson wanted to be re-elected to council so she could work to make sure there was smart development in Wanaka and to make sure council considered what impact development had on the community.
Ruth Harrison said she wanted to be elected to the community board to make sure people who grew up in the area could afford to live in the area and that the gap between what people earned and the cost of living did not continue to grow.
Maggie Lawton wanted to be a voice for the Queenstown Lakes district on the Otago Regional Council, because in the last term all three Dunstan ward councillors were from Central Otago.
