Bay of Plenty voters will be met by new candidates this General Election as two familiar faces move on – one retiring, one moving regions.

The Sun last week detailed National Party’s BOP MP Todd Muller’s retirement from politics. This week, Angie Warren-Clark talks about heading home to Northland.

“One thing that might help inform people [about the election] is if you tell them where the Bay of Plenty electorate is,” says Angie Warren-Clark.

“Many don’t understand that the majority of the BOP electorate is in Tauranga City. They think it goes way down the coast – but not at all! It includes the outer suburbs of Tauranga City, such as Pāpāmoa.”

Angie became a candidate for Labour in the BOP in 2016 – and went to Parliament in 2017 as a Labour List MP. This election she’s moving to Northland, where she’ll contest the Whangārei seat for Labour.  “I grew up in Northland; pretty much all of my family are there and my husband Blair is Ngāti Kahu. So for us, the move north makes sense.

“It’s a bittersweet decision to be leaving a place that we love – but we’re also returning to a place that we love,” says Angie, who has lived in Tauranga for the last 17 years.

At the refuge

She came here when working for the Ministry of Justice as a domestic violence advisor. “I relocated the office to Tauranga to be more in the centre of the region I managed,” says Angie, who left the job in 2013 to manage Tauranga Women’s Refuge.

What made her become a politician? “I’ve always been involved in politics in one way or another but more on a personal political activism [level].”

The final push came at the refuge. “Basically, we had not had a pay increase from government for the nine years under National.  We’d had a four-fold increase in service delivery and families coming to us...and we were funded $21.25 an hour by government to deliver [services] and I had 14 staff.

“I got to the point where thought: ‘...I don’t think this will change unless people who’ve worked in the field of family and sexual violence, who understand the dynamics and the work, actually go to Parliament and do that’.”

Angie, a keen fisherwoman who loves the coast, community and lifestyle the BOP offers, knows the electorate still has challenges.

“[They’ve] been the challenges for our city – infrastructure, roading, the failure over successive councils to be able to create a city that’s more liveable.

“We have this really difficult set of geography here; we have an accident and the whole city is gridlocked.

 “I’ve also found race relations in this city to be problematic at times, and divisive. Being married to a Maori man and having Maori children, the level of racism I find at times in the room etc is something that I’m sad about for our city. We can all do better. And I think it’s about having honest and open conversations, and not shouting at each other.”

Angie Warren-Clark farewells the BOP. Photo: supplied.

Passion projects

What progress has she seen in the electorate under her government? “The Labour Government has brought more than $2 billion into the city in the last six years, so there’s lots of things going on.

“But real passion projects for me are supporting the community who fundraised forever to get Pāpāmoa Surf Club headquarters. I love the fact we came in with that final bit of cash, so we have an amazing resource.

“I love that we’re now getting access onto the motorway from another exit point in Pāpāmoa. I love that there’s been real consideration to planning how the next areas of Pāpāmoa and the community are going to be developed.

“I love that there’s been public housing opened here including Papakāinga Housing in partnership with Maori.

“I’m also very pleased I was able to advocate and get funded for this city – the Bayfair underpass. I went to the protest, I listened and I advocated for it, and I got the extra $16 million, which means we’ve kept a safe way to cross our extremely busy and dangerous road.

“I love that our kids, pedestrian traffic and those on bikes can safely connect from Bayfair to Matapihi.

 “I feel like myself and Jan Tinetti; we’ve fought every day to have this city on the map – and when you sit in government with the ability to talk directly to your ministers who have the purse strings, it’s been very fruitful for us. I think we’ve developed an incredibly good working relationship as a government with the city.”

Bills

As a List MP, Angie has also worked on initiatives to reduce food waste, protect the environment and improve food access for vulnerable communities.

Her members’ bill, Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill – which looks to provide justice to those who’ve been affected by grooming, both online and in person – was signed into law.

This term her Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill was plucked from the ballot. Angie says current law means a couple must be separated for two years before they can divorce.

“For victims of family violence this two-year period can be dangerous and can lead to further abuse. This Bill intends to reduce the harm family violence causes by allowing victims of family violence to dissolve a marriage or civil union without having to be separated for two years,” says Angie.

“We’re hopeful the bill will have its first reading before the House rises at the end of August. It’s on the order paper for this sitting block.”

The fisherwoman will miss the BOP coast and its fishing spots. Photo: supplied.

Message for BOP voters

What will Angie will miss? “...the familiarity, the richness of our communities, the people, my dear friends living here.”

Her final message for BOP voters? “Make sure you enrol to vote; and ensure your enrolment is updated so you can vote in the right electorate. Don’t vote on personality. Don’t vote on party colour. Go to the party manifestos and have a look at what you’re interested in.

 “This election, like no other – we are very polarised in our views as parties in many ways, so it’s important people participate in democracy.”

As for Todd Muller, Angie will miss the friend she’s known since student politics at Waikato university. “Todd and I had an agreement we’d always debate the issues, never each other. He’s a real gentleman,” says Angie, who will attend Todd’s Parliamentary valedictory speech.