There is no greater power than a community who looks out for each other.

Coming into this election run I was acutely aware of the importance of self care and looking after my own Whare Tapawhā. 3 years ago during the last elections I watched as some of the candidates who strung themselves out and I did my best to provide a safe space and someone to talk to along the trail. Not many took up the offer, which confused me at the time but now being in the run - I get it. How can you tell when people are genuinely wanting to support you or when people are playing the game to create access to you?

In the pivotal 48 hours that happened a week out from the local election entries being due, I was invited to meet with a mix of District and Regional council representatives, iwi representatives, local business people and community leaders I remember speaking about my own well-being as a concern. You only have to look at a politician’s picture before their election and their most recent picture to see that this journey can tall a toll. After that faithful 48 hours I then asked for a week of zero communications so I could dive deep internally into whether the tono/delegation given to me by that well respected group was something I was ready to carry.

Amongst this week of tiro ā roto / inner look; through meditation, breath work, regular exercise, some extra time in nature and come cold therapy - I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself burn out over the role and would make scheduling my time a priority so that looking after the constituency from Tongapōrutu to Okato and Tariki would be beneficial for everyone but not at the expense of my own 4 walls. For who am I to look after our district if I can’t even look after myself?

I’ll admit, this hasn’t been easy during election time. Last minute requests from community groups, often at times conflicting with my professional life and adding strain to family life it’s been one big juggling act and I empathise a lot better with those politicians whose photos I referred to earlier. Time in nature during my work day has had to be more intentional (walks around the block on a lunch break) and prioritising an 8 hour sleep over a 1 hour workout or vice versa has been an interesting contemplation. Where I’ve really been able to refuel though is through deep, conscious and meaningful conversations - chatting with friends and reconnecting with people has served this well, for me: deep conversations are like a direct massage to my brain which upon conclusion allows my brain to “blob out” and melt which helps with my sleep.

An observation I’ve made too is my time away from family. Alongside all the pre existing community mahi, social commitments and work - my usual availability to my nieces, nephews and partner has been slim but thanks to our communication we’ve been able to highlight these early and either: 1) identify solutions or 2) simply make one another aware of the dissatisfaction, which is still a win in my book as staying silent about these obstacles can create unnecessary havoc.

It goes without say that I’ll need to not only maintain these tools and continue to be upfront and approach these issues directly if I am elected but it’ll take some accountability from the greater community too. If you see me wavering or start noticing I’m not as sharp as usual, please call me out for it. Challenge me on whether I’m maintaining self care or not and propose any solutions you have to the problems I may be facing at that time. Because not only is this role about me looking out for you, you also need to look out for me, for there is no greater power than a community who looks out for each other.