Porirua mayoral candidate: Russell Marshall

BY KRIS DANDO

Porirua mayoral candidate Russell Marshall already has enough on his plate to keep him busy for years to come, but he is prepared to put it all aside should the voters give him their tick in October.

The Paremata resident says the decision was not an easy one to make, and was not an idea he had entertained until recently. But with long-time mayor Jenny Brash standing aside, and a "growing" number of people asking him to run, he has jumped in with both feet.

"I kept saying no, but I had a chat with [wife] Barbara about it, lay awake half the night and then I started getting excited about it."

Mr Marshall, 74, a one-time teacher and Methodist minister, was the Labour MP for Wanganui from 1972-1990, held a number of posts as a minister, including Education, was a diplomat following his retirement  including a stint as high commissioner to Britain - and in recent years has chaired and led several organisations. These include Whitireia Education Forum, Tertiary Education Commission, Victoria University - as chancellor, Education New Zealand Trust and the National Commission for Unesco.

It's a formidable CV and he wants to bring his experience to bear on the mayoralty, should he defeat aspiring candidates Nick Leggett, Litea Ah Hoi and Piripi Gray. He's not a complete stranger to local politics, having stood for Porirua City Council, unsuccessfully, in 1992.

He and Barbara, who is chairperson of Friends of Pataka, have lived in Porirua for more than 15 years and as a proud member of the Northern United 100 Club, he tries to get to as many home matches at Porirua Park as he can.

"They are an amazing club. It's just great for Porirua to see how they've come on in the past few years. Some of those players they have out there now are untouchable."

Mr Marshall has already met a group of Pacific Island church ministers, Simon Calvert from Porirua Chamber of Commerce and Ngati Toa representatives to find out what issues are concerning them, now and into the future.

"I want to pick people's brains. I'll be popping into shops and going to schools as well. People want to know what is going to be done about education and health here - I think we're being sold short in Porirua."

Mr Marshall, one of the brains behind Tomorrow's Schools, is well-qualified to speak on education.

He says it is important that parents do not send their children into Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and if support is required to bring local schools up to the mark, then the council could help.

He wants Porirua to be seen as "a place to come to", not pass through. Pataka is "stunning" and venues such as this need to be marketed well, he says.

"There are so many things about Porirua I love and once that estuary [Porirua Harbour] is transformed, it's going to look great. There's so much to look forward to, especially when it comes to upgrading the city centre, and I want to be a part of it."

There is one inevitable question mark - his age.

"I have thought about the age thing a lot. I went to my doctor and said 'this is what I have in mind' and I got the clearance. I'm swimming a few mornings a week, I'm fit as I've been in ages and I've got good genes. My brother [Kerry] is mayor of Nelson and he's 70 and will run again."

The fact he knows how central government operates is one advantage he has over the other mayoral aspirants, he says. He knows he faces stiff opposition, and there is the danger he may take votes away from Mr Leggett in the Northern Ward, he believes it important that the public has a variety of candidates to choose from.

Despite his long ties with Labour, he will be standing as an independent - he believes political parties should not put forward nominees for local body elections.

"I think my instincts and values are more important, in this instance, than the party."

- Kapi-Mana News