Media Statement Embargoed 6am Thursday 20 June 2019
Labour Announces Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Council Candidates for 2019
The Labour Party has selected Manurewa business owner Ilango Krishnamoorthy and economist and former Labour cabinet
minister Peter Neilson as our two candidates to contest the Manurewa-Papakura Auckland Council positions for this year’s
local body elections, announced Andrew Beyer the Chair of the Labour Party Manurewa Electorate Committee, Andrew added,
Ilango and Peter both have extensive business and community service experience along with the local links to be strong
advocates for our community.
Ilango Krishnamoorthy is a South Auckland business and community leader . He has lived in Manurewa for nearly 30 years
and seeks more co-operation between the Council, the local boards and the local MPs for the benefit of our community.
Hon Peter Neilson is an experienced economist, and policy adviser who knows how to get things done at both the council
and central government level. He has family links with the Manurewa Papakura area. His son Alexander lives with his wife
in Papakura and a brother and his wife live in Waiau Pa just down the road from Karaka.
Labour has decided to stand candidates for the two Manurewa Papakura Council positions this year, in addition to the
Manurewa Local Board to provide better representation for all the communities in Manurewa and more effective Councillors
at the Auckland Council, says Andrew Beyer The full Manurewa Local Board Labour team including Ilango Krishnamoorthy
will be announced soon.
We all know what the regional issues are traffic congestion, affordable housing, better planning for our future and
safer communities. The other big issue is restoring trust in our council and councillors. Says Ilango Krishnamoorthy
Peter Neilson and I both understand Auckland is a fast-growing city needing to catch up with investment in social and
transport infrastructure that has to be paid for. We also know that rates are a cost that needs close monitoring by
councillors. Our backgrounds include managing large projects where cost control was essential. Says Ilango, we will work
to minimise rate increases and ensure Manurewa Papakura gets the priority it needs.
Peter Neilson says the people of Manurewa and Papakura need councillors to represent them that can persuade their fellow
councillors to make the decisions to best help South Auckland and the city as a whole. There are two parts to fixing
this . First, we know politicians pay more attention to the people who turn out to vote. We have to lift the number of
people who vote in local body election in Manurewa Papakura and across South Auckland. Second, we need to have
councillors who understand our needs and will work with the Auckland Council the local boards and our MPs to make things
happen. The easiest Councillor strategy is to grandstand in the media, alienate the council staff and fellow
councillors, achieve very little and then as a consequence persuade most of the community to not vote.
As councillors our priority will be to restore trust in our elected representatives, by working co-operatively with our
local boards, our MPs, the council and our fellow councillors says Peter Neilson
We are both looking forward to serving the wider community as councillors concluded Ilango Krishnamoorthy.
Candidate Biographies
Ilango Krishnamoorthy
Ilango Krishnamoorthy came to Manurewa from India nearly thirty years ago and set up his successful printing business in
Lambie Drive, in Manukau City. Ilango lives with his with his wife and family in Hillpark Manurewa where his children
attended local schools. He has been actively involved in the Let’s Beat Diabetes campaign in Counties Manukau.He came to
New Zealand with two university degrees in Science and Automotive Engineering. He graduated with his MBA from Waikato
University in 1996. Ilango has been an active member of the Labour Party and currently serves on the Ethnic Council
Policy Team. He is also an Indian community leader who played a key role in establishing the Hindu Temple in South
Auckland. Ilango wants to see a safer community, greater understanding of the benefits of diversity and a much wider
appreciation of what Manurewa Papakura offers the whole region. The Vodafone Events Centre and the Botanic Gardens are
fantastic facilities that unfortunately many Aucklanders have never visited. He wants more Aucklanders to understand
what Manurewa Papakura offers.
Ilango will also be a candidate for the Manurewa Local Board.
Hon Peter Neilson
Peter Neilson is a consulting economist with his own consultancy firm advising central government and local government
agencies as well as businesses and NGOs mainly on bringing about policy reform. Peter was brought up in Auckland and
went to school in Glen Innes and Glendowie before attending Auckland University where he graduated with a B. Com in
Economics. He understands the transformational experience of being the first in your family to get a good education.
While a student at Auckland University he stood as a Labour Party candidate for the former Auckland Regional Authority
alongside David Lange, Helen Clark and Jim Anderton. After graduation, he married librarian Megan Clark who was raised
in Papatoetoe and moved to Wellington with her to become the economist at the Department of Labour. He had met his wife
Megan at a Labour Party meeting held at Phil Goff’s house in South Auckland. At the age of 25 Peter was selected to
stand for Labour in the then National held Miramar seat. He won the seat being elected to Parliament in 1981 alongside
Phil Goff and Helen Clark. He was appointed the Associate Minister of Finance to Sir Roger Douglas, the MP for Manurewa
in 1987. He was also appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Revenue and Public Works and Chairman of the National Roads
Board. After leaving Parliament Peter became an international government reform consultant. More recently he was CEO of
the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development and CEO of the Financial Services Council. Peter is currently Chair
of the Simplicity Trust which distributes 15% of the fee income received by the low fee KiwiSaver provider Simplicity to
charities. Peter has also served as a board member for WWF New Zealand, was a deputy Chair of ACC.for many years and
recently joined the National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing board.
ends