Long standing Upper Harbour resident and businesswoman Bernadette Soares has been nominated as the New Conservative
candidate in Upper Harbour for the 2020 Election.
Bernadette lives and breathes the Upper Harbour electorate, has lived in the electorate for the last 30 years and is
well connected and respected in the community.
Mother, wife, business entrepreneur, motivational speaker, property investor, author, counsellor and a passionate
Christian, Bernadette has a Master’s in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Degree in Economics and Commerce,
with over 17 years of experience in setting up and managing businesses that are based in and contribute to the local
community.
Bernadette has been a Business Mentor with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to provide start-up and emerging businesses
support and guidance in their journey. She is also the founder of Let Your Light Shine Charitable Trust and has worked
closely with businesses, councils and local organisations to generate new business ideas, working alongside start-ups to
achieve their potential through training, mentoring and support.
Bernadette is also a registered counsellor and is passionate about bringing change to workplace bullying in New Zealand;
to this end she has been a spokesperson who arbitrates and lobbies the government.
“My experiences as an employer, a mum, an immigrant and a businesswoman gives me a strong footing to represent the New
Conservative Party. My values resonate with those that the party proudly professes and as I watched in horror the
ill-thought through social policies of the government it has fuelled in me the desire to stand up to be an MP in a
values driven party.”