5 September 2001
Students at Victoria University are expected to give Wellington mayoral candidates a thorough quizzing at a mayoral
candidates forum being organised by the Students' Association next week. With over a dozen candidates for the position
of mayor, and no obvious front-runner, the mayoral race this year is set to be one of the liveliest in ages.
VUWSA President Chris Hipkins said there had been a very positive response from the candidates invited, and already Mary
Varnham, John Morrison, Stephanie Cook, Kerry Prendergast, Rob Goulden and Andy Foster had confirmed they would be
attending.
"Wellington students are some of the most politically active in the country, as evidenced at the last general election
when students played a critical role in unseating Richard Prebble from his Wellington Central seat. We are expecting
students to take a keen interest in the local government elections this year, and with many thousand students living in
the area there is the possibility they may well form a large voting bloc," Mr. Hipkins said.
"There are many issues on the local government agenda that have sparked a substantial amount of student interest
recently, including city safety, closed circuit security surveillance, the motorway extension, and the proposals for
buildings on the waterfront. I expect all of these issues will be the subject of debate at next week's forum," Mr.
Hipkins said.
The forum will be held on Wednesday 12th of September at 12noon in Meeting Room One of the Student Union Building at
Victoria University. All members of the public are welcome to attend.
Ends