Talent Tide Comes In
For a year now ACT has been asked: who else other than David Seymour? This weekend the question was answered with the announcement of outstanding candidates for ACT. The top ten candidates include four business owners, a lawyer, an international
cricketer, a sitting Councilor, a former police officer, five women and five men, and a spread from Warkworth to
Dunedin. Between them, the top ten candidates speak seven languages.
Beth Houlbrooke
Beth is a staunch founding member of ACT and mother of two. She began her working life farming in Northland before
founding and selling the award-winning company Backload Moving. Presently she is the Chair of the Rodney Local Board,
having first been elected to the board in 2013. On current polling, ACT needs to rise only 0.2 per cent to make Beth a
Member of Parliament, and she will be a very good one.
Brooke van Velden
Brooke is the Greens’ young star Chloe Swarbrick plus a degree in economics. As a university graduate she was taken on
by one of the country’s top lobbyists, Matthew Hooton, where she helps private sector clients navigate bureaucracy.
Brooke is much more talented than David Seymour was at the same age and is a future leader of the party. ACT need only
gain two per cent of the vote to elect Brooke.
Bhupinder Singh
'Bhups' is well known in cricket circles as a spin bowler for the Auckland Aces, who rose as high as playing for New
Zealand ‘A.’ He works as a real estate agent for Ray White and owns a construction business. He is a father of two and
well known for his coaching of kids cricket and leadership in the Sikh community.
Stephen Berry
Stephen is a self-made success story. He left school at 16 to become one of Countdown’s top managers and trouble
shooters. He is a hard worker and proven vote getter, having placed third as a rookie candidate in the 2013 Auckland
mayoral election. We are also proud to announce that Stephen is our first openly gay top-five candidate.
Stuart Pedersen
Stuart is a Tauranga investor and businessman and father of two. He chairs the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust which
introduces underprivileged children to sailing.
Anneka Carlson
Former West Auckland cop, business owner, and SPCA board member from New Plymouth, Anneka is a star and another future
leader of ACT.
Shan Ng
As a trained commercial lawyer admitted to the bar in the U.K., Malaysia, and New Zealand, Shan speaks four languages
and works in Wellington business.
Sam Purchas
ACT on Campus President and an Otago Microbiology Student, Sam is ACT’s youngest and perhaps most engaging candidate.
Toni Severin
Veteran ACT campaigner and a Christchurch business owner, Toni rounds out ACT’s talented top ten. Like all of our top
ten candidates, Toni would be a highly effective and talented MP.
How we’ll get these People Elected
Recent polls show ACT at one per cent, on the cusp of the 1.2 per cent required to elect Beth Houlbrooke. However, a
better precedent is 2008, when ACT got to 3.5 per cent in the polls through a robust campaign taking us from under one
per cent to victory in the final months of the campaign.
How You can Help
If you’d like to see these talented MPs elected to parliament, please consider joining, volunteering, or donating to ACT.
ENDS