Media Statement
Monday August 9 2010
Labour selects Paula Gillon for Northcote

The Labour candidate for Northcote for the 2011 general election is Birkenhead Northcote Community Board member Paula Gillon.

Announcing the candidacy today, Dr Francis Reid, Chair of the Northcote Labour Electorate Committee, says two well qualified local nominees made themselves available for selection but Paula Gillon emerged as the successful candidate.

Dr Reid says Northcote was a Labour-held seat between 1999 and 2005, and with an excellent local candidate like Paula Gillon Labour is well placed to win back Northcote in 2011.

Paula says that she is privileged to be the Labour candidate for Northcote in next year’s general election. Paula is looking forward to representing the community if she is elected as an MP.

“Labour has better plans than the current government to facilitate economic growth and reduce unemployment. The National-led government is devoid of ideas to make life better for ordinary kiwis. Increasing GST, flip-flops on mining in national parks, and attacks on ordinary workers further undermine both businesses and those struggling to get by”, says Paula.

Dr Reid says that having an electorate MP with experience in local government will be invaluable to Northcote as it adjusts to the Auckland Supercity. “The Northcote electorate is a wonderful place, with superb bush reserves, excellent libraries, a great community coordinator, and many other Council-provided services and amenities. Paula is the perfect person to preserve and enhance what we have in Northcote as a local MP”, says Dr Reid.

Paula has extensive experience as an elected representative working for the Northcote area. In 2001 Paula became New Zealand’s youngest ever elected City Councillor. She was a North Shore City Councillor between 2001 and 2004. From 2005 to 2008 she worked in London as a Public Affairs consultant. In 2008 Paula returned to New Zealand and was elected to the Birkenhead Northcote Community Board in a by-election.

Paula has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland with a Double Major in Political Studies and English and she has recently completed an MPhil in Public Policy at AUT.

ENDS

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