A business owner, journalist and a man who unsuccessfully stood in the general election are vying for a seat at Ashburton's council table.

The three candidates - Dolf van Amersfoort, Leonard Cojocaru and Julie Moffett* - are the latest candidates to chase one of the five seats in the Ashburton Ward.

The trio join newcomers Stephanie Poole and Jeff Ryan, while councillors Tony Todd and Phill Hooper are seeking a second term, and Russell Ellis a fourth.

Ellis and Ryan are also standing for the mayoralty with Liz McMillan.

Van Amersfoort previously stood in the 2023 general election in the Rangitata electorate for the now-disbanded New Nation Party, where he received 92 of the 40,000 votes.

The party started as a lobby group “to bring the National party back to the straight and narrow”, he said.

It campaigned against vaccine mandates, three waters reforms and New Zealand’s involvement in the United Nations.

The party only received 0.5% of the party vote and was deregistered in January.

Van Amersfoort is now chasing a seat on the council.

“There are areas where improvement can be made," he said.

“If you don’t agree, then you need to do something about it.”

He doesn’t agree with rate hikes and “so many little things that people complain about”.

“I need to get on the inside and see how things work and how I can influence it.”

Van Amersfoort said he has lots of ideas, but they “fade into insignificance" if you are unsure how to implement them.

That can only be done with a seat at the council table, he added.

He has lived in Ashburton for 17 years and is a vehicle inspector, with “a vast history in business”, including as a regional manager for Toyota.

Local business owner Leonard Cojocaru believes the next council needs fresh ideas from new people.

And he thinks he could be one of them.

The council needs people with a vision and fresh ideas, he said.

The Romanian immigrated to Ashburton with his wife and three children in 2005.

He has run Sparkle Jewellery in Ashburton’s CBD for the last eight years.

Cojocaru admits to being a novice but is aware of the issues facing the council.

He said he has some new ideas, but wasn’t going to “pretend I am going to change everything”.

A focus for him is finding ways to improve the youth exodus from the region, which has a rapidly ageing population.

Julie Moffett, a journalist at the Ashburton Guardian, said she has a good understanding of the district, of its strengths, and a handle on the things that concern people.

“My work as a journalist has seen me connect with all sorts of people in the district, from the homeless to visiting MPs, and means I can look at issues dispassionately and from multiple perspectives, before coming to any conclusions.”

She has concerns about the polarisation in society, with a ‘them and us’ type attitude in some quarters.

"I am open to listening to others and a big believer in collaboration."

She said her journalism background, including working in commercial radio and at RNZ, means she can “absorb information and cut to the core messages and ask the right questions”.

Originally from Christchurch before spending 20 years in Auckland, Moffett moved to the district in 2019.

“As someone who's a recent arrival, I can see things with reasonably fresh eyes.”

Nominations for council close at noon on Friday.

DISCLAIMER: Julie Moffett is also a reporter at the Ashburton Guardian. She took no part in writing or editing this story.

Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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