Hamilton, NZ — Matthew Beveridge has today announced his candidacy for Hamilton City Council West Ward in the upcoming local elections, launching a campaign focused on protecting essential services and building a city that works for everyone.

“I’m standing for Hamilton City Council West Ward because Hamilton is already a great
place to live — but we can’t take that for granted,” said Beveridge. “We need to invest in the services that keep our city running and improve the ones that aren’t working well enough.

The challenges we face today are the result of decades of decisions. We won’t fix them with short-sighted cuts that only make things worse for residents.”

Beveridge, an independent candidate, is particularly concerned about proposed policies being pushed to address the challenges the city faces. These proposals include reducing staff and funding, which would lead to cuts in library and pool hours and under funding critical services like road maintenance and animal control. “Losing important services, just to save a few dollars a year on rates is not responsible governance — it’s political posturing.”

Beveridge supports smarter, long-term approaches to council spending. He also supports efforts to work with central government to identify new funding tools, so councils aren’t stuck trying to balance budgets by cutting the things that matter most to residents.

“We need to protect and improve the services that make Hamilton a good place to live — not gut them for minimal financial gain.”

Beveridge’s campaign will focus on long-term thinking, community well being, and
protecting public services from ideologically driven cuts.

As a first-time candidate, Beveridge brings experience in internal communications, a
background in political research, and a strong belief in fairness and community. He is
currently completing a PhD in politics and has worked across local and central government as well as the private sector.

“I want to represent the people who feel left out of the conversation — renters, young
families, those just trying to get by. Council should work with the community to solve
problems, not leave them behind.”

You can follow Matthew's campaign on Facebook or his website. You can also reach the
campaign at vote@matthewbeveridge.co.nz or on 0225993890

-- Matthew Beveridge
Candidate for Hamilton West

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