Gisborne Candidate Hopes To Trade Flooring For The Council Table

Sunday, 7 September 2025, 6:22 pm
Article: Zita Campbell - Local Democracy Reporter

September 5, 2025

Flooring installer Gary McKenzie - enrolled as “Gazza” under his Gisborne District Council candidate profile - wants to “see Gisborne thrive”. 

McKenzie said after battling cancer, he was looking for something new to do, and decided to run for a general ward seat at the October local elections. “After 47 years in flooring, the body’s wearing out,” he told Local Democracy Reporting, in giving his reason for running. McKenzie said having grown up in Kaiti and lived in Gisborne most of his life, he was passionate about the area. “Surfed here, fished here, had my kids here,” he said. “They took off overseas, but everyone’s back now. I have five grandchildren here ... I just want to kind of set a platform for them to grow up with their lives.” He used his nickname “Gazza”, so electors would not confuse him with a council employee of the same name. McKenzie wants more council initiatives to encourage children into sports, specifically swimming. 

“A Givealittle set-up or trust system or some system to enable all Tairāwhiti children access to learning to swim through the clubs, as Tairāwhiti has water everywhere.” 

He also aims to educate residents on how to conserve fresh water. He believes water meters will be implemented in Gisborne as other areas around New Zealand and abroad are charging per cubic metre. 

“It’s going to happen here.” When he was a child, everyone had a water tank that caught rainwater from the roof before the reticulated system arrived in the city, he said. 

“As long as you’ve got a good filter and your spoutings are clean, there’s nothing wrong with rainwater to drink.” McKenzie believes the council is doing a great job of upkeeping its physical environment. “But the red tape and the time it takes to give consent for anything ... that annoys me, being a tradie.” 

His experience in the building industry would benefit constituents, he said. “Just the knowledge of the topography, all forms of contracting ... physical works, the legislative side of it ... all the hoops you have to jump through before you can build a building.” 

However, it was a desire to leave the industry that inspired him to run for council. Two years ago, McKenzie was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his lymph nodes and grew into a tumour.

“I’m in the clear [and] everything’s looking good,” said McKenzie, who hopes to get the “big tick” that he has beaten cancer by the end of the year, which is when his disability allowance runs out. “And I’m looking at new options for what to do between now and when I snuff it.” McKenzie said he had two or three ideas of what he could do, and “running for council is one of them”. 

If successful, he knows it will be a steep learning curve to educate himself about council processes. “I’m not claiming I know anything about the council and electoral issues and voting ... committees and all that sort of thing.

“I’m green as, but I’m keen to learn because I’m tired of what I’ve been doing. It’s made me ill. I want to move on from that and ... basically just see Gisborne thrive.” Voting for the local body elections opens on September 9.

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