Tauranga Business Chamber is hosting a panel discussion between some of the Tauranga by-election candidates and members of the business community. 

This event is providing an opportunity for the business community to put their questions to a selection of the by-election candidates, to help them make an informed decision before polling day.  

This will be MC’d by Mark Allen, Deputy Chair of the Tauranga Business Chamber, and features a panelists of local business leaders: Jamie Lunam, Bridgette Paton-Tapsell, Paora Stanley and Mary Hill.

This will be an opportunity to get up close and personal to some of the candidates in the upcoming by election.

Meet the candidates who will be speaking at our event. You can register for this event here.

Cameron Luxton (ACT)

Cameron is a married father with two kids living in Papamoa, where he was raised, and has a construction business. He spent his ‘OE’ in a great little place next to Te Urewera National Park named Galatea for seven years, share-milking a 200Ha operation. During this time, he was named Regional Apprentice of the Year at the Dairy industry awards.

Cameron believes that one of the most important experiences he had during that time was joining a community and developing relationships with people in one of the poorest, most deprived areas in the region. He observed the damage that government can wreak on a community with many hard-working people, and how poor policy restricts development, self-reliance, and causes areas to decline.

Cameron believes that our society’s success is born from liberalism and personal responsibility, and that these values are what is needed for New Zealanders to flourish and achieve personal and societal goals. ACT is a champion of these freedoms.

Cameron’s goal is to join the ACT team in Parliament and be a strong voice for Tauranga. The Bay has so many advantages: Population, sunlight hours, Ports and beaches. What Tauranga and the wider region needs is for central and local Government to work collaboratively to put in place clear policy frameworks, and then get out of the way and let the honest and hard-working people of our country own their own future.

Jan Tinetti (Labour)

I love Tauranga. I moved here with my family in 2006 and can’t imagine a better place to live, learn, work and play. 

Tauranga has so much potential. We can be a centre of innovation and inclusion, sustainable and diverse, a growing city that provides opportunities and work-life balance others can only dream about.

I’ve spent most of my working life as a teacher, and was principal of Merivale School for 11 years. It was a privilege to lead this school, and to support so many families in our Tauranga community. Throughout that time, I was a fierce advocate for getting great educational opportunities to all Kiwi kids. Now I’m in politics because Government has a role in ensuring all New Zealanders can access the services they need to thrive. 

I was first elected in 2017, and in 2020 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made me a Minister in her Cabinet, as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Women, and Associate Minister of Education.

I’m standing in this election because I love Tauranga, and I want to push our local issues at the highest levels.

Tauranga’s promise, Tinetti’s plan:

• The best place to live, learn, work and play
• A vibrant and ambitious city
• An economy that works for our people
• A city where everyone has what they need to thrive
• A great place to do business
• A centre of innovation
• Connecting our exporters to the world
• Better infrastructure for better living.

Sam Uffindell (National)

I am currently the Head of Financial Economic Crime for Rabobank NZ, and owner and director of a small Bay of Plenty agribusiness called New Zealand HuMates. After a decade working in senior banking roles in Sydney and Singapore, my wife Julia and I made the decision to return home to raise our children in the beautiful Bay of Plenty.

As the National Party candidate for Tauranga, I’m aspirational for this city and want it to remain one of the best places to live, work and raise a family.

When I’m out talking to people and visiting businesses in Tauranga, the biggest issues I hear about are our city’s crippling congestion issues and the cost-of-living crisis making it harder for families in Tauranga to get ahead. As your strong local voice, I will work hard to address the issues our city faces.

When it comes to our infrastructure needs, National has reaffirmed its commitment to building both stages of the Takitimu Northern Link, which the current Government has cancelled, reinstated, pared back and delayed since 2017. National will invest in projects like this to unlock our region’s potential and get Tauranga moving.

Our city’s burgeoning tech industry is another focus of mine. I’ll advocate for initiatives to attract talent to Tauranga, support more businesses to set up shop here and create more high-paying jobs so we can retain our best and brightest.

I’ll also advocate for more action on law and order to keep Tauranga safe. Businesses in Tauranga tell me they’re worried about the crime and anti-social behaviour we see in our CBD and the wider region.

I will work tirelessly as part of a Chris Luxon-led National team to address these challenges and deliver for Tauranga well into the future.

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