Hamilton is more than a city. It’s a place where people come to build lives, raise families, start businesses, and shape futures. But right now, confidence has faltered. Trust feels low.

We see it in our central city – foot traffic has slowed, retailers are struggling, and Garden Place feels more like a pass-through than a place to gather. We see it in our transport systems that don’t connect, in housing choices that don’t reflect how people live, and in rising rates that have busted budgets.

We see it in the stories people tell – about safety, about homelessness, about debt that feels suffocating. And we see it in the quiet resignation of those who wonder if Hamilton is still the place they hoped it would be.

But I believe it can be. It must be.

Hamilton is not broken. It’s ready. Ready for leadership that listens and a vision that serves. Ready for a city that builds with people – not around them.

Hamilton needs a mindset of service and a cohesive approach that threads infrastructure, transport, housing, safety, and economic dignity into one clear flow. A flow people can trust and become part of.

That means an integrated transport system that works for families, workers, and visitors. It means housing choices that reflect how people live – not just market logic. It means parks and recreational spaces that invite people to play, rest, and reconnect. It means a CBD that has restored ‘business’ to the Central District, that feels alive and not just surviving.

It means responding to homelessness with dignity – not optics. It means understanding that debt is a tool – but only when it’s used wisely. In Hamilton’s case, it’s becoming a trap. It means recognising that rising rates aren’t just numbers on a page. They’re painful pressure points in people’s lives.

But most of all, it means restoring public trust. Because without trust, we have no foundation. And without a foundation, we cannot build.

Nobody builds anything enduring alone. I will lead a team that governs with integrity – not just manages. A team that shows up, listens deeply, and serves together with a shared commitment to Hamilton’s future.

Let’s build a Hamilton where students stay to study, where families choose to raise their children, where businesses thrive, and where communities feel seen. Let’s build a city that feels safe to walk in, exciting to work in, and inspiring to live in. Let’s build a city that collaborates, protects and delivers.

Let’s build this City together.