One of New Plymouth's first-term councillors is aiming to break the glass ceiling and become the first Māori mayor of the city.
Dinnie Moeahu a New Plymouth City ward councillor (Te ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāruahine and Ngāti Porou) will be completing a master's in Māori and indigenous leadership studies through the University of Canterbury alongside contesting the mayoralty.
Moeahu said he's excited about the opportunity for his community having choices for the next mayor.
He said two reasons motivated him to run. The first was having major support from most sectors of the community.
“The second and critically important one was my whanau.”
Moeahu said his whanau are awake to the enormity of the future and that is why they made the decision together to pursue the mayorship.
Moeahu believes he can bring true leadership service to the role. “I would like to demonstrate true servant leadership by leading our district in the future.”
Moeahu believes that recognising the inaugural Māori mayor in Taranaki would be historic and humbling “I believe in the best of who we are as a community.”
“I lead with compassion and empathy.”
Moeahu said that his community means everything to him and that is why he thinks that he has garnered so much support from his whanau for the mayoral bid.
“I know where my heart lies in the community.”
Moeahu thinks it's critically important to meet the needs and aspirations of the community at a time when there are so many challenges, "a lot of social challenges, a lot of environmental, social and economic challenges and I want to be a part of the solution".