Student starts Regional Council Campaign

Tuesday 4 June



Release from Rhodes-Carlin Campaign team.



Victoria Rhodes-Carlin has got her sights set on becoming a councillor as a part of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. This years local government elections are being held in September, and Rhodes-Carlin is putting her name forward for the ballot, aiming to provide fresh insights to the council.



An Environmental Studies student at Victoria University of Wellington, Rhodes-Carlin has always worked for greater environmental action and justice in communities.



The 21 year old’s campaign has three core policy focuses;

• “Community driven decision-making”

• “Ambitious climate action”

• “Fair and accessible public transport”



Making Wellington’s public transport system “fair” and “accessible” for all is a big priority for Rhodes-Carlin, who is calling for a 50% discount for students. She believes that more active transport, safer cycle ways, and pedestrian access are needed to reduce transport emissions. Her campaign calls for a bus network that is sustainable, carbon free, and works for the communities that use them.



Tackling climate change is also an important focus for Victoria. Stating that, “climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us. We need ambitious action aiming to significantly reduce transport and agricultural emissions. We need to better prepare our city and region to adapt and be resilient to the impacts of climate change.”



Rhodes-Carlin says she is running to make local democracy more accessible and inclusive to everyday citizens. “The challenges and issues that young people and students face in Wellington are too often excluded from the decision-making process, our voices under-valued and concerns not seen as legitimate.”



“There is no better candidate to fix these issues than someone who is experiencing them.”



As a community driven campaigner, Rhodes-Carlin encourages members of Wellington to get in touch with her about the issues they care about and the ideas they have.



Enrolment for the 2019 local government elections close 16th August and voting will begin by postal vote in September.

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