Paulo Garcia is National's candidate for New Lynn in west Auckland.

He does not believe in abortion, thinks raising children is harder for same-sex couples and says intercourse is about procreation.

Meet Paulo Garcia, who wants to be the National Party's first Filipino MP.

And he's doing it from an electorate that has always belonged to Labour.

MAHVASH ALI/STUFF Garcia says he is against abortion.

A walk through the town centre revealed the ex-honorary consul general for the Filipino embassy already had a profile in the area.

People in New Lynn seemed to be familiar with Garcia. A school girl stopped to kiss his hand as a sign of respect.

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MAHVASH ALI/STUFF Paulo Garcia is National's candidate for New Lynn.

According to the 2013 census Filipinos were the fastest growing Asian group in the Whau area. There were 1191 Filipinos in the region, representing a 93.7 per cent increase compared to 2006.

But Garcia hoped his appeal would be wider.

The proud Catholic said he was confident his "traditional" values will help him win over New Lynn in west Auckland.

MAHVASH ALI/STUFF Paulo Garcia says he will push for improving current schools and establishing a new school in New Lynn.

The father-of-four said his days started early, and always with daily mass at 7am.

Garcia, a lawyer by profession, said there were some values he was fairly clear on.

"I can say very categorically that I am not for abortion."

MAHVASH ALI/STUFF He says he will push for improving current schools and establishing a new school in New Lynn.

He said he was pro-life because it was a "conscience thing" for him.

"If a young woman understood how hard it is to have a child when you are young and you're not ready, they'll probably think twice."

To him an unborn child represented a life, and he was against the decision to terminate an otherwise healthy pregnancy.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF Prime Minister Bill English at the Big Gay Out held at Coyle Park, Point Chevalier, Auckland.

He said a woman who exposed herself to the possibility of pregnancy had already made a decision.

"I associate sexual relations coupled with a desire to have a family."

Garcia's views seemed to be in line with National's leader and current Prime Minister Bill English.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Bill English said the abortion laws, which are still part of the Crimes Act 1961, would not be reviewed under his leadership.

He said they had "stood the test of time".

And what did Garcia think about same-sex couples?

He said he could only rely on his own family experience, which was a "traditional unit" – husband, wife and children.

Same-sex couples would face more obstacles than heterosexual couples, he said.

"I can't say I am against a different man-man or woman-woman unit, but they will have challenges."

Closer to home, Garcia said he was "in love" with west Auckland.

He said he could not wait to move close to the electorate he aspired to win.

National's New Lynn candidate lived in the central suburb of Mt Albert because his children went to school there, he said.

"The plan was 'stay where they can walk to school', which worked out."

He said he spent one year in Titirangi in 2005, when he first moved from the Philippines.

Garcia said education was high on his agenda for New Lynn.

"If I became MP, I would want to maximise what's there and find the ability to establish new schools."

He said he would also lobby for another high school in his electorate.

Garcia said he wanted children in New Lynn to be able to walk to school.

He said he had found the people in his electorate wanted "more contact" from their MP and he would aim to be more visible, if elected.

Garcia became a member of the National party in 2014.

Three years later he was contesting for one of the toughest seats in the country.

But for Garcia the "hardest bit" was taking a break from being a lawyer. He said some of his clients were not happy he was not active in his "solo practice" that he started in 2009.

"There is just progression at every step of the way and there are alway hurdles."

National won the party vote in New Lynn in 2014, claiming 13,136 votes to Labour's 12,085.

David Cunliffe won the seat with 16,534 votes compared to National's Tim Groser on 11,977.