Vi Hausia fought to overturn an election result. Now, he's eyeing a seat on the board

Vi Hausia, the successful petitioner behind the historic Papatoetoe re-run election, says challenging the result was never about politics.

The local board candidate did not expect to find himself at the centre of one of Auckland’s most unprecedented local election cases.

“If I’m not going to do this, who’s going to do it?” he said.

The legal challenge led to the Papatoetoe subdivision election being overturned, triggering a rare re-run and drawing national attention to concerns about the integrity of the postal voting system.

The candidates elected in the original result challenged the decision, but the High Court upheld the ruling after finding issues with the voting process, clearing the way for the re-run.

Hausia said the process was demanding, but it strengthened his resolve.

Papatoetoe, where voters will decide four local board seats in the re-run election. Photo/Auckland Council

“This is why it’s hard for people to do this kind of stuff,” he said.

“I didn't want to sit at home knowing there were fraudulent activities that went on, but I did nothing about it. It would be hard for me to accept that.”

The court ruling confirmed that fraudulent votes materially affected the 2025 result.

Now, as voting gets underway again, Hausia is trying to shift the focus away from the controversy.

“With the election ... I still want the focus to be on ‘what’s our vision for Papatoetoe’,” he said.

Vi Hausia at a Papatoetoe Local Board meeting. Photo/Vi Hausia for Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Facebook

Hausia said his biggest concern is the long-term impact on voter trust, particularly in communities that are already disengaged from local decision-making.

“The thing I’m most worried about is that people are going to lose further trust in the system,” he said.

“My message to them [the community] is, even if you don’t engage in the voting because you don’t trust it, the voting is still going to happen.”

He said people who choose not to vote are “giving more power to other people to select”, as elections will proceed whether or not people agree with the system.

Hausia, who served on the local board last term, placed fifth in the voided October 2025 election, with 3150 votes. He was behind four candidates from the Papatoetoe-Otara Action Team. Paramjeet Singh received 5137 votes, followed by Sandeep Saini with 5119, Kushma Nair with 4733, and Kunal Bhalla with 4540.

The Papatoetoe-Otara Action Team candidates, who secured the top four positions in the October 2025 election, with Vi Hausia placing fifth. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata

A civil engineer, Hausia works in stormwater infrastructure and was one of the youngest Pacific members elected to Auckland Council, previously serving as deputy chair of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.

Hausia said his time in the role shaped how he approaches representation and responsibility.

“I genuinely enjoyed my time on the board. I felt proud being a board member, knowing how much work we do, even when people don’t see it,” he said.

Hausia said he approached the role with preparation and intent, balancing council responsibilities alongside full-time work.

“I didn’t just turn up on the day. I came prepared, asked questions, and did the work because that’s how important it is to me,” he said.

“When you get in, you have to represent everybody, not just the people that voted for you," he said. “You've got to represent everybody, including those who didn't vote for you… and including the disengaged as well.”

Born and raised in South Auckland, Hausia said his connection to the community continues to drive his work. He said he intends to continue pushing for changes to the voting system.

“I’m not going to stop. It’s not just about me getting in, it’s about making the system fairer for everyone.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.