'You belong here': John Loau shares why he's running for Papatoetoe

Community leader John Loau says his decision to run for Papatoetoe local board came down to one thing: he already works in the community and wants to be present and accountable to the people who live there.

The Papatoetoe election is being re-run after a District Court ruling found irregularities in the previous result.

Twenty candidates are competing for four seats in the subdivision, with voting closing on Thursday, 9 April.

Loau, who is Samoan, filed his nomination on the final day after weeks of reflection.

He said the decision ultimately came down to a simple interaction with a neighbour.

“I was telling her I was thinking about running for office,” he said.

“She and her husband were waiting and the husband said, ‘I think I’ve seen you around before. I really think you need to run for office because you belong here'.

“I just thought, actually, yeah. I’m not a visitor to Manukau. I’m not a visitor to South Auckland. I’m not a visitor to Papatoetoe. I’m not a visitor to Ōtara. I actually do belong to this community.”

Loau said the experience contrasted with his previous campaign in Upper Harbour, where he said he faced racial hostility and vandalism.

The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area, where voters are casting ballots in the Papatoetoe subdivision election. Photo/Auckland Council

He felt people increasingly didn't want someone "of my tan colour" in the area.

Loau recalled hearing comments such as “go back to where your people are” and having campaign signs smashed while he was grieving the death of his father.

“Maybe they’re just not ready in the Albany area. Maybe they’re just not ready for somebody like me, of my tan colour, to come across the line.”

Encouragement from people in the community convinced him to run again.

Postal voting has been used in Auckland’s local elections for decades, but some candidates say the system needs to adapt to changing times. Photo/Auckland Council

Working as campus manager at NZMA’s Manukau campus, Loau said he was in the area every day.

“People were saying, ‘You’re here every day, you’re part of the normal fabric. Why wouldn’t you run out here'?”

If elected, his focus would be on being present and accessible.

“I’m not talking about ribbon-cutting events. I’m talking about being down the road at Little Abner’s or grabbing a bite at the market."

His priorities include improving parks and public spaces, creating more opportunities for youth and seniors to connect through intergenerational activities, and ensuring local board members represent community concerns, even when issues fall outside their direct responsibilities.

Four seats are available to represent the Papatoetoe subdivision. Photo/File.

“I get irritated by local government officials saying, ‘Sorry, that’s outside of my remit.’

"As a community member, I don’t want to hear that."

Loau said the legal challenge showed the democratic process working, even though he remains critical of postal voting.

“At the moment, the postal balloting is a challenge because people don’t interact with the mail as they used to anymore,” he said.

“I definitely think in the next local election, or even the one after that, there has to be a concrete effort to ensure a better solution moving forward, because this is just crazy waiting for paper ballots.”

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