With only two candidates standing in Burwood Ward, Fionna Chapman is in a head-to-head contest that could see her elected Christchurch’s first Pasifika councillor.
She is also standing for the Burwood Community Board, with two vacancies available and four candidates running against her.
Christchurch has long struggled with low voter turnout, and Burwood has been at the bottom of the table.
Citywide turnout rose from 38 per cent in 2016 to 43 per cent in 2022, but Burwood recorded just 34 per cent, 36 per cent and 37 per cent in those elections. Even targeted campaigns for Māori, Pacific and youth voters in 2019, such as a Pacific Leaders Breakfast, did little to lift engagement.
Chapman says official campaigns have little impact if communities feel invisible in decision-making.
“Our community do networking a wee bit different than the traditional ways. It is word of mouth, it is going into our churches, it is Polyfest, it is league. It is actually changing the language that we use but also leading by example.”
A Pacific worldview at the council table
Chapman’s father is from Lalomanu, Aleipata in Samoa and her late mother, an Aiono from Fasitoʻouta, passed away earlier this year. She says her family made the decision to move in together to care for her parents as they grew older.
“I live in an intergenerational household… we made that decision to move in together to care for my parents as they’ve gotten older and I’ve got my youngest daughter living with me and her partner and her baby as well,” she says. “That’s our household, like a lot of Pacific families.”
Intergenerational living brings together a mix of voices, something Chapman says gives her a unique advantage in decision-making.
“I think it brings the voice of all the different generations… having my dad’s generation in the household means we all come with varying degrees of insight or knowledge,” Chapman says. “I’m always listening to that younger voice and then also listening to that older voice as well.”
For her, it reflects a Pacific way of thinking.
“We take in consideration the thoughts and the needs of others before our own. That’s something we do naturally as Pacific people… it is about the collective.”
Communities still waiting after the quakes
More than a decade after the Canterbury earthquakes, Chapman says Burwood is still living with the aftershocks.
“When I’m door knocking, a lot of our less mobile and our older community, and it’s not just our Pacific community, are finding it hard to go to hospital visits because transport is a really big issue. It’s made up of a lot of little wee streets that have been hit hard, so it’s hard to even just walk out the door because our roads haven’t been fixed.”
She says a grassroots voice, informed by her work with Christchurch Methodist Mission and years of community service, is missing from the council table.
Assets, debt and trust in democracy
Chapman opposes proposals to sell off public assets, saying they should be retained for future generations.
“If we sell those off, we lose control of those assets for our future generations. We want to hold on to that and ensure we have them for future investment in our communities.”
She also says the council must communicate more clearly with residents about debt and rates.
“If you want to lower rates, what services from the council will we lose? That kind of information has not been relayed across.”
For Pasifika communities, Chapman says council needs to restore confidence in grassroots solutions.
“I feel like we have moved away from community-led initiatives. People are losing confidence because the information is not reaching our community.”
Low turnout, high stakes
Burwood Ward, home to 17,000 residents and a 21 per cent Māori and Pasifika population, has never elected a Pasifika councillor.
This year’s contest is between Chapman and incumbent councillor Kelly Barber, who was first elected in 2019 and is seeking a third term. Barber has campaigned on community wellbeing, housing recovery and local infrastructure during his time on council.
Chapman sees her candidacy as a way to motivate people to vote in a ward where participation has long lagged behind the rest of the city.
“At least if I get onto the community board, it might motivate our people to get out and vote.”
Burwood’s result will determine whether Christchurch elects its first Pasifika councillor.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
