logo
ACT Announces Helena Roza As ACT Local Candidate For North Shore Ward

ACT Announces Helena Roza As ACT Local Candidate For North Shore Ward

Scoop09-07-2025
Press Release – ACT New Zealand
ACT Local has selected Helena Roza – a small business owner, community volunteer, and media professional – as its candidate for the North Shore Ward in this year's Auckland Council election.
Helena cares passionately about the North Shore. A mother and entrepreneur with a background in journalism and television presenting, she co-founded a successful local business with her husband. She volunteers with Meals on Wheels and proudly supports Takapuna FC, where her husband plays goalkeeper.
She believes the current council is letting people down. Rates are rising year after year, yet core services are declining. Roads are crumbling, infrastructure is neglected, and small businesses are buried in red tape.
Instead of focusing on the basics, Council obsesses over climate targets, removes car parking, and pushes up parking fees, making everyday life harder for locals.
As a mother, business owner, and community advocate, Helena knows how to get things done. North Shore deserves fresh thinking, practical solutions, and representatives who actually listen. It's time to challenge the tired status quo and put ratepayers first, with a new generation of representatives: confident, capable, and connected to the people.
She says:
'I'll fight to keep rates affordable by cutting waste, not inventing new ways to tax people. Let's fix what's broken and build a council that works for the people—so our community can thrive.
'Mayor Wayne Brown is right to call out Auckland Transport. AT has lost touch—pushing overpriced projects and disruptive cycleways that only make traffic worse.
'Transport planning should work for the majority. We need better connections for drivers, tradies, and local businesses—not fewer lanes and more delays.' – Helena Roza
Earlier this year, ACT New Zealand announced it would be standing Common Sense Candidates for local government for the first time — after hearing from New Zealanders across the country who are sick of rising rates, ballooning budgets, and councils that ignore the basics while chasing ideological vanity projects.
Helena will also contest a seat on the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.
When you vote ACT Local, you know what you're getting:
Fixing the basics
Lower Rates
Cutting the waste
Stopping the war on cars
Ending race-based politics
Restoring accountability
ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton says:
' ACT Local candidates are community-minded Kiwis who've had enough of wasteful councils treating ratepayers like ATMs. It's time to take control on behalf of ratepayers — to restore accountability and deliver real value for money. ACT Local is about getting the basics right: maintaining roads, keeping streets clean, and respecting the people who pay the bills. Our candidates won't divide people by race or get distracted by climate vanity projects. They're here to serve, not lecture.' – Cameron Luxton
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Government report shows homelessness ‘appears' to be outstripping population growth
Government report shows homelessness ‘appears' to be outstripping population growth

NZ Herald

time4 hours ago

  • NZ Herald

Government report shows homelessness ‘appears' to be outstripping population growth

The report comes around halfway through this Government's term, which has included tightening emergency housing rules, and social and transitional housing initiatives. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said although accurate numbers on homelessness were difficult to find, it was 'clear we have a real problem'. 'The Government takes this seriously. All New Zealanders deserve a warm, dry place to stay, and the Government is determined to make progress on this long-running challenge for New Zealand.' Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says it is clear New Zealand has a real problem with homelessness. Photo / Mark Mitchell Potaka said the Government was seeking advice from officials on further interventions to help rough sleepers, saying 'we are also open to new ideas that will make an enduring difference'. Officials defined homelessness as living situations where people have no way of accessing safe and secure housing. This could include having no shelter at all, living in temporary or uninhabitable accommodation, or staying in a house with others, such as couch surfing. The report estimates people living without shelter are more likely to be older, with more than a quarter aged over 65. Twelve per cent were under 15 years old. Concerns from groups, collated in the report, included people and families sleeping rough, in cars, garages or uninhabitable conditions, or couch surfing during winter. They told researchers there were increasing levels of hopelessness and complex needs because of methamphetamine use, anti-social behaviour and severe mental health concerns. Emergency housing The portion of applications for emergency housing that were declined increased from 4% in March 2024 to 32% in March 2025, the report found. This statistic comes after Potaka's emergency housing policy changes in August 2024, which included limiting discretion and tightening rules to ensure it was only accessed 'where absolutely necessary'. Reasons people were declined included that they could meet their needs another way (34.3%), their circumstances could have been 'reasonably foreseen' (22.5%), they were not eligible for a grant (16.7%) or their situation was not considered an emergency (14.7%). Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the Government has no plan for where people go when they are removed from emergency accommodation. Photo / Mark Mitchell Potaka said more than $550 million was being spent annually across a range of programmes run by multiple agencies, including Transitional Housing, Housing First, Rapid Rehousing and many other support services. The minister argued there was a 37% increase in people living in shelters between 2018 and 2023 when the previous Labour Government was in power and that the Government was also dealing with the large-scale emergency housing 'social disaster' it had inherited from Labour. In January, the Government celebrated reaching its target for reducing the number of people in emergency motels by 75% five years early. But it raised questions over where people went when they left emergency housing. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka (left) and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon say the Government has spent half a billion dollars helping people in homeless situations. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour leader Chris Hipkins accused the Government of kicking 'everybody out of emergency accommodation' without having a plan for where they were to go. 'I think every New Zealander living in a main city can walk down the street and see there are more people living on the street, in cars, and that the Government's actions have contributed to that,' he said. 'When you boot everybody out of emergency accommodation ... this is what happens.' The report said for around 14% of people who left emergency housing, officials were not sure where they went. Others went into a mix of social and transitional housing, or received housing support supplements. 'We do know where 85% [of people] have gone and we're really happy that a lot of kids have come out of emergency housing. Those 14% we don't know where they've gone, but they don't have to tell us where they are going,' Potaka said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters his Government had spent half a billion dollars helping people in these situations. 'Homelessness is a really complex issue. People often come with a complex set of needs, whether its mental health or addiction. No Kiwi wants to see homelessness.' Luxon said he was proud of 'the fact that we have taken 6000 people off the social state housing list'. 'I'm also really proud that we've got 2100 kids out of motels and into really good homes by prioritising those families.' Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.

Dog owners granted temporary reprive over off-leash ban at popular Auckland park
Dog owners granted temporary reprive over off-leash ban at popular Auckland park

RNZ News

time4 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Dog owners granted temporary reprive over off-leash ban at popular Auckland park

Auckland Council proposed dog access changes at the park after dogs were off-leash in areas they shouldn't be. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Dog owners advocating for an off-leash area at a popular Auckland park have been granted a last minute reprieve - for now. The High Court has granted an interim order allowing dogs to run off-leash in the bowl area of Monte Cecilia Park. It will continue until a judicial review is heard into a decision by the Puketāpapa Local Board to ban off-leash dogs there as of next Friday. The board voted four to two in favour of removing it after concerns were raised about owners letting dogs run free in areas where they were meant to be on-leash. It is part of a wider plan to review dog rules at parks and beaches. Acting chairperson of Dog Lovers of Monte Cecilia, Shireen Chua, told Checkpoint they were feeling a range of emotions in light of the decision. "There is a sense of elation, excitement, gratitude. Our community has another day getting together, walking our parks and the Monte Cecilia bowl." However, the victory is only temporary, with the High Court hearing now looming. "The process from here is that the Auckland Council will have the opportunity to send through their statement of defence and that will come through by August. And then we will have a hearing in the High Court." Chua said the group's decision to push back against the council came down to a number of reasons. "We didn't feel heard, seen or respected. The decision that the local board took went against internal staff advice. Eighty-percent of public feedback in the strong community that was there were not heard. "We felt that the decision was predetermined and it was made in contrary to the council's dog policy and also in breach of the council's obligations under the Local Government Act." When the group took its argument to the council Chua said it consisted of about 1000 members, a number which has jumped to 1200 over the past few weeks. "Predominantly it started with a whole group of us in the community here, but it's got broader than that now. "Other dog owners in other parts of other areas have started to go, 'hey, I guess this is a really sort of important topic for all of us'." Currently the cost of judicial review has been funded by members of the community, with the legal fees being covered pro bono. "We intend to raise funds in order to fund the remaining part of the Judicial Review and we have got a whole bunch of folks from the community who are selling coffee for the Dog Lovers of Monte Cecilia." The group has also received support from a dog groomer who is contributing $10 towards the judicial review for anyone that takes their dog to be groomed, as well as a Givealittle page. One of the reasons Auckland Council proposed dog access changes at the park was due to dogs being off-leash in areas of the park where they should already be on-leash. But Chua said since the review, the group had seen a slow shift in compliance, and was now issuing a plea to members to stick to the rules. "As responsible dog owners, we do want to comply with the law. "We hope to eventually also initiate a social say the park is for everyone and we want that to be the case." General manager of Policy at Auckland Council, Louise Mason, told Checkpoint that as the decision was before the court, Auckland Council could not comment at this time. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Helius and Elysian to continue merger after Cannabis Clinic withdrawal
Helius and Elysian to continue merger after Cannabis Clinic withdrawal

NZ Herald

time5 hours ago

  • NZ Herald

Helius and Elysian to continue merger after Cannabis Clinic withdrawal

'I think these things happen when you're looking at mergers and going through that process, you get to learn more about how the entire structure would work, about each other's cultures and how we approach things, we understand more about each other's businesses as well,' Alzaher said. 'That's why we mutually agreed and reached the conclusion that it would be better for us to work independently.' Dr Waseem Alzaher, CEO and co-founder of the Cannabis Clinic, says it will be better for the businesses to work independently towards their shared goal. Alzaher said the proposal had been spoken about between the parties for about two months before the announcement to the public. After a further three weeks deep-diving on the proposal and deciding on how it would work, the decision was made for it not to proceed. Alzaher said the decision to communicate proactively about the proposal was because of Helius Therapeutics' shareholders and its responsibility to keep them involved, and he said he would do the process the same if given another opportunity. 'We're still open to partnerships, to collaboration, to investment, to coming together, so that one plus one equals 10. 'The bigger picture for us is revolutionising healthcare, how healthcare is delivered, the systems, the expectations, how it's centred around people. 'That's a big mission. Our big area audacious goal is to have a million long-term clients with us, and that's not going to happen overnight.' As for what didn't work between Cannabis Clinic and Helius Therapeutics, Alzaher said that their business cultures and visions were not necessarily aligned. He viewed Cannabis Clinic as a 'rebel' and a 'misfit' trying to disrupt the system, and said the business' time could be better spent helping more Kiwis instead. Alzaher said he could see the businesses working together in the future, although not in the 'foreseeable future'. 'With Helius they've got products that are New Zealand made and we're still distributing them. We see them as a strategic partner for us moving forward. 'They believe in what we're doing, we believe in what they're doing, and we're still talking to each other and on good terms.' Helius Health chairman Guy Haddleton previously said the industry long needed a reset. Photo / File Merger moves on Despite the mutual decision for Cannabis Clinic to pull out of the proposed merger, Helius Therapeutics and Elsyian Group/CannaPlus have confirmed a two-way merger will now take its place. Helius Therapeutics financial officer Bruce McEwen said the businesses expect to settle in August. 'What happens now – it's full steam ahead with the execution of the new strategy and the merger with CannaPlus," McEwen said. 'Whilst it's now a two not three-way merger and reduces overall scale, it doesn't change the direction or effectiveness of the strategy. It does however make it simpler, enabling us to move faster.' McEwen said Helius Therapeutics shareholders were firmly behind the strategy pivot to vertically integrate and the proposed two-party merger. He said Helius Therapeutics and Cannabis Clinic had a strong mutual respect for each other and continued to be key business partners. 'After careful consideration we mutually agreed not to proceed with the proposed merger between Helius Therapeutics and Cannabis Clinic. 'Whilst there is strong alignment around increasing access to medicinal cannabis and reducing the stigma, we agreed that was better achieved independently.' Helius Health chairman Guy Haddleton was unavailable for comment. Elysian executive chairwoman Eva Piëch said the fundamentals of the transaction remained intact. 'The transition to a two-party merger between Elysian and Helius is a deliberate and strategically focused decision. It enhances clarity, accelerates execution, and strengthens alignment – not only operationally, but philosophically,' Piëch said. 'This structure allows for faster execution, clearer governance and greater strategic clarity. Our infrastructure, patient network and digital platform remain core to the combined strategy.' Piëch said that as discussions matured with Cannabis Clinic, it became clear a three-party integration would introduce operational complexity and dilute strategic focus – without materially strengthening the core proposition. She said the two-party plan would preserve strategic coherence and allow the pair to integrate with speed, purpose and precision. 'This two-way merger creates a clean, tightly aligned platform – one that enables rapid integration, strategic coherence and a stronger foundation for long-term innovation and growth.' Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store