Ads by Google Ads by Google

Samoan church minister in the race for Auckland’s top job

In the race to be Auckland’s next mayor Rev Uesifili Unasa is asking voters to embrace the city’s diversity.Speaking to Pacific Scoop in the middle of the campaign, the independent candidate says his message to voters is to use the mayoral race as an opportunity to think differently about Auckland’s multiculturalism, and to “unite our differences”.Rev Unasa is very open and articulate about his political ideas. He says he has the ambition and the values to lead the people of Auckland.It takes courage for him, as a man of the cloth, to put his smiling face on election signs all over the city.He says he stands as an independent mayoral candidate and he wants Auckland council’s policies and resourcing to work more for the less well-off communities.He sees Auckland as one big multi-flavoured cake, and he likes to see all Aucklanders enjoy as many flavours and toppings as they can instead of hanging onto the chewed corners.“I want to make the central city everybody’s city. I find people from South Auckland or the North Shore don’t find the central city theirs.“We’ve spent billions of dollars on the waterfront, but many people think it’s a place for the rich. It’s everyone’s waterfront, so that thinking needs to change,” he says.