Environment Network Manawatū (@enviromanawatu.bsky.social)

Local Election 2025: ENM Meet The Candidates (PNCC) - Statements from the public The Meet The Candidates event was held at the Palmerston North Leisure Centre by Environment Network Manawatū on 27/08/25. This event was for candidates standing for the Palmerston North city Council and Te Pūao Māori Ward. In this section, candidates stood or sat to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements collected from the public. Find a podcast of the full event at www.mpr.nz/show/elections TIMESTAMPS 01:20 PNCC should commit to becoming a net zero organisation well before 2050. 02:13 Council should expand and adequately resource native habitat restoration and predator control across the city and its reserves. 02:50 Council should support the development and expansion of community gardens, urban farms, etc. 03:27 Council should aim to halve the amount of waste sent to landfill by 2035 04:09 Council should prioritise investment in public transport. cycling, and walking infrastructure over expanding road infrastructure for cars. 04:59 Council should require stronger protection for urban trees and green corridors in development and planning. 05:30 Council should integrate food resilience and food security into civil defense and climate mitigation planning. 06:07 Council should expand kerbside collection to include food scraps for composting and energy production. 07:07 Spankie Jackzon should be made a Dame for services to Palmerston North's international relations 07:52 Council should ensure that all new council-owned buildings and facilities meet energy efficiency and low-carbon design standards. 08:20 Council should work with mana whenua to integrate Mātauranga Māori into biodiversity protection and ecological restoration. 08:59 Council should prioritise making council-owned land available, where appropriate, for food-growing by communities, schools, and social enterprises. 09:57 Council should adopt procurement properties that favour sustainable, low-waste, and circular economy practices. 10:38 Cafe Cuba should live up to its name and reopen as a co-operative 11:19 Council should actively support and incentivise the uptake of renewable energy. 12:02 Council should allocate more resources to improving the ecological health of local waterways. 12:38 Council should partner with local organisations to reduce food insecurity by improving distribution of surplus food. 13:46 The Hurricanes main home ground should be Arena Manawatū (because our wind is better than Wellington's) 14:56 Do you have a Bee card? 15:50 Do you deem the two new fast food businesses on Rangitikei St as high-value businesses for Palmerston North? 16:37 Do you go tramping? 17:05 Do you ride a bike around the city? 17:53 Council should remove the remaining carparks from the Featherston Street/Rangitikei Street intersection. 20:16 Council should explore "out of the box" options for environmental and economic improvements. 21:31 The Four Wellbeings are a key responsibility of local government. 22:10 Council should prioritise infrastructure development for mode shift and public transport. 23:04 Māori wards? 23:42 Productive land should be protected for food production over housing or industrial purposes. https://youtu.be/VHav-p0RUf8