Goodin stands for council by-election

PRESS STATEMENT

Teresa Goodin

Local woman and former Kaitake Community Board member Teresa Goodin has declared her intention to put herself forward as a candidate in the upcoming New Plymouth District Council by-election.

Teresa says she will hit the ground running if she is elected to council. She has several years experience in local government, three years as a community board member and she has also worked for Wanganui District Council as a project manager in economic development. Teresa was responsible for creating the successful Wanganui Festival of Glass and she understands that one of the keys to creating vibrant, safe and prosperous communities is relationships based on trust, co-operation and mutual benefit.

As a thirty-six year old woman Teresa says she would like to see more people on council that represent her world-view and demographic, a more diverse group around the table. “The world is changing rapidly and there are some complex challenges on the horizon, I think more people of my generation need take on leadership positions and get involved in the decision making process, after all a lot of the decisions being made today are going to have a big impact on our future” says Teresa.

Teresa is passionate about community resilience, the sustained ability of a community to utilize available resources to respond to, withstand, and recover from adverse situations. She says “I believe my generation and my son’s generation will face unprecedented challenges, climate and resources are probably at the top of the list. My greatest motivation in standing for council is to ensure that the decisions and choices we make today create a sustainable, healthy and prosperous future for generations that will follow.”

Teresa is keen to champion community initiatives that support community resilience and environmental integrity such as local food production and community gardens; biodiversity through habitat restoration; walkways and cycleways; pesticide-free public land policies; renewable energy and appropriate technology; and local enterprise and entrepreneurship.'

Teresa asserts that she does not share fellow candidate Reuben Doyle’s enthusiasm for water fluoridation and believes that we he hasn’t done his homework on the issue based on his public statements. “There is mounting scientific evidence that the chemicals used to fluoridate water are harmful to human health. Earlier this year The Lancet, the world's oldest and most prestigious medical journal, published a report classifying Fluoride as a dangerous neurotoxin. The report puts Fluoride in the same category Arsenic, Lead, and Mercury.” says Teresa.

In light of scientific developments in the past few years, Teresa supports a precautionary approach and believes that hydrofluorosilicic acid should not be reintroduced to the public water supply until it is proven safe for everyone in our community. She is particularly concerned about the health impacts of fluoride on bottle fed babies, who receive about 200 times more fluoride than a breast fed baby. Several government agencies and health departments in North America are now advising parents to avoid using fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula.

Teresa says that even though she is young, optimistic and full of energy she doesn’t have any grand ambitions or illusions about entering politics and creating change. She says that “the mentors that have influenced me the most all advocate the ‘chipping away at the edges’ approach if you want to make a real difference.”