Candidate Profile Statement

Leading the Newmarket Business Association for five years, I know local people want their councillor to be energetic, accessible and working hard for them. As a young family, the Brewers are committed to this community.

In these tough times local businesses and families expect visible results from their councillor.I have owned a business, worked in central and local body politics, and have a mortgage. I will always vote in support of careful spending and keeping rates affordable.

As a history graduate, I support local heritage and will oppose low-quality developments. Population growth is putting pressure on our schools and neighbourhoods. Let’s protect them.

I will work for infrastructure upgrades and better public transport, both critical to Orakei’s future.

I’ll go into bat for our sports clubs on facility upgrades and support more resources for local police. As your councillor I will work closely with the local board. www.cameronbrewer.co.nz

Announcement Statement - 15 July 2010

Chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association Cameron Brewer is contesting the new Orakei ward to be its first councillor on the Auckland Council.

The 37-year-old is standing as an independent candidate.

“The public is calling for some new faces – people who will bring a fresh and energetic approach to local body politics in Auckland. As I have shown with Newmarket, I will throw myself into this community over the coming years,” says Cameron Brewer.

Mr Brewer is a strong advocate for Auckland and business issues and has a proven track record for championing new infrastructure and delivering community projects. He says the first of his seven election commitments is to be accessible to the people of Orakei.

“People are genuinely worried that councillors will become too busy, too inaccessible, and will lose touch with local people and local problems. I love people and getting involved with community issues. I think I’ve made a positive difference to Newmarket. I’d now like to take my skills, experiences and contacts to Orakei.”

“Local government is about representing every resident and that’s what I’m committed to doing. However my own political colours are blue and will remain blue. I hope to be part of a centre-right majority that will provide the new council with much needed stability and commonsense leadership.

Mr Brewer is a member of the National Party and has been close to politics for over a decade. The former journalist was a press secretary to former National leader Dame Jenny Shipley, Auckland Mayor John Banks, and the now Local Government Minister Rodney Hide. In the mid-1990s he was touted the country’s youngest publisher when he founded Inside Otago – a community newspaper in Dunedin which he later sold to an Auckland investor.

Approximately 81,000 Aucklanders live in the Orakei ward which includes the areas of Remuera, Ellerslie, Orakei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie, Meadowbank, St Johns, and ‘Stonefields’.

“Stonefields in the old Mt Wellington Quarry will eventually be a community of 6,500 people. It’s a massive residential development and as councillor I will take a big interest in the added pressures such growth brings. I will also take a close interest in the proposed Orakei Point development.

“Because the area has some of New Zealand’s most beautiful beaches and residential streets everyone wants to come here. The challenge this century is to protect this area as the jewel in Auckland’s crown.

“I don’t pretend to know the issues or areas better than anyone else, but I am committed to listening and getting up to speed quickly. Over the next couple of months I intend on doing a lot of door-knocking, visiting community groups and school principals, and meeting local businesspeople.

Mr Brewer said the second of his seven commitments is to push to keep rates affordable.

“This council election is seeing huge promises made around massive infrastructural projects with multi-billon-dollar price tags. If Auckland wants these projects, we will have to find alternative funding sources. Our older citizens must not be forced to fund huge long-term projects through instant rates rises. I will stand up for the stretched ratepayer and I will be a strong advocate for Auckland getting cash out of central government when required.”

His five other commitments are listed on his website www.cameronbrewer.co.nz and will be detailed as the campaign progresses. Mr Brewer says the website will help him build a dialogue with the community, through this blog as well as links to Facebook and Twitter. However he says he’s more committed to wearing out the shoe leather.

“I’m going to give this my very best shot. I’ve conducted some extensive polling in recent weeks, and it shows if I work hard I’ve got a very good chance of being elected.

“People living in Remuera, Ellerslie and the eastern suburbs know me pretty well already. I now need to convince them that I am the best candidate for Orakei’s future and that’s what I’ll be campaigning on,” says Cameron Brewer.

The median age of the Orakei ward is 38-years-old. 44% of the Orakei population is between 25-54 years of age. 22.1% of the population is between 55-84 years of age. 33% were born overseas, with 15.3% describing themselves as Asian.

Email: cameron@cameronbrewer.co.nz

Top 5 Issues

1. Cameron Brewer has made seven commitments to the people of the Orakei ward.
   
   Brewer's 1st commitment: Making himself accessible.
   
   Cameron will host regular clinics, inviting residents and groups to see him on matters of local importance. Communication with local people will be paramount.
   
   
2. Brewer's 2nd commitment: Keeping rates affordable.
   
   With a family and a mortgage, Cameron is committed to standing up for young people, families, the self-employed, and our retired residents.
   
3. Brewer's 3rd commitment: Building stronger local businesses.
   
   With his Newmarket experience, Cameron will actively lend his support to strengthen local business districts including Remuera, Ellerslie, Mission Bay, and St Heliers.
   
   
4. Brewer's fourth commitment: Pushing for a long-term plan.
   
   How will the Auckland region cope with two million people by 2031? Cameron is committed to ensuring the council fully plans for Auckland’s long-term future.
5. Brewer's fifth commitment: Successfully fighting crime.
   
   Cameron brings a proven passion and track record for significantly reducing crime in Newmarket. He will support the police to reduce the many burglaries in our area.
   
   Brewer's sixth commitment: Protecting our heritage.
   
   The history graduate loves old buildings and hates what has been allowed to go up around Auckland in the past decade. If precious local heritage is at risk, he will fight for it.
   
   Brewer's seventh commitment: Promoting transport solutions.
   
   Cameron is committed to leading the charge on addressing local transport issues while making sure our neighbourhoods are protected.
   

Personal Profile

About Cameron Brewer

On 8 September, Cameron Brewer stepped down as chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association to campaign full-time to become the first Councillor for Orakei on the new Auckland Council. Already Cameron has a high personal profile in Auckland, largely due to his hard work as leader of the second largest business association in New Zealand for over five years.

Building a stronger community  

Without doubt Cameron has made a positive difference to the Newmarket community, taking the business association from 11th in overall performance to 1st, according to an Auckland City Council survey of Auckland’s 17 key business areas.

Cameron speaking at the official opening of the $35m Newmarket Railway Station, January 2010. Cameron successfully lobbied for a new station back in 2005.

 

He successfully lobbied to have the popular shopping strip of Broadway extensively upgraded and for Newmarket’s new $35m railway station to be fast-tracked. After a long battle he convinced Transit to signpost Newmarket on SH1, and when the RSA closed their Newmarket clubrooms, it was Cameron who took over the organising of the annual ANZAC Day parade and service.

As the leader of the country’s leading retailing district, Cameron worked hard to foster the Newmarket community and sense of identity. He has worked closely with the Newmarket Arts Trust and subsequently Newmarket now boasts some major and significant pieces of public art.

It was Cameron’s idea to have the award-winning local history book ‘Newmarket Lost & Found’ published this year and for it to include the memories of some of Newmarket’s oldest identities.

History, journalism then politics

Born 8 March 1973, Cameron has always been interested in history. It’s what he majored in at Massey University along with sociology. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts double major, he studied journalism and at the age of 21 was elected student president of one of the country’s biggest polytechnics.

He grew up on a sheep farm near Hawera in South Taranaki, with his two older brothers – Alistair (40) who lives in Kohimarama with his partner and Hamish (43) who lives in Melbourne with his wife and three children. Cameron’s parents, Hilary and David, have retired to Taupo. For five years he was a boarder at Wanganui Collegiate School.  

Cameron with his old boss former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, 2009

 

Cameron worked for six years as a political press secretary for former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, Act Leader Hon Rodney Hide, and Auckland City Mayor Hon John Banks. He also worked as a researcher in the previous National Government’s Parliamentary Research Unit.

Prior to that he founded and published a community newspaper in Dunedin, called ‘Inside Otago’ which he built up and then sold onto an investor. When the first issue rolled off the printing press in 1996 he was reportedly the youngest publisher in New Zealand at the age of 23.

Cameron has strong governance experience. As well as regularly reporting to the board of the Newmarket Business Association, Cameron sits on the charity board of United Way New Zealand and on the executive committee of the not-for-profit group Towns & Cities New Zealand. He is also a member of the New Zealand National Party.

Cameron and his wife Emma have one daughter, Lucy, who has just started school. He enjoys keeping fit and has run three Taupo half marathons and the Auckland Half Marathon.

Cameron with Emma and daughter Lucy at a family wedding, Kumeu Valley Estate, December 2009

 

He strongly values the importance of strong communities, building a better future for the next generations but never forgetting the past. His own great-great-great grandparents, Henry and Frances Brewer, were among Auckland’s early pioneers and are buried in Auckland’s historic Symonds Street cemetery.

An ability to make a difference  

While he maybe a sentimentalist, Cameron Brewer, is resolute when it comes to fighting crime and his record in Newmarket proves it.

As project manager Cameron successful brought together the police, a private security firm, a telecommunications company, Newmarket building owners, and members of the business association to establish the first CCTV public-private partnership of its kind in New Zealand. In 2008 a network of state-of-the-art CCTV security cameras went up throughout Newmarket. Since then local police claim overall crime in many key categories has fallen by up to 50%.

Cameron has also led the charge against graffiti, overseeing the community’s desire to eradicate graffiti from the streets and buildings. Newmarket is now largely graffiti-free.

Auckland Mayor City John Banks, former Newmarket Mayor David Lumsden, and Cameron Brewer at the opening of the redeveloped Lumsden Green in Newmarket, May 2010

 

Over the past five years Cameron has closely worked with a myriad of public sector authorities on a number of complicated infrastructural projects in and around Newmarket. Amazingly, nearly ½ billion dollars has been committed to infrastructural upgrades in Newmarket since 2005.

For Cameron most all the Newmarket projects he was employed to champion and oversee are now complete. He’s loved making a difference in the community and wants to continue doing just that.

Cameron has proven to be a tireless community advocate. He is regarded as one of New Zealand’s leading place makers. He is a promoter and a protector. Without doubt he has the skills, experiences, energy, enthusiasm and contacts for the betterment of the town centres, public spaces, and residential streets that make up the Orakei ward.

Cameron in full flight at an Auckland University Alumni debate on the “Super City” in 2009, with Councillor Richard Northey and Metro magazine editor Simon Wilson.