Jacinta Penn would like to seize this opportunity to give back to the community and help Papakura grow and flourish.  My husband Greg, a local electrician, was born and raised in rural Papakura.  We have lived in urban Papakura for over 10 years and I have been familiar with Drury for almost 30 years.  

As a working mother, previously in IT & retail, now a Professional Member of CDANZ and qualified Career Counsellor, I have been working with people with disabilities and am now working as a Consultant and Advocate, so I have strong ties to the community here.  I have been lucky enough to meet an incredible variety of people of all cultures, education and socio-economic levels.  Thus I hope to offer an understanding of both business and social needs. I ask for your vote if you want someone not afraid to ask questions or answer them. 

Please support our Citizens & Ratepayers candidates. 

Top 5 Issues

1. Economic Development with environmental responsibility, including smarter partnerships with business and community groups and improved parking within our town centre
2. Strengthening and protecting our local community, ensuring Papakura interests are represented to Council
3. Minimizing cost while maximising quality of services
4. Making our streets safer
5. Improved transport ensuring strong links to and from Papakura to the rest of Auckland

Personal Profile

I was born and raised in Auckland, with both parents being pilots.  My father was the co-pilot in the Erebus tragedy and my mother became a respected flying instructor and commerical pilot herself.  We then moved to the Coromandel Peninsula where I finished schooling with NZ Correspondence School and was Student Representative on the Board of trustees, which involved travelling around talking with students about their concerns. 

I worked in the IT industry for 10 years in sales and recruitment including retail and have a good understanding of retail business which I think will be highly useful in understanding the needs of Papakura retailers.  I entered tertiary training as an Adult student and completed my Graduate Diploma in Career Development with AUT.  I have been working in career and vocational work for the past four years.  I have worked privately as a Career Coach, particularly during our tough year of redundancies last year and also worked with Sickness Beneficiaries and ACC clients assisting them to move towards employment.  I am continuing to study while working full-time with Open Polytechnic  in areas of interest including business law and organisational management.  If elected, I would expect to move to a part-time or contract role so I can fulfil my duties with the energy I'm sure will be required.

I have been visiting Drury and Ardmore since I was 7 years old and have lived in Papakura for over 10 years in Takanini, Red Hill and now Papakura Central.  I have strong ties to Papakura and am keen to see it grow and flourish.  My background has taught me how to listen, not just to what people say, but to how they feel, and what they really need.  I'm a strong believer in open communication and am already discussing ideas with my colleagues on how we can encourage this further for community groups and businesses in the area.  I have already heard from many locals and retailers how safety and vandalism is a huge concern for them and would work with the police to continue and extend the excellent work they have already been doing in this area.  I have heard concerns about our youth in the area, and would encourage current projects working hard in this area, and try to make sure they have the support they need.  I'm strongly interested in economic development in our area and would like to continue and extend our business breakfasts to provide all the tools local business needs to learn how to grow their business, whether this is through marketing, mentoring, use of social media, developing trade opporunities overseas or creating business partnerships.  Due to my other interests and backgrounds, I am aware of many ways we can provide free, inexpensive or sponsored education in this area.

As a working mother and what the papers call a "fresh face" to local council, I will be applying all the skills I have learnt in business and as a mother, using my willingness to ask questions, research information, question status quo and listen to other viewpoints.  I can see that I would be able to work easily with many of the other candidates running for our local board, and council.  I hope my colleagues on Citizens & Ratepayers will also be able to work with me.

Today I walked the new Westbound Motorway with my family.  It was a great moment we can visualise telling our grandkids in the future.  I can see how this is going to benefit Papakura hugely with strengthening our ties to the Airport and the rest of Auckland, combined with excellent and affordable opportunities for business to come to our area, bringing with them jobs and economic growth.  It's time to seize the moment, and work hard so we can have a great future for our area.