Denise Messiter(Nin) has announced she will run for Mayor of Thames–Coromandel.
Messiter has launched a bold and community-driven campaign for the 2025 local elections, under the banner “This is our moment.”
Unlike traditional campaigns, she is harnessing the power of digital platforms and grassroots engagement to connect with underrepresented voices across the district.
Messiter, a respected community advocate and Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, is running on a platform of inclusion, accountability, and connection.
In a release, Messiter of Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau described herself a lifelong advocate and changemaker with more than 40 years of frontline leadership experience across local government, housing, infrastructure, health and community development.
Her journey began as a young advocate during the Māori land rights and reo revitalisation
movements of the 1970s and 80s — a time that shaped her unwavering belief in fairness,
equity, and tino rangatiratanga.
Currently, she serves as Chief Executive of Te Whāriki Manawāhine o Hauraki.
Her campaign is designed to reach groups often left out of local politics — including rangatahi, Māori voters, takatāpui and rainbow whānau, renters, solo parents, and first-time voters.
“This isn’t about top-down promises,” Messiter said. “It’s about listening first, and delivering change alongside the people who make this district what it is.”
Messiter said she is the only candidate currently running a region-wide digital outreach effort, with a feedback tool to gather community views and active engagement across Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Her team says the approach is already resonating with voters who have felt ignored or excluded.
The campaign’s kaupapa — “This is our moment” — aims to rally residents from all walks of life: the koro frustrated with broken roads, the māmā raising children in overpriced rentals, young voters wanting a voice, and the volunteers, business owners, and kaumātua who keep small towns thriving.
“Thames–Coromandel deserves leadership that shows up, listens, and delivers,” she said. “I’m here to restore trust and build something better — together, ” she said.
How great is this finally someone who is thinking about those disengaged, who feel their voice means nothing. The numbers from the last election show that less than half the eligible voting population didn’t bother to vote. And her social media content is quite provocative and will definitely touch a nerve with a few people. Good luck to her I say!