I am standing for the Auckland Council in the Albany Ward as a Citizens and Ratepayers candidate.  I am a New Zealand citizen.  I am a Korean New Zealander.  I live, work and think in both cultures.  I speak both languages fluently.  I am also a citizen of Albany, having lived in the North Shore over 15 years.

I have studied New Zealand law at Auckland University.  I have been trained in the practice of commercial law by one of Auckland’s oldest and most prestigious law firms, Russell McVeagh.  I have practiced New Zealand law in another fine old law firm, Brookfields Lawyers.  I was the first Korean woman to graduate in law and be admitted to the bar.

The Asian community is a fast growing part of Auckland’s future.  Its success is integral to it.  I see myself as a link and a bridge to ensure direct communication at the governance level between the old Auckland and the new emerging one.  I am one of the new generation of multi-cultural Aucklanders.

As a former Asian migrant I am part of the modern changing face of Auckland.  I am proud of my heritage but equally, like my family and many of my friends and neighbours, I have committed my future to the future of New Zealand and this great multicultural city of Auckland.

At this time, Auckland is re-inventing itself.  It is arguably the most challenging time since it became the first capital of New Zealand.  The founding fathers planned a business friendly city of outstanding beauty and quality of life.  It is now the duty of our new generation to pick up the elements of that precious gift and make them function effectively in this new world with its information technology, high mobility, a rapidly growing population and a society that now includes people of many cultures. 

The issues facing the Super City are fairly obvious and all candidates are in general agreement.  But the first and most urgent issues for this, the first governing body of greater Auckland is to put aside parochialism and work together for the good of the whole region.  Unless the quarreling that has frustrated collaborative action for many years is put aside, the new super-city structure will be no more effective than its predecessors.

In this first term election for the new governing body of greater Auckland, I am firmly of the view that the issues should not be parochial ward issues.  There is one overriding issue. 

Greenhithe provides the strategic link between the dynamic heart of Albany, the North Shore bays and the communities of Hobsonville and Whenuapai in the West.  These latter communities submitted to the Royal Commission that they had a closer connection to Albany than to the older established Waitakere city.  We need to embrace them for that and I will ensure that they play a full part in this new and fast growing part of Auckland.  I personally have many friends who live in Greenhithe that I visit to spend time with.  In particular, since April, I have attended the Greenhithe Ratepayers Association meetings and become more aware of local issues such as managing road maintenance to minimize erosion, drainage and flooding problems.

If elected I will frequently be communicating with you and your Local Board members making sure the Greenhithe voice is heard at the Council table and that your Local Plan is kept in focus.

I am committed to making sure that essential development necessary for growth takes place without compromising the unique characteristics of our villages and coastal settlements.  These need to be recognized as the uniting characteristics of greater Auckland. 

Because Albany is a rapidly developing area, its population is more diverse than most.  I feel that I am better placed than many candidates to understand and represent this diversity.  I will speak up for this widespread ward.  I will be in close contact with our Greenhithe residents and support its ‘Keeping the Green in Greenhithe’ and its Village Plan.

• Keeping Rates Affordable
• Protecting and Enhancing Our Unique Environments
• Keeping Rates Affordable

Our family migrated to New Zealand in 1992.  I studied New Zealand law at Auckland University.  I was the first ethnic Korean woman to graduate in law and be admitted to the bar in this country.  I have been trained in the practice of commercial law by one of Auckland’s oldest and most prestigious law firms, Russell McVeagh.  I have practiced New Zealand law in another fine law firm, Brookfields Lawyers.  In both these firms I was a bridge between established mainstream lawyers and the new emerging Asian communities seeking to live, trade, invest and do business in Auckland. 

Over a decade of legal practice, I acted for many individual migrant clients.  As a consequence, I well know the pressures that new migrants face in a new country with different laws and a different business culture.  A critical issue for the future of Auckland will be how well its governing Council understands and deals with its migrant communities.  I believe that with my dual cultural background and legal experience, I can be an effective advocate on behalf of both the Auckland Council and the migrant communities in Auckland. 

My wider community interests include:

• Member of the Executive Committee of the Korea-New Zealand Business Council;
• Involved in the establishment and management of the North Shore Korean Voice Trust, a charitable trust incorporated to provide advocacy on behalf of Korean ratepayers living in the North Shore city between 2007 and 2008;
• Board member of the Korean Cinerama Trust, which, in liaison with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, organised Korean Film Festivals in 2004, 2006 and 2008;
• Member of South Korea’s Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification.
  

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