Catalyst Trust’s Mayoral Candidate Forum

Get behind the social media soundbites and political slogans with Queenstown’s only free and independent Mayoral Candidate Forum on Thursday, September 4.

South Island editor for Newsroom David Williams, formerly editor of the Mountain Scene, will again MC this second Catalyst Trust candidate forum.

Forum coordinator AJ Mason said Williams was invited to present the forum for his deep understanding of Queenstown Lakes’ community and issues, knowledge of the South Island political context, and his independence from current  Queenstown Lakes politics and business. 

All six mayoral candidates have been invited, so our community can understand what background, knowledge, policies, skills and values each would bring as leader of our council and community.

They will each have time to present their prepared pitch prior to questioning by a panel, moderated by Williams, based on audience questions and input from local high school students.

Catalyst Trust and Williams are holding workshops with interested students prior to the forum to ensure our community’s youngest voters can be actively involved in their first election and that potential mayors address youth perspectives. 

Registration is required. The forum is free, but koha for the Wakatipu High School Awhi Fund would be welcome. 

The candidates’ forum will be recorded and released the following day on Catalyst’s YouTube channel.

If you would like to check out last election’s Catalyst Mayoral Candidate Forum, here’s the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdaR_AMxgSo&ab_channel=CatalystTrust