With the 2023 Election less than a week away, the time to decide who to vote for has come.

If you are still on the fence, check out our Billie Votes profiles on the young women running for parliament.

Name: Ciara Swords

Age: 28

Political Party: The Opportunities Party

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in politics?

I definitely didn’t think I’d be running for parliament in my 20’s!

It was in my second year of university I started to become interested in politics. Strangely, I spent one summer listening to a lot of talk radio and hearing people voicing concerns and opinions on various topics and issues - which was probably the catalyst in my initial interest in the political space.

I studied economics, and one paper that has shaped me to this day is a public economics paper. I can still picture the graph in my brain that showed the housing demand and tax from property in NZ compared to other countries and how NZ pours all their money into property speculation because it is not taxed.

I came across TOP when they first started in 2017, and I new I found my political home when learning about their property tax policy, and other cool policy around Universal Basic Income and climate. I convinced some friends to vote for them!

I started volunteering in the 2020 election, helping out at local markets and handing out flyers. One of the candidates saw potential in me and suggested I put my hand up to run as a candidate myself. So they fast tracked me to running as a candidate in the Whangarei electorate where I grew up. I jumped into it pretty naively, but it was an incredibly challenging and amazing experience.

It has truly helped grow to where I am now, going from jobless with not much career in 2020, to now co-managing a workspace provider.

Now I’m based in Mt Albert, Auckland, where I’m running as a candidate in this election.

What do you think drew you to a career as a politician?

I haven’t been elected yet, so not quite a career as it’s actually costing me to run a campaign! However it’s one of the main ways you can make an impact on important decisions that get made in our country, which impact our communities. I believe most people who go into politics do want to have a positive impact, we just have different perspectives on how we get there. However, when talking with people on the campaign trail, I believe we are more similar than different. TOP want to work collaboratively on a cross-party basis to make sure we are not just squabbling over issues, but working together towards meaningful solutions.

Tell us about your political party? Why did you choose to stand for them?

TOP is the reason I jumped into politics. The main issue I am passionate about is housing affordability, and my economics background taught about the tax “loophole” in property investment. This drives the demand for property. TOP is the only party willing to address this with a Land Value tax. This can practically be done instantly as we have the data captured through LINZ, unlike a Wealth Value tax which would require additional valuation procedures. Not only that, we acknowledge when a good idea IS a good idea from any party regardless if left or right. We just want action, so we are willing to work collaboratively with any political party to move NZ forward.

In your opinion, what are the biggest issues facing New Zealand today?

Unaffordable (and unhealthy) housing. This is the root cause for so many other issues like poverty and health. It also impacts the wider economy as kiwis do not invest their money towards businesses and innovation (things that provide jobs and increase income) as property is a much better deal here. We genuinely cannot build our way out of this either - we should certainly increase supply - but we need to address the demand side as well and ensure that we are not encouraging property speculation.

What are the biggest issues facing the youth of New Zealand?

Mental health, as there is a lot of uncertainty for young people’s futures’, especially with climate change and technology rapidly evolving. Young people need to be given tools to thrive. We are giving people under 30 years old a signal that we want to invest in them with our Teal Card policy, which captures many things but will provide free healthcare including mental health services.

Getting young people involved in politics and voting has long been an issue - why do you think it is important for young people to not only vote but educate themselves about who and what they are voting for?

Admittedly, politics can be boring and there is a lot of information to digest if you want to vote in an informed way, which makes less appealing to young and busy people. Tools like policy.nz and votecompass.tvnz.co.nz are very useful in narrowing down which parties align with your values.

I think what would really help is lowing the voting age to 16 with the caveat that there is a civics education in school. This is something TOP strongly support.

It’s important to get young people voting, as there is naturally a skew towards old people overrepresenting the voting population, and they don’t always have young peoples’ interest in mind. I’ve actually found that many younger people, especially university students, are incredibly knowledgeable on politics. However it is important young people to have a look at what the policies are, and can be worthwhile attending a local meet the candidates event for understanding their local electorate issues.

How would you sum up what your party stands for a young person?

One of our core focuses is to invest in our younger generation. We appreciate that young people face a future of extreme weather, barriers to secure housing and widening inequality. We are doing this with our Teal Card policy which is free healthcare (including dental, eye care and mental) and public transport for anyone under 30 year’s old, $5,000 tax-free savings boost at age 18 with a civics services program.

What are the top three policies your party is focussing on this election?

- Teal Card

- Transition to climate-resilient economy with stronger emissions trading scheme

- Fair tax system, increase income by lowing income tax, including a tax-free threshold of $15,000. NZ is an anomaly not having a tax-free threshold. This is paid for with Land Value Tax.

Have you got any policies that are focussed on youth issues? If so, what are they?

The Teal Card

Is there anything you, in particular, are campaigning for this election?

Affordable housing, the most effective policy for this to be achieved is the Land Value tax.

Do you have any plans in place to engage and involve young people in the political decision-making process?

Yes, we have two candidates (including myself) in their 20’s. Dr Nina Su running in Epsom the other young candidate and helped write our health policy. Some of our core staff members including chief of staff and chief of strategy are also in their 20’s. We support lowering the voting age to 16 and our policy includes civics education in schools.

Do you think the voting age should be lowered to 16? Why or why not?

Yes, as a key way to get the younger voting turnout higher. Young people bring fresh ideas and perspectives that are important to be represented. Plus they are the ones inheriting our future’s problems.

Why should those under the age of 18 still take an interest in politics?

They can still make an impact by influencing others to vote or volunteering for their preferred party. There are many older people who are worried about their children and grandchildren's uncertain future, so people under 18 can still make a difference when engaging with them. They also bring a completely different perspective, and diversity of thought is impactful.

How will you ensure that the voices of young voters are heard and represented in government?

We have many young people involved in our core party, and we also have a youth wing called Young TOP that work closely with our candidates around the country.

Can you describe your vision for the country's future?

Where it isn’t so difficult for a young person to afford living, especially in relation to cost of housing.

Where we have opportunities for high paying roles and getting ahead financially without moving to Australia. Older people are investing in young people’s ideas, especially in technology solving your climate problems.

We create more biodiversity in our flora and fauna, especially by waterways, protecting our freshwater and avoiding further erosion of coastal areas. Liveable urban areas built for community focus and green space, and where you can transport yourself easily without a car.

What legacy do you hope to leave behind in terms of empowering the youth and strengthening democracy?

I think by simply being a younger person entering politics, especially at public events and debates, I have been told it’s been impactful for young people to see. I’m also quite a normal girl, into things like fashion, beauty, music and food. I’m hoping that being a well rounded person, in contrast to the super academic types, makes an impression that you don’t need to be an expert to get involved in politics.

All major New Zealand political parties were invited to take part in this interview series. Those not represented chose not to respond.