Dame Sue Bagshaw and Norm Dewes nominate Phil Mauger for Mayor

Dame Sue Bagshaw, Phil Mauger, Norm Dewes outside the site of the new Youth Hub.

Two of Christchurch’s most community minded people Dame Sue Bagshaw and Norm Dewes have nominated Phil Mauger to run for Mayor in the upcoming Christchurch local body elections.

Dame Sue Bagshaw is a youth health doctor and Chair of the charitable trust building the Christchurch Youth Hub. She was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), for services to youth health and in 2019 became a Dame Companion of the same Order (DNZM), also for services to youth health.  The Mauger family have a long history of supporting the Charity Hospital which Dame Sue supported her husband Dr Phil Bagshaw to start.

Norm Dewes is the chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngā Maata Waka, an organisation focussed on Māori health and education. Prior to that Norm worked as a trade union secretary for 27 years.

Dame Sue Bagshaw says she believes Phil Mauger wants to be constructive with the creation of a thriving and innovative city and surrounding environment. “I am supporting Phil because he knows how to get on with the job. If he sees something good that needs to be done, he does not hesitate. He listens to people, and I think he is the right man to become our next Mayor.”

A long-time resident of Christchurch’s East, Norm Dewes has known Phil for close to five years. Norm is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community.

“I am looking for a person of action, not a talker to be our next Mayor and Phil fits that bill. He has proved that he can get things done on the East side of Christchurch. We need someone as our Mayor who is a leader, but also is close to the ground working with iwi, business and the community,” says Norm Dewes. “Phil is a people person and would be able to represent Christchurch at any level.”

Phil Mauger says he is humbled that Dame Sue and Norm are supporting his nomination to run for Mayor. “Both Sue and Norm have contributed so much to the social fabric of our city and we are lucky that people like them call Christchurch home.

“If elected Mayor I will bring a fresh style and a no-nonsense, can-do attitude to the Council table, which means stuff will get done. As Mayor it will be my job to bring Councillors from both sides of the political spectrum together to make decisions that are best for our city and Banks Peninsula.

“After three years on Council, I have got the message, loudly and clearly, from residents that we need to get the basics right. My main goal will be regaining peoples’ trust in Council.

“We clearly cannot keep doing the same things.  We need to lift our ratepayer’s confidence that Council will make the right decisions for the city and Banks Peninsula,” says Phil Mauger.