Mt Albert Candidate Interview: Helen White

NEWS | ISSUE ELEVEN | MAHIMAHI / SEX

Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n 

I met Helen White at Crave in Morningside, and immediately apologised for embarrassing myself when our tables were next to each other at the Sem 2 Clubs day and I couldn’t properly respond to her korero as I had a Musashi mint chocolate protein bar taking up every corner of my mouth. It was good to catch up properly - I’ve seen her across billiards for years, and despite conservative leaning publications stoking the flames of dissatisfaction, there’s not a single part of her that would want to give up the seat to another candidate.

When we caught up, the leadership challenge that was totally just Chris Penk and nobody else framing him for mutiny had concluded with the Kaipara ki Mahurangi candidate confirming he would not seek re-election at the end of the year. White shared the sentiment echoed across the political aisle:

Helen White

Somebody got the popcorn to the media, right? It has been extraordinary in lots of ways. It's been interesting at that level, and it feels a little bit detached from people's realities. It's all a bit ugly, quite frankly. It's a strange thing, because you do know people. I know Chris Penk, and I like Chris Penk, even though he doesn't believe a lot of the same things I do. I know he's got little kids and he's a nice guy, and there's a lot of respect for his style across the spectrum.

Liam Hansen

Have you just come up from a few days in Wellington?

Helen White

Yeah, and I'm completely exhausted. I've had a really fantastic day-to-day in the electorate. It can sound banal or cliche, but having an electorate means you go into your community, and the amount of positive energy that comes out is pretty important because it isn't necessarily like that in Parliament.

Liam Hansen

There's a certain amount of vibrancy that comes to Mt Albert as well. I'm living in Wesley, as we got shifted from Mt Roskill to Mt Albert earlier this year when they did the electorate boundary changes. It's an area I've chosen to live in for a lot of my life, usually in flats.

Helen White

Same with me. I started here when I was 18. I moved into a flat on Springfield Road and rented the laundry because it was half the price of a room. t's an area that's incredibly inclusive, and Wesley is amazing. Today I was at the Wesley Market, and it feels so cool. All these people run little stalls with great stories, and getting to know those stories is very grounding.

Liam Hansen

You had to take on the torch a bit from Jacinda Ardern when she resigned in 2023. Were you already working in the Mt Albert area before that point?

Helen White

I was in Helen Clark's LEC (Labour Electorate Committee), which is a group that meets every month. Helen was extraordinary to watch. She had an amazing attention to detail and was very open and straightforward about what was going on in politics. Going to her LEC meetings was a remarkable experience.

The inner city vibrancy has expanded here partly due to affordability. When I grew up in Ponsonby in the 70s, it was full of creatives who can no longer afford it. Around here, that's happening, and so there's some really amazing stuff as a result of affordability. 

Liam Hansen

So much of Auckland's creative sector is within this block in Morningside, places that can't afford offices in Ponsonby or Karangahape Road. I still frequent venues like 605, BIG FAN, and Portland Public House, which have been really important spaces for the community in and around Mt Albert. Do you visit those venues much?

Helen White

I used to go to 605 when I had more time. Back then, it was painted black, had mirrors inside, stemless wine glasses, and was run by a French guy. It's changed a lot, but the area is full of that kind of opportunity, helping the whole city. With the train coming here, it's going to be even more accessible.

Liam Hansen

You've been the electorate candidate or leader here for three years now. Have there been major changes you've seen throughout that time?

Helen White

We are seeing a rush of change, and it's important that people keep a local focus because the circumstances here are particular. We have train stations planned for intensification, and how we do that will dictate community quality. We also lack proper stormwater systems; our volcanic rock means water soaks through in some areas and not in others, making flood management vital. Infrastructure needs to keep pace. For example, Mt Albert Grammar had under 3,000 students when my kids went there and is at 3,600 now. It's time for another secondary school in the area, but decision-makers often defer spending. You can't build housing without building community facilities at the same time.

Liam Hansen

Politics often focuses on saving money and trimming expenses, which is difficult in an electorate like this where maintenance, stormwater infrastructure, and train stations have been deferred for years. A lot of the momentum started under the last Labour government got cut off.

Helen White

Wesley had a community-designed rebuild plan that was well-consulted and properly funded for foundational works. Then everything stopped. For example, Wesley Intermediate was set to be upgraded into a middle school for 800 kids to take pressure off Mt Albert Grammar. Now, because development stalled, families who moved out were unable to move back, and the school is down to 105 children. Even if the government says it's 'on hold,' we need it now. We have an affordable housing crisis, and that project was set to build 11,000 houses, including 5,000 state houses. That plan hasn't happened, while homelessness issues persist.

Liam Hansen

Wasn’t light rail planned for the area too?

Helen White

Light rail was often misunderstood. It was designed to connect Auckland's two primary employment hubs, the central city and the airport precinct (including Mangere Bridge) - so people could commute to work, rather than just being a quick airport express. Wesley would have been connected through that network. There are long-term plans reserving land next to the motorway for an additional rail loop around the city, however, we currently lack the long-term political consensus to execute these major projects.

Liam Hansen

Have you had difficulty working with the council side of things, or is it similar to Parliament with differing opinions?

Helen White

I have really good working relationships with councillors across political lines. For instance, at a Balmoral residents meeting, I worked well with Christine Fletcher and Kendra, who have different political views than me. I also work closely with City Vision councillors like Julie Fairey, who is extremely knowledgeable about flooding plans. I host public meetings with panels representing different perspectives - such as urbanists and Character Coalition representatives on Plan Change 120 - so residents can hear balanced views. As a community leader, I use my role to facilitate engagement and help compile commonalities into submissions.

Liam Hansen

We're surrounded by smaller live music venues, hospitality spots, and local cinemas like the Capitol in Balmoral. How does that interact with Western Springs and Eden Park as they host more major events and concerts? Are you happy with how the Major Events Fund is being distributed?

Helen White

I took a strong position on Western Springs when the Mowbrays proposed an exclusive lease. As the city grows, we need venue spaces of various sizes, and I wanted to preserve a coordinated plan across Auckland for different event scales, combining concert spaces with public sports grounds. I was opposed to locking up that land for 99 years.

Regarding Eden Park, local surveys showed residents supported using the stadium for more events. Since the carbon footprint of building it has already happened, double-purposing it makes sense. They've done a good job opening it up for events like Eid and major concerts. However, big venues shouldn't replace intimate spaces where grassroots creativity happens.

Liam Hansen

Speaking of creative spaces, you spoke recently about the Carrington building's potential - whether as a new high school or a community arts hub. What is your perspective on it?

Helen White

Iwi have a sale and purchase agreement on the land, and I respect that Iwi will decide what happens to the building. Leasing part of it to the Ministry of Education for a school could generate revenue for Iwi while restoring the building. Ideally, it could serve multiple functions: a school, a community hub, and a replacement for the local prefab library.

While some claim seismic restoration is too costly, heritage buildings elsewhere - like unreinforced brick structures in Dunedin - have been successfully retrofitted. I've written to Paul Majurey offering a community group's help to re-tile and waterproof the roof at no cost to future-proof the structure.

Liam Hansen

Mt Albert has historically been seen as a safe seat, but this election feels more uncertain with Melissa Lee close last time, Ricardo Menéndez March running a strong campaign, and TOP contesting as well. Do you see third parties as an opportunity for growth or something you're uncertain about?

Helen White

I'm cautious about TOP following Jack Tame's interview with them, as it was hard to determine what they stand for. A political party needs to understand power imbalances, which is why I joined Labour. Under MMP, local electorate representation remains essential - it grounds national policy in real community realities.