Hawkins believes his experience, including his troubled past in the justice system, makes his voice useful for improving rehabilitation and Corrections services.
Hawkins was jailed for a 2020 attack on a taxi driver in Havelock North, which left the driver with a broken nose and eye socket.
A summary of facts reported at the time said Hawkins had admitted planning to rob the driver, made phone calls luring the driver into a trap, and drove a getaway car from the scene.
Police believed four to five people had been involved in the 12.40am attack, for which Hawkins was sentenced to about eight months in prison.
The taxi driver said in a victim impact statement to the court: “This was the worst night of my life. I thought I was going to die that night.”
In 2022, Hawkins then went with another man to a Hastings home, where he bashed a man and assaulted the victim’s two children – aged 13 and 9 – as they tried to intervene to stop the assault.
He was convicted and given home detention for that ordeal.
Hawkins said he had turned his life around after his last conviction, and he wanted to give back in a sense.
“I’ve definitely taken a bit from the community, in terms of the issues that I have caused … and I’ve had a change and just want to serve the people.”
He now runs a small internet services company based in Te Hauke.
He said that during his rehabilitation he had been surrounded by good people, including a Christian community he was now involved in.
“That has really changed my life in a big way. It’s made me have a different outlook on life,” he said.
“I think I’ve come a long way from where I’ve been.”
Hawkins said he had relatives that associated with gangs, but had not been a gang member himself.
He said that in his view, his life experiences made him a good candidate for Parliament.
“My areas of focus – justice, Corrections, and business – are all areas that I have been involved in.
“You wouldn’t send a mechanic to do a dentist’s job, you wouldn’t send a chef to go do a plumber’s job, so who would you send to fix the Corrections system?
“You would send someone who is experienced, who is qualified in that area, even if it’s my lived experience.”
He said he wanted to improve support for people reintegrating into society, following time in custody, with more “wrap-around services”.
He also wants to improve job pathways to help businesses.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokeswoman Louise Parsons said she questioned whether Hawkins should be standing.
“Unfortunately, New Zealand law does not prevent a violent repeat offender from standing as a candidate, unless they are currently in prison serving a sentence for longer than three years, something the Sensible Sentencing Trust would have thought appropriate for his past offending,” she said, of Hawkins.
“There’s little prospect of Hawkins getting many votes from the good people of Tukituki.
“But we do hope he is true to his word and doesn’t reoffend.”
Sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert, who runs Independent Research Solutions, said Hawkins’ past shouldn’t disqualify him.
“We want people to rehabilitate into society and, I guess, this is an example of it.
“If people are open and honest about their past, then the voters can make an informed choice.”
He said a range of views was also good for democracy.
“As a general point, when people commit crimes, part of the justice system is to rehabilitate them, so they re-enter society and don’t reoffend, because that creates fewer victims.
“So, if people change their lives for the better, we should be embracing that as a concept because it is good for everyone.”
The official date for candidates to be nominated or to register for the upcoming election is September 7 to October 8, after which the official list of candidates will be released.
Hawkins has a mountain to climb to challenge the likes of Tukituki incumbent Catherine Wedd (National) and high-profile NZ First candidate Taine Randell.
Wedd won the seat in 2023 from Labour’s Anna Lorck. A Labour candidate for the seat has yet to be announced.