Hanford\u2019s so happy-go-lucky she\u2019s already \u201cblocked from my mind\u201d an August Labour-aligned poll<\/a> that put her ahead of current National \u014ctaki MP Tim Costley by nearly four percentage points, at 37.5% to his 33.6% (the new Kapiti electorate takes in much of the now defunct \u014ctaki seat). It\u2019s just as well that Handford isn\u2019t thinking about polls; there\u2019s a whole six weeks of campaigning to get through before she reaches the finish line, and she\u2019s not rushing to measure the drapes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s often seen as a bit of a sleepy area, but Handford says K\u0101piti has experienced a growth spurt since the 2022 opening of Transmission Gully, which has made travel to and from Wellington quicker and easier. It\u2019s an \u201centrepreneurial\u201d area with small business owners and families mostly worried about house prices and demand, says Handford. State housing is lacking, and the area\u2019s reputation for being a home to well-off retirees has meant pockets of deprivation have been overlooked. \u201cWe have to get out there and actively tell those stories,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n (If you\u2019re wondering about K\u0101piti vs Kapiti, there is debate over the use of the macron; the council uses it in its full name but not for its M\u0101ori ward<\/a>, as mana whenua prefer it without.)<\/p>\n Handford\u2019s climate advocacy may have left some assuming she was Greens-aligned, but the Labour Party is in Handford\u2019s blood. She feels she\u2019s \u201cstanding on the shoulders\u201d of her grandfather, a man who \u201cgave a lot of time and energy to the Labour movement\u201d. Handford sees her role within the party as a \u201creally big opportunity\u201d to further climate action by tying it into cost-of-living concerns; Labour has offered a few policies that address both issues this campaign, like a public transport rate cap and solar subsidies.<\/p>\n Whatever way it\u2019s served, Handford hopes making affordability a central part of the climate conversation could \u201cdecrease the polarisation that currently exists\u201d. It shouldn\u2019t fall on the Greens to be the one voice for the climate in parliament, she says. \u201cWe need more voices within every party who have that as a key focus.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of work, Handford is more of \u201can active relaxer\u201d than a hobbies person. Self-described as an \u201coutwardly focused person\u201d, Handford says she\u2019s often too busy \u201cconstantly trying to feel things around me\u201d to read or knit. But a stay at a Zen Buddhist retreat with other climate activists earlier this year helped her find some balance. A daily mix of 17 hours of silence and four hours of yoga taught Handford a lot about \u201cimpermanence\u201d, and knowing that \u201cI am everything and everything is me\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we drink a cup of tea, we\u2019re drinking a cloud,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhen we walk on the Earth, the Earth is us.\u201d Handford gives a shy smile, like I might be judging her spiritual leanings. Maybe I should\u2019ve worn my woo-woo braids<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the campaign trail, Handford has her support channels \u2013 and group chats. There\u2019s the one between Labour\u2019s female candidates, where her \u201csisters\u201d trade advice and hype each other up (\u201cCarmel\u2019s like, \u2018you got this, ladies’\u201d). And her group chat with Labour\u2019s Rotorua candidate Fisher Wang and the Greens\u2019 Nelson candidate Rohan O\u2019Neill Stevens. They were all elected to their respective local councils at 19 years old in 2019, have ridden out a few elections already and now all hope to make the transition to central government together this year.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no guidebook to winning elections, but strong moral support seems to have worked pretty well for these guys so far. \u201cWe\u2019ve just been figuring it out by doing it together,\u201d Handford says.<\/p>\n THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A<\/p>\n How much should a pint cost?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t really drink, so it\u2019s not something I have a good measure of. But I would say under $15.<\/p>\n Do you have a karaoke go-to?<\/p>\n I love me a bit of Taylor Swift. I probably mostly go for \u2018Blank Space\u2019. But also, love anything Abba \u2013 especially \u2018Dancing Queen\u2019.<\/p>\n Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?<\/p>\n I love a garden bar style, but again, when we say drink, I mean a lemon, lime and bitters. In Waikanae, we have Salt and Wood which is really popular, and the Waterfront Bar [in Raumati] has a great view, and they\u2019ve just upgraded with a rooftop bar.<\/p>\n Which three candidates would be on your pub quiz team?<\/p>\n I\u2019d say [Labour Kenepuru candidate] Barbara Edmonds, because she\u2019s so intelligent, she\u2019s really good with numbers, and she knows how to muster eight children, so she\u2019d know how to coordinate the quiz team. I also feel like [Green Auckland Central candidate] Chl\u00f6e Swarbrick is another one who would be quick and quite brainy. And for political neutrality, I feel like [NZ First\u2019s] Winston Peters could do history.<\/p>\n Which candidate from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?<\/p>\n [National North Shore candidate] Simon Watts. On the climate change and local government front, there\u2019s a lot going on at the moment that I don\u2019t understand. I want to peel back the layers of the onion.<\/p>\n Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?<\/p>\n When I was on council, we had a lot of conversations around Easter Sunday trading, and I think that\u2019s something communities need to work through with their own people. I also read Max Harris\u2019s<\/a> answer around foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FADS), and that\u2019s something I want to echo. We need to put more resourcing into understanding it.<\/p>\n What\u2019s a policy area we\u2019ve been nursing without finishing the glass?<\/p>\n I feel like there\u2019s a whole bunch of things we need to go further and faster on. We talk a lot about climate change and local agreements and nationally determined contributions, but the [United Nations\u2019] decisive decade of action is the end of 2030. Have we really done enough when warming is now looking like it\u2019s above the 1.5 degrees [threshold in the Paris Agreement]?<\/p>\n I mean, it\u2019s never going to be \u201cdone\u201d and we have a climate-just world. But it\u2019s something we need to be actively investing in, because the cost of inaction just gets too high. And that\u2019s also something we don\u2019t talk about enough: how do you put a value on losing entire ecosystems and cultures?<\/p>\n What qualities make a good drinking partner?<\/p>\n Someone who\u2019s authentic, has a smile and is able to look on the bright side of life. I think it\u2019s important that we talk about the hard stuff and work our way through that.<\/p>\n Have you ever had a Schnapps election moment where you regretted your political instinct?<\/p>\n Running a campaign of this scale is a lot about trusting your gut. My guts serves me well; there\u2019s still a lot of imposter syndrome that comes with this. I\u2019m not going to pretend there isn\u2019t; that\u2019s why I like having an amazing team of people.<\/p>\nPhoto: Lyric Waiwiri-Smith\/The Spinoff<\/p>\n
Handford for School Strike 4 Climate in 2019. (Photo: Facebook\/Sophie Handford)<\/p>\n