She\u2019s not worried about balancing the potential demands of a local board seat with her other commitments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do believe that if you want to do something, you\u2019re going to make the time for it and you\u2019re going to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
For O\u2019Keefe, age is no disadvantage: she thinks her youth offers a different perspective other board members might be sorely lacking.<\/p>\n
She hopes \u201cto add a different element to the local board that other people may not be able to add\u201d – especially those who have held a seat for a while.<\/p>\n
The Glen Eden resident became interested in running for a board position after presenting a submission on behalf of her climbing club.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe local board was advocating for youth, but there actually wasn\u2019t anyone that was a youth member on that board,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided when I turn 18, I would put my name forward so that I could fill that gap and be the connection between youth and the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Keefe said she thinks the Wait\u0101kere Ranges district has been under-resourced.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re unable to do things like open up our tracks,\u201d she said, or deal with kauri dieback, an incurable disease threatening Wait\u0101kere Forest.<\/p>\n
She hopes to redirect investment into local roads, tracks, and transport, with the aim of making the region the \u201cjewel\u201d of T\u0101maki Makaurau.<\/p>\n
Bianca O’Keefe’s campaign signs have gone missing – something she puts down to her gender and age. Photo \/ Michael O’Keefe.<\/p>\n
The Independent candidate had issues with her signs being stolen last month, prompting her father, Michael, to urge the community to report any they see \u201cin a wrong place\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also been a lot of like social media hate as well\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
She believes that abuse isn\u2019t only related to her gender, but also her young age, which has attracted a lot of commentary online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like a very controversial thing, I think. Like, you either love it, or you hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the critics, she wonders what the point of their \u201chate\u201d really is.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who\u2019s running on that board is just a person who wants to make a difference in their community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy aren\u2019t they running? Why aren\u2019t they putting their name forward then if they want to advocate and do all that?\u201d<\/p>\n
But the teen hasn\u2019t been discouraged by the \u201cupsetting\u201d backlash, reflecting that she is glad young people are becoming more engaged with local politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important that we are able to fully understand what they\u2019re doing for us and how it will affect us\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it does affect us, whatever they do and whatever decisions they make.\u201d<\/p>\n