Or read: The four on the 22 - a Billy-T x Shakespeare clubroom play
Roderick is a committed local who believes in practical service and clear thinking. He studied public policy, engineering and law, and has worked across public sector planning, digital systems, and community-led initiatives.
He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy from Waikato University, a B.Sc., and LLB and has advised organisations on systems change, youth employment, and sustainable infrastructure.
Roderick believes Hamilton deserves a future-focused Council—transparent, responsible, and fair. He brings skills in governance, data, finance, and public consultation. He supports evidence-based decisions and community voices being heard early, not late.
He bikes or buses across town, spends time with family and neighbours, and enjoys music, reading, and strong coffee. He’s a grounded person with a serious commitment to local democracy. Vote for Roderick J. Young—someone who reads the fine print and listens well.
Roderick lives in Hamilton and supports local action with national impact.
Content supplied by candidate.
Postal voting: Tue 9 Sep – Sat 11 Oct 2025 (closes 12:00 pm). Hamilton uses STV — rank candidates and keep ranking.
Read the Play where 1,400 staff vote to save their jobs
“Will you help me build a better Hamilton even if I’m not your first pick?” Encourage ranking because “every vote counts.” Rototuna, Dinsdale, Nawton-high #2 support, grassroots outreach.
Making politics personal, practical, and local You’ve been paying too much — and getting too little. In Hamilton West, many homes have seen rising rates while basic services stay the same or even decline. 📍 Example: In places like Nawton and Dinsdale, many families and pensioners are facing sharp rate hikes — this must stop. You walk, bike, drive, or catch the bus — and you’ve seen the cracks. Older suburbs in Hamilton West have been neglected — with poor lighting, broken footpaths, and risky crossings. 📍 Example: Ellicott Road and parts of Nawton Road need speed control and footpath renewal. You’d use the bus or train — if it worked for you. Public transport is slow, patchy, and doesn’t connect Hamilton West well. 📍 Example: In Western Heights and Nawton, buses are slow and indirect — we can fix this. Your rates and loans shouldn’t line corporate pockets. Big banks profit while Hamilton borrows billions — and we all pay for it. 📍 What it means for you: More value from your rates, support for home buyers and small businesses in Hamilton West. Your suburb deserves beauty and breathing space. Hamilton West has parks that are loved but under-resourced. 📍 Example: Elliott Park and Swarbrick Park need upgrades and proper care. Yes to smart growth. No to characterless cramming. We need housing, but Westside neighbourhoods shouldn’t be overwhelmed without say. 📍 What it means for you: Protect your street’s character, safety, and value. I’m not here to join a party line — I’m here to represent you. ✅ A Vote for Roderick is a Vote for: 📅 Mondays, 5–7pm 📍 Location: Victoria by the River Amphitheatre All 52 Hamilton candidates are warmly invited to a relaxed community kōrero. This is a chance to: 📣 Email this to your support base and spread the word. ✨ Hosted & MC’d by: Roderick J. Young 💌 Just turn up or RSVP: roderickjy@gmail.com Hamilton, NZ — Monday, 5–7 PM
In a spirited evening of civic engagement, Victoria on the River played host to a lively candidates’ meeting
featuring three mayoral hopefuls and representation from each of Hamilton’s wards —
West, East, and Māori. The open-air forum brought local politics
directly to the people, blending formal presentations with the rhythms of city life, as passersby on foot, wheels,
and bikes added to the dynamic audience.
Each mayoral candidate presented a unique resolution they would bring to the first official council meeting.
Proposals ranged from removing unpopular road humps to introducing a two-term limit for elected
officials. The diversity of ideas reflected a shared desire for fresh thinking and stronger accountability
within the council.
Notable speakers included Roma Warren and Lawrence, who delivered clear, impassioned
remarks on their visions for Hamilton’s future. Also drawing applause was the incumbent councillor who proudly noted
a 100% attendance record throughout the current term — a point of pride and commitment that resonated
with attendees.
Several candidates highlighted their attendance at recent Chamber of Commerce events, underlining
their engagement with both business and community concerns.
The crowd ebbed and flowed throughout the evening — a unique mix of RSVP attendees and curious passersby. Despite
challenges in reaching all candidates due to incomplete contact information, the organizers were pleased to report
that over 50% had responded to the invitation.
Looking ahead, organizers are planning to continue these sessions weekly, every Monday from 5–7 PM,
leading up to the election. Next week’s focus will shift to mana wāhine, following this week’s
opening theme of mana tāne. Maria — both Marias — have been warmly welcomed
to join the next session.
🎥 Watch Video Roderick J Young Pledge your support by emailing me now — simple email (voluntary) and how you’d rank me today (e.g., #1, #2, #3)
Roderick J. Young is a hands‑on community advocate focused on fair rates, safer streets, and growth that pays its way.
He brings practical budgeting and a do‑the‑work ethic—getting small things fixed so the big things add up.
Roderick has deep roots in Hamilton West—from Frankton to Dinsdale and Nawton. He’s worked alongside clubs, small
businesses, and neighbours to solve everyday problems: safety hotspots, maintenance backlogs, and confusing council
processes. His focus is simple: keep rates fair, publish clear numbers, and make growth pay its way so existing
ratepayers aren’t left carrying the can. He’ll front up monthly with neighbourhood surgeries and post every vote
and reason within 48 hours.
I have a clear, community-powered path to eliminate Hamilton City’s $1.3 billion debt — completely — within 13 years. Register the 10 cents in your pocket and earn 10% per year on the first $50. Start small, build the habit, watch it grow. Deposit $0.10 at 10% p.a. (daily compounding) ⇒ about $0.11052 after one year. A teaching play about STV, in Shakespeare’s cloak with a Billy T grin CHORUS: BILLY THE JESTER (to audience): (A ballot appears like a placemat. The PURSE sits politely to one side.) NANA RATEPAYER (reading): RETURNING OFFICER: CHORUS (refrain): (Lecterns, lamps, and little buckets labelled with candidate names. Marbles = votes.) RETURNING OFFICER (placing marbles): BILLY THE JESTER: CHORUS (refrain): (Buckets burble like little streams; marbles trickle along clear tubes.) LADY SPREADSHEET (pointing to a bucket that overfloweth): SIR DOOR KNOCK (patting an empty bucket): CHORUS (refrain): DAME TIKTOK: LORD HOARDING: (counting his chin on a billboard) BILLY THE JESTER: COUNT CORFLUTE (holding two “1”s): RETURNING OFFICER: THE STUDENT: CHORUS: RETURNING OFFICER (ringing a bell): By creating a Hamilton-owned community bank, we can stop that financial drain and invest those funds directly back into the city — into housing, infrastructure, services, and a better future for everyone. Hamilton can lead New Zealand by becoming the first city to reclaim local wealth for local benefit. 🗳️ Vote Young — and learn more about the detailed policies and tactics behind this bold plan. Estimates in NZD Millions Hamilton City Council’s $1.3 billion debt isn’t owed to just one lender — it’s spread across a few main sources: Hamilton City Council’s $1.3b is owed mainly to the LGFA (by far the biggest share), with some exposure to banks, and ultimately backed by bondholders and institutional investors who buy LGFA securities. We assume total debt of $1.3 billion, 64,000 ratable properties,
and that one-quarter of total rates pays interest. The table shows how this lands on the average rates bill. Residents and ratepayers keep free library cards. Visitors/non-residents pay a fair fee. Every dollar raised can be applied to reduce the interest burden, lowering rates for everyone. Rule of thumb (with 64,000 properties):
Takeaway: keeping libraries free for locals while charging visitors a modest fee
can directly reduce the interest share of rates. Scale the fee or the number of non-resident memberships
to target specific savings (e.g., $50 or $100 off the average bill). A Community-Owned Solution to Hamilton’s $1.3 Billion Debt Estimated offshore outflow: ≈ $511 million per year Instead of sending half a billion dollars in mortgage interest offshore every year, let’s build a bank that pays down our city’s debt, lowers rates, and invests in our people. My 60-second planWhat It Means for You in Hamilton West
🏡 Fairer Rates for Westside Households
🛣️ Safer Streets, Better Roads, Proper Footpaths
🚍 Public Transport that Actually Serves You
🏦 The Hamilton Bank – Keep the Money Here
🌳 Protecting West’s Green Spaces & Parks
🧱 Infill Housing Done With You, Not To You
🤝 Real Representation, Not Hollow Promises
📋 Summary – If You Live in Hamilton West:
Issue
What Roderick Offers
💰 Rates
Fairer, more predictable bills
🛣️ Roads
Safer intersections, better footpaths
🚌 Buses
Faster, more frequent service
🏦 Money
A local bank to reduce debt and support locals
🌳 Parks
Protect and improve Westside green space
🧱 Housing
Smarter, better-quality infill
🗣️ Voice
Regular contact and real transparency
🌿 Meet the Candidates @ Victoria by the River
( — weekly until election + post-election)
Opposite Collingwood Street
Visit campaign site ↗Mayoral Candidates Face Off at Victoria on the River Forum
Rates & Debt, Safer Streets, Housing/Infill (no sprawl bill-shock), Transport & Parking, Parks & Pools, Open Council.
Roderick J Young answers to these question text form
Bio & Endorsements
Short Bio (50 words)
Bio (120 words)
“Build Forward – Safer Streets, Fairer Rates, Better Future”
📍 Representing owners, renters, families, seniors & small businesses
🗳️ Vote Roderick J. Young – for Hamilton City Council
Contact: roderickjy@gmail.com
Policy Priorities – Council Platform
✅ A Plan to Make Hamilton Debt-Free in 13 Years
The 10c Saver (10% p.a.)
How to start
Example
Safeguards
Promo terms (short) 10% p.a. on the first $50 of your balance for 12 months from your first deposit. Standard saver rate applies above $50.
Interest accrues daily to 6 decimal places and is paid monthly, rounded to the cent. “Register now, drop later” pledges must be funded within 7 days or they’re reversed. No fees.
10% p.a. on the first $50 of your balance for 12 months from your first deposit. Standard saver rate applies above $50.
Interest accrues daily to 6 decimal places and is paid monthly, rounded to the cent. “Register now, drop later” pledges must be funded within 7 days or they’re reversed. No fees.
Rank & Return: The Inside Job
Dramatis Personae
Prologue
Good folk of Hamilton, hear the secret gears—
This city uses STV: you rank your choices 1, 2, 3… in order you truly prefer. It’s postal voting: a pack arrives; you number the boxes; you post it back. Easy as.
Translation: write numbers, not ticks; your “1” is your fave, your “2” is your back-up, then keep going with anyone you’d actually be okay with. That’s the whole game, e hoa.
Act I – The Kitchen Table (How to Mark the Paper)
So I number the good ones. Must I number everyone?
Nay, only those you support. But the more you rank (honestly), the more power your vote has if it needs to move. Don’t give two people the same number. Don’t use ticks like FPP. If you put two “1”s, your ballot’s “1” is invalid. Keep it clean: 1, 2, 3…
Rank your heart #1, your head #2, your “still fine” #3 and more—
Later numbers never harm the ones before.
Act II – The Counting Hall (First Preferences)
Step the First: We count every “1”. These are first preferences.
Step the Second: We set a target (quota) so only as many candidates as there are seats can be elected—hit the target, you’re in. (The maths is done by computer because transfers are fractional; you don’t have to do any sums—just rank.)
If your #1 smashes the target with extra votes, a fair slice of each of those ballots flows onward to the voters’ #2—so your vote helps your fave and your next fave. If your #1 flops, your full vote slides to your #2. Either way, ranking keeps your vote alive.
Rank long, rank true—
If #1 can’t win or has more than they need, your vote keeps working for you.
Act III – Surpluses & Eliminations (Why Transfers Matter)
Behold a surplus! Candidate met the target with more than needed.
We transfer just enough of each ballot (fractionally) so they keep the target and the rest flows to the next ranked still-in-the-race. The algorithm is careful and consistent. You just had to number your paper.
And the lowest-placed? Eliminated. Their ballots transfer at full value to each voter’s next ranked still-standing. If a ballot has no further ranks, it can’t move and stops—another reason to keep ranking people you can live with.
Second choices save the day;
Third choices pave the way.
Act IV – The Cast Learn by Doing
So my fans rank me #1, but if I’ve got heaps extra, a slice of their vote powers their #2? That’s… community-minded. I like it.
And if I’m last—
—your supporters aren’t stranded. Their ballots march to their #2. That’s why being a decent #2 or #3 to lots of folks can beat being a polarising #1. Rank widely, whānau!
What if they mark two “1”s because they love me and… also me?
Then their “1” is invalid. Don’t do that. One “1”. Then “2”, then “3” in order. No duplicate numbers, no ticks. Numbers only.
And Hamilton really is STV this year?
Aye. The Council chose STV (kept for 2022 & 2025), and the 2025 election uses it. Rank and return that postal pack.
Act V – The Ripple to the Finish (Rounds Keep Cycling)
Count proceeds in rounds:How we get there:
📜 Hamilton City Council Debt by Year
Year
Chief Executive
Estimated Closing Debt
Notable Notes
2003 Anthony Briscoe ~$180M Pre-stadium, stable growth phase 2004 Michael Redman ~$200M Redman begins; stadium dream stirs 2005 Michael Redman ~$270M V8s, stadium costs begin 2006 Michael Redman ~$360M Rapid borrowing; budget optimism 2007 Michael Redman ~$420M Construction and commitments mount 2008 Michael Redman ~$470M Auditor concerns grow 2009 Michael Redman ~$500M Scrutiny increases; Redman exits mid-2010 2010 Barry Harris ~$510M Stadium legacy hangs heavy 2011 Barry Harris ~$530M Modest increases, tighter controls 2012 Barry Harris ~$560M Rates stabilize, little infrastructure growth 2013 Barry Harris ~$580M Debt climbs slowly amid conservative strategy 2014 David Ayers (Acting) ~$600M Interim leadership preps ground for Briggs 2016 Richard Briggs ~$720M Central govt funding deals struck 2017 Richard Briggs ~$800M Peacocke infrastructure begins 2018 Richard Briggs ~$910M Three Waters upgrades, transport spend increases 2019 Richard Briggs ~$1.02B Debt crosses billion mark 2020 Jan Gascoigne (Acting) ~$1.06B COVID-19 hits; budgets hold under pressure 2021 Lance Vervoort ~$1.10B Focus on Te Tiriti, Three Waters debate intensifies 2022 Lance Vervoort ~$1.14B Inflation, infrastructure cost pressures rise 2023 Lance Vervoort ~$1.18B Housing demand, climate resilience projects grow 2024 Lance Vervoort ~$1.21B Budget cuts loom; council under pressure 2025 Lance Vervoort ~$1.22B (est) Rates frozen amid election year tension
🧾 Seven Chiefs of Kirikiriroa: In Order
🎭 Addendum: A New Chorus for the Seven
Chorus (returning in jandals, clipboard in hand):
Seven Chiefs have shaped this tale,
From Briscoe's calm to Redman's gale.
Harris steadied, Ayers held ground,
Then Briggs with billions did abound.
Gascoigne bridged, and Lance now bears
The cones, the wrath, the public stares.
Each choice a ripple, each plan a cost—
A billion and more, in dreams embossed.
Yet in gumboots we still trudge the way,
Asking, “When's that pothole fixed, eh?”
Who Hamilton City Council Owes ($1.3 billion)
New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA)
Direct Bank Loans
Bond Market Investors
Crown Infrastructure Partners (specific projects)
✅ So in plain terms
Interest on Council Debt & User-Pays Relief
Interest rate
Annual interest (I)
Total rates needed (R)
Avg rates / property
Interest share / property
5.0%
$65,000,000
$260,000,000
$4,062.50
$1,015.63
6.0%
$78,000,000
$312,000,000
$4,875.00
$1,218.75
7.0%
$91,000,000
$364,000,000
$5,687.50
$1,421.88
User-Pays: Non-Resident Library Memberships
• Every $64,000 of revenue reduces the average bill by $1 per property.
• $3.2m lowers the average bill by $50.
• $6.4m lowers the average bill by $100.
• At a 6% interest case, $7.8m offsets 10% of the annual interest.
Non-resident fee
Memberships
Revenue
Rates reduction / property
Interest offset
Total rates offset
$20 10,000 $200,000
$3.13 0.26% 0.064%
$20 20,000 $400,000
$6.25 0.51% 0.13%
$40 20,000 $800,000
$12.50 1.03% 0.26%
$60 10,000 $600,000
$9.38 0.77% 0.19%
$60 20,000 $1,200,000
$18.75 1.54% 0.38%
$60 40,000 $2,400,000
$37.50 3.08% 0.77%
🏦 Hamilton Bank Proposal
⸻ Assumptions:
Results:
Why show both?
“Hamilton households are paying ~$1.4 billion a year in mortgage interest at today’s settings.”
“We estimate ~$500 million a year leaks offshore through dividends and wholesale funding. A locally owned bank keeps more of that money here.”
“Every 1 percentage point change in average mortgage rate shifts total interest by ~$210 million in this mid case.”
🎯 Core Purpose
🔑 How It Works
1. Capital & Ownership
2. Banking Focus
3. Debt Repayment Mechanism
4. Community Return
⚖️ Benefits
🚩 Challenges
📣 Campaign Slogan
“Hamilton’s Money for Hamilton’s Future”
Watch the Video
Authorised by Roderick J. Young — contact: roderickjy@gmail.com — Hamilton.
Rank Roderick J. Young #1–#3 for West Ward
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