Shail Kaushal’s candidacy confirmed for Mt Roskill in local poll

Shail Kaushal, the youngest and the first India-born to be elected in a local government election in Auckland in 2016 has received his candidacy for the upcoming local government elections.

In a meeting held on Tuesday, April 2, Mr Kaushal was confirmed on the City Vision/Roskill Community Voice ticket as the candidate for Mt Roskill for the Local Government Election 2019.

Mr Kaushal is currently elected on the Puketapapa Local Board, holding leads for Youth, Community Safety, Social, Innovation and Enterprise, and also a RMA Commissioner.

Mr Kaushal is the youngest elected member, youngest in Puketapapa/Mt Roskill, first Indian-born to be elected as part of Auckland Council and the only Asian youth to be elected in Local Government. He is also the recipient of The Indian Weekender’s Young Achiever Award at the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Awards 2017.

“I bring onboard, young blood, experience and a vision needed for a better Auckland. With support from the local communities, I am seeking your support for reselection for the Roskill Community Voice ticket,” Mr Kaushal said.

“I strengthen Roskill Community Voice and City Vision team by providing ethnic balance, energy, multi-lingual skills, progressive thinking and immense campaigning expertise,” Mr Kaushal’s campaign CV states.

Mr Kaushal has been a volunteer and member of  several organisations such as the Labour Party, CAB Mt Roskill, Mt Roskill Community Patrol, Three Kings United Soccer Club and Eden-Roskill Cricket Club etc.

He also led a strong voice against the opening of another liquor store in Three Kings earlier in 2018.

Being a member of the Puketapapa Local Board, he along with community members and Roskill MP Michael Wood and hosted successful protests against the opening of another liquor in Three Kings that had the propensity to increase anti-social activities in the area and making it less safe for the community.

The application for the liquor store license was reported to be withdrawn following protests and flak from the local community.

Mr Kaushal has multiple qualifications from Massey University and University of Auckland including a Master of International Security and Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Politics and International Relations. He also received formal training for state services and senior government positions from the Office of Ethnic Affairs, Ministry of Youth Development and Auckland Council.

In a conversation with The Indian Weekender, Mr Kaushal said that housing, transport and public safety are some of the key areas that he will be focussing on in the the next three years.

"I want to focus on improving our public transport linkages to and from Mt Roskill, and ensuring we have a well-designed and accessible light rail down Dominion Road, which takes into account community consideration.

"I would like to continue our strong advocacy for more affordable and social housing, and I am really pleased of the HLC development in Mt Roskill, which offers a realistic chance for local residents to own their own home and social housing to those who need it the most.

"I want to continue our work around community safety and ensure our parks and streets are well-lit, as every person whether at home, work or out and about in our community has the right to feel safe," Mr Kaushal's facebook post announcement read.

The electoral commission enrollment will start on July 1 until August 16 and elections will be held on October 12. Results will be announced between 17 and 23 October.