15 September 2008 Lincoln's Future Leaders show political foresight

Lincoln University’s Future Leaders Scholars must have read Prime Minister Helen Clark’s mind about making the General Election date announcement last Friday (12 Sept.). Just four days earlier they organised what they can now probably claim to be the first candidates’ meeting of the 2008 campaign season.

They billed it as a Political Party Debate and the scholars invited to the Lincoln University campus National’s David Carter, ACT’s Sir Roger Douglas, the Māori Party’s Rahui Katene, Russel Norman Co-Leader of the Greens and Labour’s Damien O’Connor.

Over 130 staff, students and residents of the surrounding Selwyn townships, including Lincoln village, filled the University’s Stewart 2 lecture theatre and gave the politicians a good reception.

Under the chairing of Lincoln University Public Policy Lecturer Dr Ann Brower, the candidates debated a number of topics including tertiary education, the environment and welfare.

All candidates represented their parties well. 

In questioning from the audience on the subject of welfare, the audience won generally unanimous support from the candidates, including Sir Roger Douglas, for working mothers and the organisations which support them and their families.

Prominent among the Future Leaders Scholars who organised the event were Camille Strowger, Katie Collins and Gemma Wong.