The promise of change comes thick and fast in an election season. That’s why ACT’s campaign slogan, ‘Real Change’, can be hard to unravel at first sight. But Rahul Chopra is quick to explain.
“In the simplistic of terminology, real change is to break the National-Labour status quo, and take the country forward with a fresh perspective,” he says, flashing an unassuming smile that grows on you faster than you would expect.
For a first-time candidate, he has quite a contest on hand as he takes on Labour’s Michael Wood, former minister who exited the cabinet recently over undisclosed shareholdings and conflict of interest.
Wood won 61.8 per cent of the candidate vote in 2020, while ACT stood at 3.7 per cent. Labour also won the party vote, polling at 56.2 per cent, and ACT posted its best performance since 2002 with a five per cent share.
Rahul points out ACT has been gaining purchase among voters over the years, and the 2020 election demonstrated the growing popularity of the party David Seymour leads.
“Even during the Labour wave last election, we ended up with nearly 7.3 per cent of the party votes. We sent 10 members to the Parliament,” he says. Latest polls are projecting ACT to win nearly 13 per cent party vote this election.
Rahul may have thrown his hat in the election ring for the first time, but he comes with years of experience in public policy and community service.
He arrived in New Zealand in 2004 to pursue higher studies, and worked in banking for about three years before deciding to go for a Master’s degree in public policy from Auckland University of Technology.
He then joined the Parliamentary Service, where he has spent nearly 12 years working with parliamentarians and the community. He worked in the office of former MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi for many years.
“It hasn’t been an accident, nor has it been intentional,” Rahul says of his entry into politics. “When I joined David [Seymour], I was encouraged by him and his team to take the step forward, and stand as a candidate.”
Mt Roskill isn’t new to an Indian face come election season. National’s Parmjeet Parmar has lost thrice from here, once to Phil Goff and twice to Michael Wood, both from Labour.
ACT’s Alternative Budget, a policy document Seymour released earlier this year, proposes axing demographic ministries that it claims don’t add much value. One of them is the ministry for ethnic communities, which the Labour government says is working wonders for minorities, including Kiwi-Indians.
You would imagine that might be quite a curve ball for Rahul as a candidate from the ethnic community. But he is unfazed, as he points out his party’s proposal is actually good for the country.
“If I box you into a certain ethnic group, our view is we are targeting you specifically,” he says. “We are a party that believes in equality, and maintaining a status which is not based on race when it comes to healthcare, education, you name it...”
As he hits the campaign trail, Rahul says the feedback from the ground has been overwhelming. “I’ve travelled with our leader across the North Island, and I can tell you we are seeing phenomenal turnouts.”