Alexander King | Heartland Kupe Leadership Scholar

Alexander (Ngāti Kurī, Ngāpuhi) 

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Geography

In a thriving society, there should be no stigma in accepting help when you need it. It is through individualism that we lock in inequality and subjugation and as a result, we all lose out. Through my upbringing in state housing, I have witnessed first-hand how crucial effective public policy is to ensuring a safe and fulfilling life for vulnerable families. Policy that recognizes the collective wellbeing of community and the environment as the throbbing heart of society is of the most value to us all. 

Since the economic reforms of the 1980s, identity politics have shifted public perception of social housing and have forged a considerable social disconnect between vulnerable communities and wider society. Using my lived experiences and education, I intend to actively work in alleviating the challenges faced in the housing sector and champion the wellbeing of vulnerable communities through a Te Tiriti justice framework.

Sponsor: Heartland Foundation

Mentor: Metiria Stanton Turei, an academic with a background as a social activist, lawyer and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2017 and the female co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2009 to 2017.  She was the Green Party spokesperson on Inequality, Justice, and Building and Housing. Metiria studied art at the Dunedin School of Art, and her futurist art collection tūruapō was exhibited at The Wallace Arts Centre in Auckland in 2021. She is currently a lecturer in law at the University of Otago.