Papatoetoe candidate Karl Mokaraka being called a “serial heckler” misses the point of what he's trying to achieve.
By Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata of Local Democracy Reporting
“I've done it out of a thing of love and concern for my community," Mokaraka says.
“What is a heckler? I suppose it's someone that voices the concerns of your community. It's someone that's vocal for local, and that's what I'm all about.”
Mokaraka, who ran for Destiny Church's Vision NZ party in 2023, has disrupted a number of events.
He's been removed from Parliament and appeared behind a fence at a National Party press conference during the last election.
Mokaraka has now set his sights on local politics, running for the Papatoetoe local board.
He says his Ōtara upbringing and experience in finance and community work motivated him to stand for the local board.
Local board members help decide how council funding is spent on services such as community facilities, parks and local programmes.
Mokaraka says he wants to ensure community voices are heard in local decision-making.
“I want to empower families, make sure our families are looked after. Because nationhood starts in the neighbourhood.”
He says his experience growing up in the area and working with families have shaped his decision to run.
“I’m deeply rooted in Ōtara,” he said. “That’s all I’ve really ever known.”
Mokaraka, who has Samoan, Tongan and Māori heritage, says his family settled in South Auckland after his Samoan great-grandfather migrated to New Zealand for road construction work in the 1950s.
He says he has worked in finance roles and large organisations such as Coca-Cola.
Mokaraka laughs when reflecting on his school results.
“I only got 5%. Under the old school system, we used to do exams, right? And I only got 5% in maths. So I don't know how I ended up in the career choices.”
He says transparency around council finances is important as many households face rising living costs.
“With rates and water charges going up, those things affect everybody, not just homeowners but renters as well.”
Mokaraka says community service has played a significant role in his life.
Since 2016 he has worked with families in South Auckland and previously helped run a community meal initiative at Tupu Youth Library in Ōtara.
“We used to get a couple of hundred kids,” he said. “It was just for our community. I didn’t care whether you were Māori or Pacific.”
Mokaraka says some of his strongest connections to Papatoetoe also come from his childhood.
For a short period between 1990 and 1991, he was placed in state care at the Dingwall Trust residential facility in Papatoetoe after getting into trouble with police as a teenager.
“I was tagging at Papatoetoe Intermediate,” he said.
“But Papatoetoe was a place of refuge for me. It offered refuge and hope.”
“As a kid from Ōtara we used to see Papatoetoe as quite a flash place,” Mokaraka said. “The streets were clean and safe.”
If elected, Mokaraka says he would focus on ensuring local services remain strong and that families facing financial pressure are supported.
“I just want to make sure that our families are looked after,” he said.
“I love Papatoetoe and I love Ōtara.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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