Mr Anderton moves in

Press, 30 January 1984, Page 2

Mr Anderton moves in

The Labour Party candidate for Sydenham, Mr J. P. Anderton (above), took up residence in Christchurch at the week-end in his new home at 286 A Selwyn Street. Mr Anderton bought the house soon after he was selected as the Labour candidate for Sydenham last August. He began,moving in before Christmas, but had to wind up business affairs in Auckland before settling permanently in Christchurch. A resident of Auckland for 46 years, Mr Anderton said he felt at home in Christchurch. “I have always liked Christchurch. It is one of the places I would have chosen to live outside Auckland. I have many friends and political acquaintances here and the people of Sydenham have given me a very warm welcome,” he said yesterday. The move south went

well, apart from the sailing across Cook Strait in an 80knot gale. “I have a lot more sympathy for South Islanders driving to the North Island now,” he said. On his arrival, Mr Anderton launched into work. On Saturday he did canvassing in Sydenham, yesterday morning he joined a peace march, this evening he will attend a Sydenham Labour Party branch meeting, and tomorrow evening he will attend a campaign committee meeting. He is also taking up problems raised by Sydenham constituents. He has an office attached to his home, a mobile office, and shares the Ferry Road electorate office run by the member of Parliament for Lyttelton, Mrs Ann Hercus. He plans to open a full-time electorate office of his own. “I am determined to make a very good fist of it here,” he said. “I want a

strong electorate organisation and I want to be a good representative. People here feel they have been let down over the years and they need to build confidence in the Labour Party representation they get. I see serving the Sydenham people as a very mportant corner-stone of what I do.” Mr Anderton said he would become involved in all issues that concerned the South Island and Canterbury, particularly the Sydenham electorate. One of the issues he intended taking up was the problem of berthing the Cook Strait ferries when oil tankers were tied up at Wellington. Until the General Election he will continue to do some work for his Auck-land-based light engineering company, Anderton Holdings, Ltd. Ultimately he hopes the company can assemble products in Christchurch and use components made in the South Island.