Michael Walker is a candidate in the Mana Electorate representing The Progressive Party of Aotearoa New Zealand (PPANZ).
Mr Walker says he was fortunate to be born into a loving family with four amazing sisters in Thames.
“My dad was a commercial fisherman and my mum ran the canteen in the local car factory. I finished Thames High School first in Economics and with an A scholarship mark in English. My tertiary economics studies began at Victoria in Wellington in the early 1980’s. In the same year, I became aware of research about Global Climate Change, which has been a major influence on the last 35 years of my life.”
Mr Walker’s economics studies continued in Sweden, and in the field, whilst engaged in relief and development projects around the world. “I participated in development project design in the South Pacific, assessed recovery projects in Bangladesh after the floods, raised funds in Europe for Romanian orphans, and was in the Middle East after the first gulf war, assessing responses to refugee displacement and infrastructure rebuilding.”
During this period he continued with his studies on wholistic economic theories, especially PROUT (Progressive Utilisation Theory), and on non-financial forms of capital.
“I spent four years working for Greenpeace, saving the whales and promoting Global Climate Change science. Also a further three years working for The Tasmanian Wilderness Society successfully campaigning to save the Tasmanian Styx valley and Southern forests from logging and wood-chipping.”
Mr Walker also participated in five successful Greens election campaigns in New Zealand and Australia, including Jeanette Fitzsimon’s historic 1999 Coromandel campaign.
“For the last 15 years I have worked in Social Services, now with my own business, whilst studying the effects of trauma and attachment on brain development and behaviour patterning. I continue being involved in environmental education and activism, sustainable design and wholistic economic study. I am passionate about drawing connections between PROUT economic theory and other wholistic economic theories, including indigenous and religion informed economic systems.”
Mr Walker says he is excited to be nominated for the Mana electorate.
“I feel the diverse population of this electorate will be fertile ground for developing conversations around the ideas I am most passionate about, and finding solutions to the problems that we are all facing. Nothing would give me more joy than using my experience in the service of the Mana community.”
For more: www.progressiveparty.co.nz