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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

Oh wow. Incredible.

Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

The candidates who have been standing up at candidate events a month ago saying they're running cause councillors DON'T ANSWER EMAILS and they WON'T ACCEPT FREE TICKETS TO THE WIGGLES are now ratcheting the nastiness up a notch.

Go re-organise the fridge again, my dudes.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

But there are some candidates seriously crashing out rn - their spouses are trolling every comment section, others complaining that councillors sharing reporting that their ticket is conspiracy aligned (to put it nicely). Apparently sharing a Stuff article is an unacceptable use of our influence.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

This time, I'm just bored. I spent three years in this rigid routine of agendas, briefings, meetings, and decision making. Give me an agenda to read or I'm going to re-organise the fridge, AGAIN

If I'm not elected, that's fine. I'll go get a job where I don't get death threats. I win either way

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

The first time I didn't think I had a chance so I just wanted it to be over - but came 80 votes off being elected to Council

Last election I knew it was a serious possibility and just the not-knowing alone was eating me alive. I took my anxiety meds every day.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

And if you're likely to be elected, the stakes are even higher - what does your life look like after Saturday afternoon? Are you superstitious enough to NOT draft a resignation email for your current job? You've probably just spent a whole heap of money on your campaign rip your savings if you lose

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

You have to grapple with the fact you've signed up for something you actually have no direct control over, it's an exercise in values vs likeability vs popularity vs knowledge of what Council actually does vs cash money vs have you ever even campaigned before

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 22h

If you haven't been a candidate, you might not know that the last week of the election can begin to slowly cook your brain if you're not careful

You're SO CLOSE to the results, there's not much really for you to do, all anyone is going to talk to you about is how do you think it's going...

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 1d

Funded by Parliamentary Services. It's the small print.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 2d

Wanna DM me?

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 3d

Toot toot, get on the voting bus ya nerds! 🚍✨🗳️

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 3d

If you need help voting, LET ME KNOW!

4 days left...

Kia ora! Just your friendly neighbourhood councillor checking in to make sure you've voted!

🫣 IF YOU HAVEN'T, you've still got time! Lmk if you need help making a vote, finding out more about candidates or the Maaori ward referendum.

✅ IF YOU HAVE, amazing, I love you, democracy thanks you. Could you check in with ONE friend and make sure they've voted?

Voting closes October 11th midday.

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Reposted by Louise Hutt

Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa @sanjanah.bsky.social · 3d

Risk of rapid escalation is very real. Political violence spirals unpredictably, & often strikes hardest at those already very vulnerable: wāhine Māori, & minority reps. Condemning violence against WP isn't defending his politics. It's defending a non-violence undergirding activism, protecting all.

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Reposted by Louise Hutt

Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa @sanjanah.bsky.social · 3d

Peters has track record of divisive rhetoric targeting LGBTQIA+ communities, immigrant MPs, & trans people. His speech fosters, & festers harms. Yet arson, & violence against his home cross a clear line. Political violence never advances democratic debate. It degrades it, & puts everyone at risk.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 3d

Hey remember when I talked about how fun it is to fill out forms describing why you're estranged from a parent so you can access support? Anyway...

Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · May 26

I know if they add my single mum's income with my dad's pension, I'm gunna be ineligible for the living costs I need. So the parental income form asks for details of the estrangement. Do you think an 18yo who's lived through domestic abuse who's gunna be able to articulate that well?

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 3d

I'll make them a graph! The data is being posted on the hcc website! hamilton.govt.nz/elections2025

Local election 2025 | Hamilton City Council

hamilton.govt.nz

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 3d

Excuse me @thespinoff.bsky.social, this is some Hamilton erasure. Fourth largest! Fastest growing!

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-...

With a week to go, how is voter turnout looking in the big cities?

Three snazzy graphs showing the state of affairs in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

thespinoff.co.nz

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 4d

Oh I've got a robe pattern in mind! Yes, I think it'll be a lot of playing with the tension 🫠

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 4d

I'm also going to sew myself a towel robe - but that's a task for post-election as putting two layers of towelling through the overlocker is going to cause a lot of anger I feel...

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 4d

Idk if I've talked about it on here much but after a loooong wait, finally got to do hospital hydrotherapy and now do it at our local pool - and really, really enjoying it. The first time in a long time I've had a massive decrease in pain.

To celebrate, I sewed myself a little wet bag for my togs!

A medium sized square bag, white with black squiggly faces on it. It has a fold 3/4 up the length of the bag, and a small label that says '2025' on it.

The same photo but with a hand showing the folded opening - it's lined with a pinstripe nylon and has a black pair of togs inside.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 5d

My Maaori wards debate has been reshared again, which I'm always so pleased and humbled by, but every time someone will comment on how I mispronounced an English word which is v funny to me.

I was powering through my notes, absolutely well over time, something was going to give 😅🤦‍♀️

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 6d

Brb just having a big cry 😭🥹

Kia ora Louise,

I can imagine being a councillor as diligent + empathetic as yourself is a fairly thankless job at times, and I know that's not why you do what you do - but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your service towards our city + the way you consistently hold people to account when they are being harmful to any members of our diverse community - but it's awesome to have disabled + queer representation too. I really hope you get back in! ♡

Thanks again, [redacted].

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 6d

It would be particularly satisfying to have won at the only mechanism they have left to take them away.

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Reposted by Louise Hutt

Gwynn Compton @gwynncompton.bsky.social · 6d

It will be very funny if, due to the Coalition’s efforts to dog whistle over Māori wards, they end up scoring an own goal through motivating progressives to get out and vote en masse to not only retain Māori wards but also to elect progressive councils.

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Louise Hutt @saycheeselouise.bsky.social · 8d

We also had 624 local government OIAs in the last finanical year. 624.

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