Louise Hutt
@saycheeselouise.bsky.social
1.5K followers 530 following 1.4K posts
Hamilton City Councillor. Chair of Go Eco. Gardener, knitter, nerd. She/they. Opinions my own 🏳️‍🌈✌️🌱💛 Authorised by Louise Hutt, vote.louisehutt.com
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saycheeselouise.bsky.social
Toot toot, get on the voting bus ya nerds! 🚍✨🗳️
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by Louise Hutt
sanjanah.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by Louise Hutt
sanjanah.bsky.social
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.
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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...
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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?
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
Oh I've got a robe pattern in mind! Yes, I think it'll be a lot of playing with the tension 🫠
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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...
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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.
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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 😅🤦‍♀️
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
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].
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
It would be particularly satisfying to have won at the only mechanism they have left to take them away.
Reposted by Louise Hutt
gwynncompton.bsky.social
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.
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
We also had 624 local government OIAs in the last finanical year. 624.
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
A very interesting tidbit from our Annual Report and the survey of residents - those who disagree that councillors make decisions in the best interest in the city dropped from 40% last year to 26% this year.
A screenshot of a table that says "Measure: The percentage of residents who believe we make decisions that are in the best interest of the city. Targe: At least 30%, 2024/25: 30%, 2023/24: 30%. What's behind the results: Those who neither agree or disagree increased from 27% to 45%, and those who disagree or disagree strongly changed from 40% to 26%. While the number who are confident appears unchanged, there has been a significant shift from those in opposition to a more neutral position".
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
An aside, they're also the same people who went around telling people I HAVE NO STUDENT LOAN.

I had a $72,000 student loan which is now only $39,000.

Logic, consistent policy, and even just factual information isn't relevant.
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
Andre, Andre, Andre...

These are the same people who are against Big Brother and government over-reach but also want to VOTE FOR commissioners!

bsky.app/profile/sayc...
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
So at a candidate event this week, myself and another councillor were asked why we made that bloody waters company in the first place!

So I explained. It's make a waters company, or else - said the government. How much do you want commissioners and no election whatsoever?
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
I'll let you know if local govt works out for me, otherwise knitting
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
At least you know I'm definitely not using AI (other than the obvious)
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
Watching his mind become blown when he was like oh so we can't stop people moving here, you've got these unplanned fast track suburbs this govt is forcing on you that will only make the situation worse, and then you've got this massive infrastructure deficit and astronomical rates... Cool cool cool
saycheeselouise.bsky.social
HCC is investing $1b~ in the next ten years in a new waste water plant and increased pipe capacity.

I was having a conversation with a guy last weekend who was like, who cares about population growth? Just tell people they can't move here!

And I was like, and how would we stop them moving here...