Dave (left) campaigning in the rain with his campaign manager Daniel Newman and local board chairwoman, Angela Dalton, who leads the Manurewa Action team.
Dave Pizzini, the man who beat four other challengers to win the Manurewa Local Board by-election by a healthy margin, has strong connections to Cambridge.
The son of long-time locals Alison and Theo Pizzini, Dave is the eldest of three boys – all of whom went to Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Intermediate and Cambridge High School.
His mum is a former nurse and midwife whom he reckons has probably delivered many Waikato residents, his dad has agriculture in his veins. And even as David prepares for his official swearing in at the next Manurewa Board meeting on March 15 – the Ides of March – he is very sensibly making time to help organise an appropriate soiree for Alison’s upcoming 80th.
Keeping things in perspective, appreciating the value of family seems to be the measure of the man; it quite possibly helped him win his first political campaign a full 1627 votes ahead of runner-up and Labour Party candidate Brooke Loader.
The January/February by-election was triggered by the resignation of former board member Simeon Brown, who vacated the position after being elected MP for Pakuranga in last year’s general election. Dave, who has lived in Manurewa for almost 20 years, was persuaded to throw his hat into the ring by long-time friend turned campaign manager, Manurewa-Papakura Ward councillor Daniel Newman.
Dave campaigned on the Manurewa Action Team political ticket. He put his heart and soul into winning the seat but said he was still “surprised by the majority”.
