Auckland-based NZ First supporter Jackson Fowler has a tattoo of Winston Peters on his forearm. Read about why in the first instalment of Characters of the Campaign Trail, a new series delving into voters’ minds.

Name: Jackson Fowler

Age: 24

Occupation: General manager of Medical Plastics Ltd

Family/relationship: I’m single, I live on my own and I don’t have any children.

Electorate: Takanini.

Who will you vote for? Do you even have to ask? I’ll be voting for New Zealand First and the Right Honourable Winston Peters.

What appeals about the party and the politician? Winston’s personality, in terms of he’s someone who’s a strong character, has definite views and stands by them. He’s got the courage of his convictions. I agree with the party’s philosophy on things like New Zealand’s sovereignty, limiting immigration and the stands we’ve taken on regional economic development, job creation and other parts of the country that have been neglected for far too long, like rail.

I just enjoy the sport of it, you know; Winston’s an entertainer. I’ve travelled right across the country in this campaign supporting him. It’s always a good time, and you walk away from his speeches feeling some hope for this country. Even if you don’t agree with every policy, that’s a man who loves his country.

There’s never a dull moment in this party. I used to be in the National Party, and the thing I notice about this party is that it is so full of salt-of-the-Earth, genuine New Zealanders. We love Winston, and we love our country.

What are the three biggest issues for you this election? Power bills and breaking up the gentailers is important. I’m in manufacturing, and though the cost of energy is very significant for households, it’s arguably even more significant for small and medium-sized businesses. You can’t really put a solar panel on a factory and expect that to work; we’re beholden to a supply of energy, and the cost has gotten really unsustainable.

Another one is youth unemployment. I think we all know someone moving to Australia or Europe… It’s gotten so prevalent recently, because there’s so few opportunities for employment in New Zealand. And that’s even worse in regional areas where industry shuts down, people are unemployed and feel they have to leave, and grandparents have to get on a plane to see the grandchildren. That’s quite sad.

A third issue which I think is really serious is about national savings. It’s good that we’ve got some sort of consensus from different parties that we have to save more, because especially as the most vulnerable or lowest paid get to retirement with pretty much nothing. So the New Zealand First KiwiSaver policy – which, might I add, National ripped off three weeks later, forgetting the fact that they were the ones who cut that starting off payment not so long ago – gets people saving towards a first home and then their retirement. That is something we have a proud history on as a party.

Do you discuss politics with your family and friends (and if you do, how do those conversations go)? Take a wild guess. I’m very political, and discuss it with my friends and family on an hourly basis. We’re always talking about the news of the day, sending each other articles, speculating and commentating – we talk about the issues and follow the news quite passionately.

Describe NZ right now in three words: Expensive, pessimistic and stuck. It feels like we’re not getting the infrastructure that we need, and I know we’ve got the fast-track stuff and that’s helping, but the country feels trapped. It feels like we’re going in the wrong direction – at worst we’re going backwards. At best, we’re in a holding pattern.

If you had to get the face of one politician (past or present) tattooed onto your body, who would it be?: Well, last November I got a tattoo of the Right Honourable Winston Peters. I must point out I’m not the first person with the tattoo – the same artist that did mine did one for a lady, who got Winston looking grumpy. And I thought, with that most charming smile, why would you not want to show off Winston at his very best? So that’s what I did. We’re a party that doesn’t just talk, we deliver. We don’t just speculate on what tattoos we might get, we roll up our sleeves and go for gold. 

I showed [Winston] the tattoo in Tauranga, and he had a good laugh. Winston’s a New Zealand cultural icon, whether you agree with him politically or not. People say, ‘oh, Jackson, you’re the guy with the Winston tattoo’. And I say, well, you’re exactly right.

Will you vote on Election Day or beforehand? I hadn’t even thought about that. I probably will vote on the day, but I’m not fixed on that.

What will you do on election night?: I’m planning, at this stage, to be in the new spiritual home of New Zealand First, which is Russell’s Duke of Marlborough. Hopefully, I’ll be up there celebrating a seriously significant result.

– As told to Lyric Waiwiri-Smith