Richard Osmaston, the leader of the Money Free Party, is once again running for mayor in five districts across New Zealand’s South Island.
He is standing in Nelson, Tasman, and the three West Coast districts: Buller, Grey, and Westland. In 2022, he also ran in Marlborough, but this year fellow party member Shaun Brown is standing there instead.
Osmaston admits he is unlikely to win but says he is serious about his campaign. In the last election, he gathered just over 1,000 votes across six districts. Even if all of those votes had been in Westland, he still would not have had enough to become mayor. Despite this, he says the campaign gives him a chance to share his party’s ideas.
The Money Free Party believes money is the cause of many world problems, such as climate change and homelessness. Instead, the party imagines a system where people exchange goods and services freely, and work is done voluntarily rather than for profit. Osmaston says he does not want to be a “normal mayor” but would use the role to spread these ideas.
Running in multiple elections is not new for Osmaston. Since 2013, he has repeatedly put his name forward in local and general elections. He travels long distances to attend “Meet the Candidate” events, sometimes as many as 28 in a single month.
