About | Victoria Henstock

Victoria Henstock - Papanui Council Candidate.jpg

A Professional and Experienced leader

I am active in the local community having chaired the PTA and Board of Trustees at Waimairi School. Currently I am on the Board of St Francis of Assisi School, and Chair of a newly established Charitable Trust providing information and support to pregnant women in need.

Previous roles include being a trustee of the YMCA and working extensively with Women’s Refuge, and Community Law Centres.

I was a practicing lawyer for 20+ years, before embarking on a career in executive management, including:

Executive Director of the post-earthquake Independent Hearings Panel for Otautahi, to deliver the City's long-term District Plan,
Executive Director of the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Trust working with the Crown and the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch to reinstate the iconic Christ Church Cathedral.
Most recently I was General Manager, Strategy and Influence for Ngai Tahu.
I am currently a consultant working on executive management and governance issues.

“If you want to create effective and sustainable change for our community over time, then you must work with your local community, you must listen to what they say, and you must not force change against them because they will only get resentful.”
Victoria Henstock The Press

Thanks for visiting my website,

I am standing as an independent for Council in the Papanui ward this election. Our community needs a strong local voice at the council table, one that isn’t tied to a political party. I am ambitious for a brighter future for Papanui and Christchurch.

Since announcing my candidacy, I have had hundreds of conversations with people across our ward.

The recent Council satisfaction survey showed that public confidence in this Council has plummeted to its lowest level ever.
It’s time to introduce new faces and strong local voices to the Council table. Fresh energy and fresh ideas are needed to drive our City into the future!

It is clear that people are frustrated by the performance of our current Council. Public trust and confidence has plummeted to its lowest level ever with many residents, businesses and community groups saying the Council is completely out of touch with their needs.

A good example is the Papanui - Harewood cycleway. Many local residents and businesses are opposed to the current design, and believe it has been forced upon them. If elected, I will seek to review this decision and work towards finding a more appropriate option acceptable to the local community.

Our Council must listen more and engage with the community better to ensure spending priorities meet community needs. It’s time to focus on getting the basics right first, fix what is broken and fund infrastructure to address the needs of everyone.

If we want our communities to thrive in the future we need sensible solutions to today’s challenges, like climate change adaptation, and water management. Planning for the future is important but it must not take priority over the needs of today.

The Draft Christchurch Transport Plan proposes to introduce congestion charging and road tolls, block off roads, remove free carparking and impose levies on private car parks. This is another example of the Council being out of touch. I will not support these disruptive anti-car proposals.

With a strong history of community service, and a professional background in law, governance and executive leadership working with central and local government and Iwi, I am well placed to help navigate the challenges ahead. I am a strong advocate, not afraid to have tough conversations and will fight for the right of our people to have a say in their own future.

I am a pragmatic and strategic thinker. I will bring a mix of vision, practical and inclusive decision-making, professionalism, and experience to the table.

It would be a privilege to serve the people of Papanui and the City of Christchurch as your independent local Councillor.

Victoria Henstock

Proudly Papanui

A Strong
Local Voice

Family focused and community minded

Practical
not Political

VICTORIA HENSTOCK

Independent Councillor for PAPANUI

A Professional and Experienced leader

“If you want to create effective and sustainable change for our community over time, then you must work with your local community, you must listen to what they say, and you must not force change against them because they will only get resentful.”
Victoria Henstock The Press

The recent Council satisfaction survey showed that public confidence in this Council has plummeted to its lowest level ever.
It’s time to introduce new faces and strong local voices to the Council table. Fresh energy and fresh ideas are needed to drive our City into the future!

A Professional and Experienced leader

“If you want to create effective and sustainable change for our community over time, then you must work with your local community, you must listen to what they say, and you must not force change against them because they will only get resentful.” Victoria Henstock The Press

The recent Council satisfaction survey showed that public confidence in this Council has plummeted to its lowest level ever. It’s time to introduce new faces and strong local voices to the Council table. Fresh energy and fresh ideas are needed to drive our City into the future!

“If you want to create effective and sustainable change for our community over time, then you must work with your local community, you must listen to what they say, and you must not force change against them because they will only get resentful.”
Victoria Henstock The Press

The recent Council satisfaction survey showed that public confidence in this Council has plummeted to its lowest level ever.
It’s time to introduce new faces and strong local voices to the Council table. Fresh energy and fresh ideas are needed to drive our City into the future!