Rebecca/Bex Twemlow Future Dunedin DCC Councillor Candidate 2025

11/10/2025

One and Done.

To everyone who backed me, believed in me and gave their time, energy and aroha: thank you. I am proud of what we built together and the conversations we sparked about the kind of Dunedin we want to see.

Huge congratulations to Andrew Simms. Mayoral and Council Candidate, DCC 2025 and Bruce Ranga for DCC: two incredible humans from the Future Dunedin team who I know will represent our city with heart, courage and common sense.

As for me? Not sure what’s next 🤷‍♀️ open to ideas on what Future Bex is and could do!

Ngā mihi nui Ōtepoti Dunedin. 🩷

08/10/2025

Jeepers all of you! Over the last few days the inbox and PMs has been overflowing messages: “who should I vote for?” to “do I have to rank them all?” and even “Bex, I am so bloody confused by this STV thing!” 😳

Because you have asked (a lot!) here is the heart of it:

If you want real change, start with Andrew Simms. Mayoral and Council Candidate, DCC 2025 for Mayor.

He is steady, smart, successful and actually listens and does the hard work - not just head nods for the photo op!

If Andrew isnt your top pick for Mayor, then consider making him your number 1 Councillor and at least three of our other Future Dunedin prospective councillors (or more!). ❤️

That is the magic number of our team that can help to shift how things are done at our City Hall. And likely to be the mix that represents you.

Together we have built our campaign around one idea: Dunedin deserves better.

Better transparency. Better engagement. Better results. A Better Future Dunedin!

So vote with your heart and your head and a bit of hometown Ōtepoti Duendin pride. 🤘

Our future is in your hands and oh, no pressure, right? 😉

06/10/2025

Last nights viewing was “Prime Minister” and it sits a little heavy still.

Having read her biography more than once i kinda knew most, but seeing the story told through Clarkes lens, husband, director, producer and full-time parent while she navigated crisis after crisis made it intimate, raw, heartbreaking and inspiring all at once.

You can feel the weight she carried with every decision and sleepless night. The quiet moments when she tried to hold her family together while carrying the expectations of an entire country. Thats the kind of strength that doesn’t come from power it comes from heart.

Jacinda has become a hero for NZ internationally, representing compassion and courage in a world that desperately needed (and needs) both. But the end of the film left me with tears and sadness that heavy, haunting sense that she may never truly feel she can come “home” safely again.

I suppose that’s what happens when empathy is weaponised and when leadership with heart is met with hate instead of gratitude.

Watching this has made me double down on what I believe leadership should be: brave, human, kind and unafraid to care. And it’s not Left vs Right before anyone second guesses me.

Dunedin needs far less central politics, less ego and less bloody bullying.

05/10/2025

Episode 20 and 5.5 Days to Go!

This one’s a little different. I have written a letter to my future self: hopefully the Bex who’s just finished her first 3 year term as a Dunedin City Councillor. 😆

A reminder of why I stood up, what I promised to do and who I am doing it for.

So many lessons this year - and it's been wild, I have met incredible people while also learning how to play Whack-a-Mole like a pro 🤣 and I have been reminded over and over that this city is absolutely worth fighting for.

We have 5.5 days left.
Let’s aim to finish strong Dunedin with a massive turnout of voters!

💜 Vote Bex Twemlow for Dunedin City Councillor
💙 Vote Andrew Simms. Mayoral and Council Candidate, DCC 2025
💛 Vote Future Dunedin

04/10/2025

Relax and Reset before the final haul.

This weekend it was all about peace, perspective and a pause from within our families quiet place, Otematata, before the final sprint to the finish on the 11th.

These two hounds: Beau and Māia have been my daily companions through it all.

Sometimes you have got to step out of the noise to remember what you are actually doing it all for. Otematata gives me that; peace and serenity, wrapped in its chilly and wild beauty.

Here’s to the calm before the final climb. ❤️🐾



Photo credit: Mr Twemlow

03/10/2025

once again Andrew Simms. Mayoral and Council Candidate, DCC 2025 showing us all why he is the right choice for Mayor: clear vision, practical solutions, comprehensive understanding of challenges and a drive to keep jobs and opportunities here in Dunedin!

Exactly the leadership our city needs.

Thank you Andrew.

This is "Southern Link Logistics Park" by . on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/10/2025

A BIG part of my Why?

Since the beginning of my career I have believed that success isn’t about climbing the ladder for yourself, it’s about lifting others up with you, and often above you.

That belief has shaped everything I and my teams have worked on in Ōtepoti Dunedin:

💪 Internships - aren't just about placements, but about creating real pathways into opportunities for our young people.
💪 Youth Employment Success went further, building a movement that connected rangatahi with employers who cared, ensuring the next generation felt seen, supported and backed by their city.
💪 The Dunedinstore PODCAST "Dunedin Stories" shines the spotlight on the incredible businesses, people and projects right here in our backyard, proving that local voices matter and deserve to be heard.
💪 Firebrand - Marketing & Digital Transformation given thousands of hours in kind to literally hundreds of organisations and people to support their business, mahi, careers and lives.

All of this was created with heart, determination and a belief in people - often up against people and places trying to undermine and stop. I am unashamedly hyper-local, community-driven and built from strong stuff. Breaking the red tape, not interested in endless committees, make no excuses. Just action.

The Problem as I see it.

While people across our city are working tirelessly to lift others up, that same support has too often been missing from our council. Year after year, grassroots initiatives are ignored or undervalued. Instead of backing proven local projects, money is poured into outside consultants, desktop not boots on the ground strategies and contracts with firms that don’t employ Dunedin people.

It is very frustrating. It is very short-sighted. It is all about ego and it tells our community that their ideas and hard work don’t count.

What’s Possible?

I have seen first-hand what happens when you back your own people - they thrive! When you trust the community, it delivers. When you bring energy, positivity, trust, support and measure with real-world results - the whole city is lifted.

Ōtepoti Dunedin deserves a council that believes in us as much as we believe in each other. One that stops blocking, delaying, or outsourcing and starts partnering with the people already proving what is possible.

The Commitment?

This is why I am standing. Not for myself, but for the future of our city. With your support, we can build a council that backs our people, values our talent and works alongside community and business.

I have helped make it happen before. Together, we can do it again and this time it's for the whole of this place we call home; Ōtepoti Dunedin.

Authorised by Rebecca (Bex) Twemlow 021 876 200

01/10/2025

If you didn't already know that the Māori business economy is thriving in Ōtepoti Dunedin then next weekend check it out! We are all invited to celebrate and strengthen that momentum ✨

Being held on Saturday 11 October 9am–12pm at the Sargood Centre, the KUMA - Southern Māori Business Network Tuia2025 Māori Business Symposium brings together incredible voices:

🌿 Dan Te Whenua Walker (Microsoft Global co-Chair for Indigenous)
🌿 Prof. Matt Roskruge (Economist)
🌿 Dr Eruera Tarene & Āwhina McGlinchey (Tokona Te Raki)
🌿 Leaders from Ringa Horo and the Workforce Development Council

👉 I will be there and this is a call for Ōtepoti Dunedin business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring/current councillors to join me. Come listen, learn and show your support for our local Māori business economy: it is central to our region’s future.

From 12–3pm is a very special Rangatahi Futures event (free) which is an awesome opportunity for our young people to connect and be inspired - so bring the fam!

Check out the full details, purchase tickets to the Symposium and the Gala: https://www.kuma.co.nz/tuiabusinesssymposium

Tuia 2025 Te Ara Whakamua | The Path Ahead Tuia te here tangataTuia te here kaupapa KUMA is proud to partner with WDC Ringa Hora to bring this national conference to Ōtepoti Dunedin, organised to incorporate KUMA’s 20th anniversary celebrations, and to bring Māori business awareness to the city....

30/09/2025

Episode 19 and that tells me it is 10 Days to Go!

Yesterday I spent time with Dunedin engineering legend Mark Cameron, cruising Port Chalmers in his Lincoln Continental, checking out the Iona church clock (yes, I climbed multiple ladders in heels), wandered through the glorious Port Museum where I spotted Dunedin Famous Richard Thompson - finishing up at the Port Otago observatory watching the beating heart of our city in action (see what I did there 😆).

We talked tourism, cruise ships, exporting, the future of work and the risks of Dunedin being left behind if we don’t back ourselves. It was a brilliant reset and a reminder of why I have put my hand up.

Absolutely have to celebrate my Future Dunedin teammate Jarrod Hodson, City Council & West Harbour Community Board Candidate who is a fierce advocate for Port Chalmers, our rail, our port and our community. We need leaders like Jarrod who understand our strengths and fight for them.

and....While we are talking Port Chalmers don’t miss the Port Chalmers Seafood Festival this weekend. One of the best local events celebrating our kai moana and our port community. Grab tickets at https://www.seafoodfest.co.nz - might see you there!

10 days to go. Let’s choose progress.
✅ Vote Jarrod Hodson, City Council & West Harbour Community Board Candidate and Bex Twemlow for Council!
✅ Vote Andrew Simms. Mayoral and Council Candidate, DCC 2025 for Mayor!

27/09/2025

Bruce Ranga for DCC is a gem and the actual real deal. Not a career politician, but a proven leader with decades of experience across business, governance, iwi and community. His mana is earned, not claimed. Ex CEO who knows how to manage ours!

Right now Dunedin needs councillors who can bridge worlds, including the financial reality with cultural and community consideration and responsibility. Bruce has done that before and he is offering himself up to be ready to do it again.

Give him your #1 vote for Council – Bruce Ranga. ❤️

Standing in the 2025 Dunedin City Council election, Future Dunedin and mayoral candidate Andrew Simms are committed to strong leadership, community service, and rebuilding trust in local government.