'The leaders of tomorrow are here and they want to help,” says the new United Future candidate for the Tauranga electorate.

James Maxwell was yesterday announced as the local candidate standing for this year's September 20 general election.

James Maxwell is the United Future party's Tauranga candidate for this election.

The 19-year-old checkout operator is likely the youngest candidate standing in this year's election – which is also the first that he is eligible to vote in.

When asked whether the prospect of being the youngest candidate makes him nervous, James says he will relish the challenge.

"I think it's exciting and shows everyone the younger generation does care about what is happening,” he says.

'People have asked me why would a 19-year-old want to stand for political office and my question to them is – why not?”

James currently works part-time as a checkout operator at Countdown Greerton while he completes his Certificate in Management from the New Zealand Institute of Management.

Born and bred in Tauranga, his heart is firmly where his home is and says his immediate political aspiration is to support the city's growth.

He believes there is no need to reinvent the wheel and Tauranga already possesses strong foundations upon which to build.

'Tauranga just needs to be supported in a way that grows the city as a whole, which is how I feel United Future can help.

"We have good job growth at the moment so we should support that aspect of Tauranga. I also believe education needs a good shakeup.”

James became a card carrying member of United Future last year. He was originally happy to start out by distributing pamphlets but it was the party who suggested James stand.

It was while attending Otumoetai College that he gained more insight into United Future, saying they were the only party who seemed genuinely interested in Joe and Jane Bloggs' opinions.

'All the parties would occasionally visit the college but United Future was the only one who didn't bombard you with what they wanted.

"They would ask what people thought before telling them how the party could help, which is what attracted me.”

Mr Maxwell is the youngest member of his family of four and says his upbringing was not particularly politicised.

But that changed when older sister Kerehi, who has Down Syndrome, lost access to the educational support she needed while at intermediate, thanks to the government of the day.

"My father Maunsell Jr had to quit his own studies in order to attend school with Kerehi every day to provide her with support because she was receiving none.

"From then on we became more aware politically of what was happening, why it was happening and who could best help us and the community.”

James has received 'mixed and interesting” feedback from friends and family in the wake of his announcement. He laughs when he recalling the phone call he made to mother Carmel to ask for her thoughts.

She hung up on him.

"A minute later she called back and said we would talk later, it was interesting but big and she needed time to process it.

'There's also been a wide spectrum of feedback from my friends and some have said my candidacy was just what they need.”

And had he heard from party leader Peter Dunne?

'I have been contacted, I don't know how this will sound but I've been really busy since the announcement and may have missed his call!”

It is early days in James's campaign and his first order of business will be to speak with Tauranga residents to find out what they want from a political representative.

From here on, his time in the politics game will depend on what the constituents wants – not what he wants.

"I'm here now because I can see improvements can be made and I can see how I can help make those improvements. I am fully committed.

"My goals are based on what the people want and if they say my help is not what they want down the track then I'm okay with that."