Arrowtown accountant Heath Copland has announced he will stand for the Queenstown Lakes District Council in the local government elections in October.
He will contest the seat currently held by councillor Scott Stevens, who recently announced he would not seek re-election.
In a press release, Mr Copland said he wanted to ensure "the future of our district is pursued in a sustainable manner that we can all be proud of''.
Mr Copland is a member of the Arrowtown Village Association, and has a "special interest in health services, education and tourism in the wider Queenstown Lakes District''.
He is a director of Moore Stephens Markhams Accountants and lives in Arrowtown with his wife Terri-lee and their 21-month-old daughter Beatrix.
Originally from Southland, Mr Copland spent 12 years working overseas in the finance industry before settling permanently in Arrowtown last year.
"Throughout my life I've had a strong affiliation with this region and, now that I have a young family, I'm very focused on the future so that my daughter can have the opportunity to achieve her dreams right here in Arrowtown and the Southern Lakes,'' he said in the release.
He described himself as "pro-growth in the right places''.
