Let the Competition for Minister Begin!

[Leander Hayes]

Leander Hayes could not believe it. It was him who was going to meeting the candidates today. They were going to be on his show! If Lee cared about what his father thought about his decisions, he was sure the man would be semi-proud of him right now. This was a prime time to make connections with some high up people. Lee finished setting up the round table with packets for each candidates. He waited in the middle of the room for all of them to arrive before he began to speak. "Hello everyone, I am Leander Hayes, and I will be conducting this radio interview. It is truly a pleasure to meet you all, and I do hope that you will stick around afterwards for a picture." he chuckled softly before he continued. "In about five minutes, you all are going to be live on air. I am going to do my typical show introduction. Then, you're going to introduce yourself and talk about your platform and how your history ties into it. Sadly, there are no time for questions, so we are just going to have to role with the punches. If you'd all take a seat." he smiled and gestured with his hand for everyone to sit down. He had hoped everyone heard him correctly as he had spoke pretty fast, which was normal in this industry.

Once everyone was seated, he motioned for everyone to put on the bright lime green ear covers so that they would be able to hear themselves properly as they spoke into the mic that was in front of each of them. Soon, Lee was the five second countdown had begun and Leander was on air with all of the candidates. "Helllooo~ New Zealand! It is a cool Autumn day, and I firstly like to thank you all for tuning in as we have a very important show today! I am sitting here with all seven candidates, and they are all eager to introduce themselves and tell you more about their platform and their history. First up is Cat Tennon." he silently motioned for Tennon to start with her introductions.

Out of Character:

Candidates: Please be cautious of the strict timeline that we have. Cat Tennon will go first. After her post, it does not matter who goes next. Leander is only here to make sure nothing goes wrong. Feel free to godmod Leander helping if your candidate is not very savvy with the equipment.

 

[Cat Tannon]

Cat was feeling the jitters in her stomach. She had gone through the prep for this a million times with Orwell, so she was beyond ready, but she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. Cat hadn't met the other candidates before, so to be put in a room with them and then shoved in the deep end and told she was going first was crazy. She was immediately drawn to the other female candidate, Claudia Holland, because sisters unite. If Cat wasn't running, she'd definitely vote for this woman. Polite introductions were made, but if all else failed, Cat thought Claudia could make a good friend. Taking a deep breath in, glad for her eidetic memory at times like these, Cat put on her headphones as the man named Leander introduced her, remembering to smile before she spoke, not caring too much that the radio host got her surname wrong. Easily fixable! "Thank you Leander! Hello everyone, I am Catherine Tannon, and as you all know, I am a candidate for Minister of Magic. Maybe it's because of my name that I am in love with cats - or maybe it's because they are so adorable, and this probably doesn't have anything to do with the election, but hey! Fun fact." Cat laughed, thinking at least the people would be able to relate to her. "Although I attended Hogwarts Scotland, where I was Head Girl and a Ravenclaw, I am 100% a citizen and committed to New Zealand. You may think I am too young, but my ambition has led me here, and I will have new and fresh ideas that perhaps a few older candidates wouldn't think of. I stand for abolishing homelessness, and helping make New Zealand a richer and safer country, where every person and every cat has a home. Vote Cat!" She grinned as she finished, giving Leander the thumbs up.

 

[Dymetris Kozlov]

Dymetris sat next to Ms. Tannon, possibly going through the same range of nervousness. If it weren't for the beverage they'd offered, the man would be sitting there cotton mouth. Thankfully, he quench his thirst as it was his time up to introduce himself. Dymetris, set the headphone securely over his ears. He moved up at the mic, calmly gathering his thoughts together. "Cheers Leander, thank you for having me on your show today. My name is Dymetris Kozlov, I'm from Russia, but raised in New Zealand since the age of eleven. I attended Hogwarts New Zealand, sorted as Hufflepuff and ended my years there as headboy. Love you Hogwarts!" Dymetris chuckles, giving a random shout out to the school that made him possible. That made him the wizard he was today. "Like Ms. Tannon here, I am running for Minister of Magic, but not only as myself but as healer representing St. Mungos. We have to do better and help those who can't help themselves. Healers and many who work at St. Mungos have dedicated their lives in helping the poor and curing the sick. Helping anyone that's in need, not only because it's our job, because we care. I am running on a platform to spread that message, and as well as many others. I, too am young, but I like to think anything is possible if you're willing to work hard and give it your all. Thank you." Dymetris would end it there. He was afraid he would keep going, and the point was to summarize his candidacy. He felt like he did, he felt proud. He hoped Faxen and his twins were listening. He prayed he made them proud too.
​

 

[Ioan Finch]

Having avoided as much of the media as he believed he could get away with, Ioan had finally relented for this event, knowing it was important to begin reaching the New Zealand community. Some of his colleagues had already begun doing so, though he saw the streets in his particular community, typical really, were being ignored. The man made note of that as he apparated to the studio and eventually found his seat at the table. He looked over the group, a rather large one though he expected the young girl to spontaneously combust at some point from all of the energy she possessed, and for several of the others to ruin their campaigns all on their own.

Jotting down some of the words he wanted to mention, Ioan listened as first the energetic girl, a cat lady named Cat which seemed exactly right, he noted with only a small eye roll, and then a Healer spoke. "If I may go next?" he said, holding up a hand. It took a moment to get the headphones on. "Thank you for having me on your show, Leander" he smiled, going with his first surname as the other two had. Informal, got it, he noted to himself. "My name is Ioan Finch, and I've lived here in New Zealand for over twenty years. My children were raised here and attended school here, and now continue to reside in the community with their families. We love New Zealand, and while it's not without its problems, I know that the country also has a lot going for it. But for decades now, it's been led by Ministry Officials who then move into the Minister position and then continue the status quo. I am hoping to come in and help push the Ministry to the next level, and into a brand new future where change and innovation, invention, community among all, and, of course, safety are promoted to help us become the wizarding community I know we can be." Ioan smiled at all of the gathered around him. "Thank you" he added.

 

[Carter Kaster]

Carter hadn't been feeling much of anything recently, but since he had revealed his candidacy in this campaign, all he had been focusing on was his children and this campaign. Though it was only slowly getting underway, Carter knew that these next months would be crucial and he would not have time to sit and mope around about Kiera. He still loved her and he missed her every day, but the five months was beginning to lessen the absolute pain and horrible loneliness he felt every day. Sean had been of great help to him and his chat with Felix had done a great deal to help him. He was glad to have something to focus on these days. He hadn't been sure about it and maybe he still wasn't, but he was focused, he was confident. He had a decades worth of experience. He knew what he was doing. As they arrived at the studio, Carter was amazed by the whole set up. He often listened to the radio whilst he was working, but he'd never thought about what it would be like on the other side of the waves. It had been his best friend during his annual leave.

Carter sat by Ioan, listening to the other candidates as they talked about what they were striving for. It was the kind of stuff he was expecting and he'd heard a lot of it from his time in the previous election. He believed he'd learned a lot from that, and had become a better person and a better representative since. As Ioan finished his talk, Carter sat up straighter. He wasn't too familiar with any of the equipment so Leander had been kind enough to help him out. He moved the microphone closer and cleared his throat. "Thanks for that, Leander." He said, testing out the sound and making sure he was speaking clearly. "I'm Carter Kaster, some of you would remember me from the last election, I enjoyed meeting all of you and I greatly appreciated the time you took to speak with me and tell me what you wanted." He said, looking to the previous speakers as she spoke his next words. "All of us here today have something we think we know, something we think we can fix, I've seen it first hand." He nodded to himself, checking off his own mental list. "And it's true, we do, a youth, a healer, an outsider, we all have a different view of New Zealand and it gives each of us an advantage over others." He was sure they would have no idea where he was going, but he had a point. "My advantage, I'm German, I was born there and lived there for my entire childhood. I only moved here nearly twelve years ago. I've seen how these systems work. Ioan has said there needs to be a shake up in the Ministry and whilst I agree. I've seen how things have been done, I know what works and what doesn't I have the experience from my last campaign and I remember what I was told then." He said, coming to the end of his speech. "You've seen my personal life play out in a very public way, but my work has been mostly behind the scenes, the law protecting me and mine within the confines of the Ministry walls, but that's going to change." He took a deep breath. "I want you to see what we are doing, how we are helping you, more transparency for the community to understand how we work. That's how we're going to make New Zealand a better and safer place for a brighter tomorrow. Thank you."
​

 

[Claudia Holland]

Even though Claudia had prepared what she wanted to say well with Colin's help, she still felt nervous. Her ideas were clear in her mind, as was her platform. The biggest challenge was to convey those ideas while still remaining unique and memorable as a candidate. She had seen pictures of the other candidates before, but seeing them here felt very different. She noticed Cat first. As the only other woman running, Claudia felt a little connected to her despite not having talked to her yet. Seeing her in the flesh really hit home how young the other woman was, she didn't look too far from her niece Grace's age. The same could be said for their host today, he was very young as well. She listened as Cat introduced herself and talked about her platform. After the younger woman was done, she couldn't help sending her an encuraging smile. She had done well, though Claudia felt like the focus of her own speech should be less on who she was and more on what she stood for. Then she listened in turn to Dymetris, Ioan, and Carter. Of all the other candidates, only Carter had run for the position before, which was something to keep in mind.

Finally, it was her turn. She smiled at the boy as he helped her with the microphone. "Thank you, Leander." She said, wondering once again how old he was. It was nice to see young people concerned with politics, but it had a side effect of making her feel her age. But she had to focus now. "Hello everyone, my name is Claudia Holland. I'm also a candidate for Minister of Magic. I went to Hogwarts in Scotland and was a Gryffindor. I wasn't born in this country, but I have been living here for nearly fourteen years now. All four of my children have grown up in New Zealand, and starting next September they will all be attending Hogwarts here as well. Over the past decade I have fallen in love with this country, but before my move here I have worked at the Ministry in England as well. In my job at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, more specifically at the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee, I have gained a lot of experience working alongside both wizards and muggles, which has given me many insights in how both sides of our world work. And I have seen that there is a lot we can learn from muggles and the way they live their lives without magic." She smiled a little sadly, knowing there were probably some listeners that would dismiss her over this statement. But it was what she believed in, so she kept going. "I believe that a more open mindset would benefit the wizarding community as a whole. Which is why my platform focuses on communication, education and acceptance. We will always live in a world with people different than ourselves, this is something we need to not only accept but also embrace." Thinking it over, she was sure she had said everything she had wanted to say for now. "Thank you." She said, before nodding at the next person to take his turn.

 

[Alexander Cade]

Alexander had a good idea what he was going to stay before he entered the station. He nodded at the other candidates as he took his seat. He didn't know any of them personally but he knew of some of them. He had remembered reading about Carter when he ran for the position before and he knew that James was familiar with a few members of the mans family. Alexander was startled by how young Cat Tannon looked in person, though a number of the candidates were on the younger side Cat was especially young.

After listening to each of the candidates introduce themselves and their platforms and before Alexander knew it, it was his turn to speak. "Thank you Leander," He smiled at the young host. "My name is Alexander Cade, like some of my fellow candidates I am not originally from New Zealand. I was born in the United States, I attended Hogwarts in Scotland and was sorted into Slytherin. I moved here to be closer to my family, I have relatives at the school here and my niece will be attending it next year so New Zealand has become very dear to me. My main focus during this election campaign is crime, particularly stamping out groups like the Scitorari that seek to corrupt our young people, its a threat I don't want my niece exposed to, I want to make New Zealand safer for everyone's children and the generations to come," Alexander could have said more but he wanted to keep it brief given the format of the interview.

 

[Metrophanes Matthias]

Metrophanes felt that he was the oldest in the room, full of other candidates. He recognized one as another fellow Scitorari, which made him confident that they could achieve their goals. It was likely that one of them would be voted in, as long as their platforms could reach out to others. As soon as he was available to speak, the host helped him with the equipment since he was very unfamiliar with it. Metrophanes cleared his throat and began to speak, "Greetings, my name is Metrophanes Matthias. My surname might be familiar with the recent Deputy Minister, because we are brothers. My other brother was Zannon, which my condolences to the mother of his victim, I am very sorry. Anyway, like some of the others, I am also not native to New Zealand. I have lived here for for almost thirty years and I adore it. I had a few sons go to Hogwarts New Zealand, one of which was a Head Boy as well. Because of this, I am very proud to be here, and hope to represent such a fine country." Metrophanes knew that Mikhail would likely hate him for mentioning his name, or him in general. But his relation to Mikhail might give him an advantage.

"My platform is simple. I want to give more freedomons to the community of New Zealand. I want to give education and knowledge to the wizardkind about muggles, and not stand so divided as is. I want to allow the muggle-born students to enter a world where they do not feel like outsiders, and end all thoughts of inferiority and superiority between the blood statuses. We all use magic, and that makes us equal by that means. I want to propose new laws and tactics to look to a future where there is no muggle world, or magical world, rather than just one united place for all kinds." Metrophanes leaned back and smirked a bit. It was a lie, but he used it well. Appealing to those that wanted to have no boundaries, before he would end up demolishing all the muggles so that the magical kind can reach their full potential.​

 

[Leander Hayes]

Leander Hayes waited patiently as each candidate said their piece. Lee personally did not know who he was going to vote for yet, as it was very early in the race. All he knew was that some of these people were fairly powerful, and it would be good to stay on their good sides and not get their names wrong. Thankfully, he had only said one person's name wrong, and he did not even get it that wrong. Just used to wrong letter. THere had only been just one name to say in the first place. Matthias finished his miniature speal and Leander took over. "Well, you heard them here first everyone! To the candidates, it has been an honor to host you on my show, and to the voters, do you know who has your vote yet?" he made his ending statement and took off his headphones as they went off air. He looked to all the candidates and started to clap as a way to t congratulate them on making it this far, even though the competition had just begun.