Candidate Kōrero: Ibrahim Omer

Words by Zöe Mills (they/she) 

During his three years at Victoria University, Ibrahim Omer had a strict ritual every Friday afternoon: getting a coffee from Vic Books and a packet of sushi from MakiMono. Omer looks back at this time with fondness, and expressed immediate concern at the lack of students on campus before we even stepped foot into the Salient studio - “it's so quiet!”

Originally from Eritrea, Omer arrived in Aotearoa as a refugee in 2008, graduated from VUW in 2016, graduated from VUW in 2016, and in 2020 was elected to Parliament as a Labour list MP. His work has previously focused on advocating for low-waged workers, migrants and refugees, but now the MP has joined the race for Wellington Central, hoping to follow in suit of his Labour predecessor, Grant Robertson. 

“Now the time has come for me to take another challenge. And that's to serve the city that gave me so much,” Omer said. 

Tertiary

Education, specifically tertiary education, is at the forefront of Omer’s mind when it comes to the electorate. “Victoria University is much more than just another educational institution to me, it's quite personal”, he says. 

As a student, Omer also worked as a cleaner at the university, and mentions how he would work long hours for very little pay. “This university was a big part of my life. This is where I cleaned, this is where I studied… I have a lot of connections [to it], it's quite personal for me.” 

As for the 275 proposed crippling staff cuts looming over the university, Omer says he has been a vocal advocate for tertiary education and for staff facing job cuts. He is the deputy chair of the Education Workforce Committee, and says he frequently discusses the issue with the Education and Finance ministers. 

“We know it's a big loss to our city and our university. And to me, the last three years [I] have proven to be an unapologetic voice for my community…I'll be an unapologetic voice for Wellington [central].” 

Housing

Like his opponent Tamatha Paul, Omer is a renter, and believes that the heart of the housing crisis is the city having a lack of supply. “We need to build more houses. And that's that's the bottom line,” he says. He also believes in the importance of living in a dry, insulated house, and describes periods where he fell sick due to dampness in his own rental. 

Omer cites the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme of Budget 2023 as something he’s like to continue to work towards, which has a goal to insulate 100,000 homes across the country. Although he says that “we’re not there quite yet [hitting the target]”, Omer affirms that he will continue to push for that goal to be met in Wellington. 

Transport

Like a lot of policies, Omer was unable to confirm whether he was fully committed to certain projects—such as VUWSA’s study wage for all campaign.  But for some, he’s completely transparent.

Omer describes himself as “someone who uses public transport regularly”, and believes in a fair wage for bus drivers, and reliable transport for the public.

When asked whether he supports free public transport, Omer met the question with an enthusiastic “absolutely”—but he is unsure whether he will deliver it during his term.

 “I believe in public and free public transport, [but] when it's going to happen, whether it's going to happen now, or in a year or two, three, that's another question […] I'm more than happy to have a conversation with Wellingtonians from across the spectrum, to see where we can do better, what's working, what's not working”.

Omer has, however, voiced keen support for the Lets Get Wellington Moving project, stating,  “My personal take is that we need public transport that's reliable and functional, [that] Wellingtonians can enjoy. So to my personal take on it, it's a good thing, and we need to stick to it”.

Cozzie livs

Before entering politics, Omer worked as a union organiser for E Tū alongside other forms of community advocacy. A large chunk of Omar’s political career has been focused on continuing to advocate for a fair living wage and fair compensation to low waged workers. “I've chosen to be involved and dedicated my time and energy tirelessly to advocate for all low paid workers to be living or to be on living wage. And I will do that for students or anyone that needs my voice”, he said. 

Omer believes that although the student loan living costs were increased by $25 earlier this year, he says that it’s still “not enough”.

“We need to be doing more so that we can attract our young people to feel encouraged and to feel comfortable to go and  study, because at the moment, student numbers are down. There could be many factors, COVID-19 could be part of that, and housing [affordability] could be a part of that. There’s a whole lot of things we can do to attract students to come back to Wellington”. Omer did not specify in particular as to how he would attract students back to Wellington. 

Overall, Ibrahim Omer wants students to know that he understands what it's like to be a student, and believes in “investing in our young people”. 

“I will be an unapologetic voice for students around the issue that they face… Keep questioning your politicians and challenging them.”