| Sara Templeton |
Sara Louise Templeton (née Beswick, born 1971) is a New Zealand local politician based in Christchurch. She came to national attention when she exposed her online troll as being a Young Nat. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, Templeton was active in her Heathcote Valley community, and later co-authored a book about the community's efforts. She was awarded a Civic Earthquake Award for her community-building work. She chaired a community board for three years before standing for Christchurch City Council in 2016. She was the only candidate to unseat a sitting councillor, and was subsequently reelected in 2019 and 2022. Templeton is known for her focus on climate change issues. Templeton is a director of Christchurch City Holdings.
Templeton was born in Christchurch in 1971 to Ian and Kathy Beswick.[1] She was educated at Burnside High School and Onslow College.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Canterbury in 1995.[3] She was a secondary school English and drama teacher before entering local politics, and also owned an eco-friendly baby wipes business.[4] [5]
Living in Heathcote Valley near the epicentre of the 2011 earthquake, Templeton was one of a number of local community leaders that helped with earthquake recovery, and she helped establish a community garden behind St Mary's Church. She was awarded a Civic Earthquake Award for services to the community presented by Mayor Bob Parker on 18 December 2012.[6] [7] Templeton coedited a book with Sooze Harris, published in 2016, Heathcote: The Upside: Community Creativity, Innovation and Initiative in Response to the Christchurch Earthquakes. The book details the community-led projects that arose in the Heathcote Valley in the first five years after the Christchurch earthquakes.[8]
In 2015 plans by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to revamp Victoria Square generated significant public upset, forcing a period of public consultation on the proposed changes.[9] An Independent Reference Group was set up, which Templeton chaired.[10]
Templeton was chair of the Heathcote Valley Community Association, and chair of the Hagley Ferrymead Community Board for three years, prior to standing for Christchurch City Council in 2016.[11] [12] She stood for election in the Heathcote ward under the banner of 'Strong Communities for a Stronger Christchurch' and won the election by a margin of more than 1500 votes, unseating sitting councillor Paul Lonsdale.[13] [14] [15] Templeton was reelected to council in both 2019 and 2022.[16] [17]
Templeton is known for her focus on climate change, and head the council's climate change portfolio and chairs the council's Sustainability and Community Resilience Committee of the Whole.[18] [19] At her reelection in 2019 she said she was keen to work with communities on their responses to climate change, but noted that there were large scale systemic changes needed to help people make climate-friendly choices, such as in public transport. She expressed dismay when the council were presented with a draft long-term plan in 2023 that removed all funding for cycleways, saying "I expect to see an option presented that helps us meet our approved emissions reduction targets. Short-term thinking is a disservice to our communities facing the challenges of a climate-impacted future.”
In 2021, Templeton requested the council remove library fines at Christchurch City libraries, as they disadvantage some groups. The policy was adopted in March 2022.[20] [21] Templeton is one of two city councillors to sit as directors of Christchurch City Holdings, a company which manages around $3 billion of council assets.[22] [23] In 2022 it was suggested that Templeton might be considering running for mayor when Lianne Dalziel retires.
In July 2021, during her second term as a city councillor, Templeton revealed to the media that she was the target of online harassment from two Facebook accounts with fake names. When the accounts were blocked from her page, they began a smear campaign against her by messaging and posting misinformation about her on other pages. They also attempted to get access to her personal Facebook page through the Official Information Act, and when they were denied, one of them complained to the Ombudsman. The same Facebook accounts were also responsible for targeting Sarah Pallett and Megan Woods.[24] [25] Templeton complained to the District Court and investigations traced the IP address to a house owned by National Party member Bryce Beattie. His housemate Jessee Mackenzie admitted to the harassment and both Beattie and Mackenzie resigned from the Young Nats, and Beattie withdrew as an independent candidate in the local elections.[26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
In August 2023, Templeton said she had to increase her home security after online comments targeted her, after she laid a code of conduct complaint against fellow councillor Aaron Keown.[31]
Templeton lives in the Heathcote Valley and travels to work by bus or bicycle, having given up her council carpark.[32] Templeton often wears a wooden necklace that represents the UN sustainable development goals that are most important to her, which are good health and wellbeing, gender equality, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, and peace, justice and strong institutions.