Denise Roche

Denise Roche is the Auckland City Councillor for the the Hauraki Gulf Islands. She won in the 2007 Auckland local body election by a very narrow margin over long-standing incumbent, Faye Storer by only 11 votes with a high-profile campaign.

She had previously worked for the Waste Resource Trust, promoting responsible waste disposal and recycling on Waiheke.

She has an extensive background in union-related work and in 2000 completed a diploma in labour studies. In 2007 she completed a graduate diploma in not-for-profit management.

Denise and her partner John Stansfield moved to Waiheke in 1997, partners in Orapiu Grove Farm. She is currently on the board of trustees for Te Huruhi School.

Denise was an announcer on Beach Radio featuring every Saturday morning on a slot named Talking Rubbish, sharing news, ideas and opinions on waste management. She was also one of the hosts of the Beach Radio show Island Life, profiling local people, events and issues.

She was the candidate of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand for Auckland Central in the 2008 general election. The Auckland Central electorate includes the whole of Waiheke Island. She received over 13% of votes cast in the electorate, according to the provisional results.