Orphée Mickalad portrait

Orphée Mickalad

Candidate for Mayor • Palmerston North City Council
Affiliation Independent
Official Candidate Statement

I'm Orphee, and I'm 35.

I'm running for Mayor because I believe Palmerston North is at a turning point, and we need a change of leadership, direction, and approach.

Our city is facing mounting pressures, from rising rates and housing costs to climate challenges, population growth, ageing infrastructure and sweeping central government reforms. These issues demand leadership with a clear plan.

Grounded in my Christian faith, civic leadership, and a deep love for our city, I'm offering forward-thinking leadership that will deliver on Palmy's potential. As Mayor, I will: Deliver value-for-money; Support local businesses, housing and economic growth; Diversify Council's revenue streams, and introduce targeted user pays for non-essential services to reduce cost pressures on ratepayers; Sell underutilised Council assets and airport shares to pay off debt and reinvest in key infrastructure; Proactively lobby central government to get the best investment deals for Palmy.

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News Stories about Orphée Mickalad
  • Ratepayers help fund councillor’s law studies
    The Post — August 30, 2025

    Mayoral hopeful Orphée Mickalad says there is nothing wrong with the council helping out with his university fees.

  • Orphée Mickalad stands for Palmerston North mayoralty
    Manawatu Standard — May 17, 2025

    "Four-year Palmerston North city councillor Orphée Mickalad is standing for the mayoralty. Elected to the council at a by-election in 2021, Mickalad was the city’s first former refugee to claim a seat at the council table. The “proud Palmy resident”, 35, came from war-torn Congo and had lived in the city since 2006."

  • 'Ignore the hatred': Racism fuels former refugee to encourage more immigrants to stand for public office in NZ
    Manawatu Standard — June 7, 2022

    "Online abuse and verbal insults remain routine for the first former refugee to be elected to local government in New Zealand, but he will not flinch to racism. Orphee Mickalad, 32, doesn’t just have time commitments and career ambitions to weigh up when considering if he should seek re-election to the city council in Palmerston North in October, there is also the toll of unrelenting prejudice. “I experience racism almost every day,” he said. “I’ll walk past a traffic light and someone will yell, ‘go back to your own country’, and drive off.” Mickalad is no stranger to living among hostility. He and his family escaped war in Congo for a new life in New Zealand when he was 15. He went from speaking little English to winning a seat on council in a 2021 by-election."

  • Palmerston North City Council votes to establish a Māori ward
    Manawatu Guardian — April 14, 2021

    Voting record from original 2021 decision to introduce Māori ward: "Last week's vote to introduce Māori wards was split 11-5. In favour were mayor Grant Smith, Aleisha Rutherford, Brent Barrett, Rachel Bowen, Zulfiqar Butt, Vaughan Dennison, Renee Dingwall, Patrick Handcock, Lorna Johnson, Orphee Mickalad and Karen Naylor. Against were Susan Baty, Lew Findlay, Leonie Hapeta, Billy Meehan and Bruno Petrenas."

  • Orphee Mickalad wins Palmerston North City Council by-election
    Manawatu Guardian — February 22, 2021

    "Palmerston North's newest city councillor was inspired to enter politics by the man he replaces. Orphee Mickalad was a student in Tangi Utikere's history class at Freyberg High School. It was around the time when Barack Obama was elected the president of the United States. Mickalad says Utikere's teaching style got him interested in politics and his teacher encouraged him to run. "So he was like 'why don't you just do it?'""

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