Love him or hate him, you cannot ignore Michael Laws. The Mayor of Wanganui has a reputation for getting things done and he is not afraid of upsetting people in pursuit of his goals.
Achievements include being awarded the Charles Southwell prize in 2003 for insightful contribution to public debate and in 2009, Laws took on the gangs in Wanganui and successfully managed to get a bill through Parliament that bans gang patches in the city.
As well as his mayoral duties, Laws is a prolific writer and publisher, television host and a father to five children. He is currently combining some of these activities to produce a children’s book.