Council byelection to cost $120,000 after Tamatha Paul wins Wellington Central

New Greens MPs (from left): Scott Willis, Darleen Tana, Tamatha Paul, Lan Pham, Steve Abel, Efeso Collins and Hūhana Lyndon. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A byelection in Wellington City Council’s Lambton Ward is expected to cost $120,000 as councillor Tamatha Paul moves on to a career in Parliament.

Paul pulled off a historic victory for the Greens in Wellington Central by flipping the safe Labour seat and fighting off the blue wave that’s engulfed most of the country.

She will step down from her role as a councillor on November 10.

”It’s been a privilege to serve Wellington for the past four years and I’m excited to take my knowledge and experience of local government into Parliament,” Paul said.

”Whilst the Government has been in caretaker mode, I decided to continue to serve as a councillor, continuing strong representation for my ward during the critical early development stages of the Long-Term Plan.”

The wage she has earned as a councillor while waiting for the Government to form will be donated to charity.

The move will trigger a byelection in the Pukehīnau Lambton Ward. The earliest a byelection can occur is on February 17 next year and it’s expected to cost about $120,000.

Mayor Tory Whanau says Paul has been a valued colleague and friend.

”We will miss Tamatha as a staunch representative for people and the planet, but I am totally thrilled that she is heading to Parliament, where she’ll work just as hard for her community as she has at council.”

Paul was chairwoman of a new council super-committee designed to deal with Wellington’s infrastructure crisis and housing shortage. Deputy chairman for the Environment and Infrastructure Committee, councillor Tim Brown, will step into her place for the time being.

Whanau said Paul’s departure coincides with a review of all council committees.

”I’ve been in office for a year now and I want to ensure we have the right councillors on the right committees for the benefit of all Wellingtonians.”

Whanau said she would make a decision about who runs council committees after a code of conduct investigation into five of her councillors concludes in late November.

The code of conduct complaint alleges these councillors breached confidentiality after information was made public about a potential deal involving the council buying the land underneath the shut-up Reading Cinema building.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.