Wellington City councillor Diane Calvert running for mayor of Wellington

Wellington City councillor Diane Calvert has announced she will run for the capital’s top job.

She had previously been floated as a potential mayoral candidate but ruled herself out earlier this month when announcing she would be standing again as a ward councillor for a Wharangi Onslow Western ward seat.

Calvert now says she had concerns about the city’s mayoral race over the past two weeks, including “the tone, the tactics, and the lack of focus on the big challenges ahead”, and has decided to run.

“Wellington can’t afford a mayor who needs time to get up to speed or understand the complexities of the proposed changes,” Calvert said.

Born in Liverpool, Britain, the third-term councillor previously ran for the mayoralty in 2019, placing third with 11,471 votes or 13.8% of the vote.

Calvert said she would be running on “five core priorities” as she aims to earn the trust of Wellingtonians before the city’s local elections.

These include sorting out the roads, waste and public spaces and building safer communities.

“Many people have encouraged me to stand and to offer a credible alternative,” Calvert said.

“I will bring a steady voice and experienced leadership to the table, both during the campaign and if elected.”

“Wellington is facing one of its most challenging and defining periods. The announcement of major reform of local government will have significant impact. All councils will be required to refocus and reduce their core purpose,” Calvert said in a statement.

Calvert has previously been described as a centre-right voice on council but positions herself as a moderate. She was a member of the Labour Party some decades ago.

Coucillor Diane Calvert during a rally, opposed to Wellington City Council’s Golden Mile project, on Courtenay Place in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

This term she has advocated for the Khandallah swimming pool to be saved and spoken out against the cycleway roll-out.

She was also among a group of councillors who were found to have breached the council’s code of conduct by speaking to the media about the then-confidential Reading cinema deal.

Current Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau’s departure from the race, announced in April, makes Calvert the only woman currently contending.

“It’s also important to me that a woman’s voice is part of the mayoral race and one grounded in experience, not noise,” Calvert said.

Seven men are also running for the mayoralty, Andrew Little, Ray Chung, Karl Tiefenbacher, Graham Bloxham, Rob Goulden, Kelvin Hastie and Alex Baker.

Calvert’s bid to throw her hat into the ring follows a tumultuous two weeks in local government politics, kicked off by a leaked email written by candidate Chung to council colleagues detailing unsavoury sexual rumours about Whanau more than two years ago.

The email, which Whanau shared with media, contained allegations about the mayor and a “night of debauchery”.

Whanau said Chung emailed her an apology on Monday, the same day Prime Minister Christopher Luxon slammed Chung’s comments.

“That was unacceptable content in that email, really pretty vile and unacceptable stuff,” Luxon said when asked about it at his post-Cabinet press conference.

The local body elections take place on October 11.