Graham Bloxham has pulled out, while Andrew Little and Ray Chung are still competing to be the next Wellington mayor. Photo / NZ Herald composite
There are just over 10 weeks to go until Wellingtonians find out who will lead the capital for the next three years.
Nominations for the city’s mayoralty closed at midday today with 12 candidates officially throwing their hats in the ring for the top job.
The mayoral race has already been plagued by scandal, legal threats, and claims of dirty politics.
This week saw the exit of controversial local Facebook page owner Graham Bloxham from the race before he had even submitted his nomination, citing “personal attacks“.
The Herald put a series of questions to each of the candidates to help Wellingtonians get a better picture of who is campaigning to take the mayoral chains.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Baker is a former KPMG chartered accountant and most recently worked as a sustainability director at Kāinga Ora. He is also running in the Motukairangi Eastern Ward where he lives with his young family.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Affordability, jobs and sustainability.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“I want to deliver the positive, social outcomes Wellingtonians want, while applying the strong, pragmatic financial management we need.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“Fairly negative and a beatdown on the city, I want my campaign to bring some positivity to how Wellingtonians feel about the future.”
Baker said he is “largely self-funding” his campaign with some financial support from friends and family. He plans to spend $40,000 on the campaign.
Little is a former Labour Party leader and Cabinet Minister. He left Parliament in 2023 and is currently working as a lawyer. He is a long-time Island Bay resident and is not running for a ward seat.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Getting a firmer grip on council spending to keep rates down and free up money to invest in community facilities such as swimming pools and libraries.
“Making our city more affordable by accelerating housing development and making public transport cheaper and more reliable.
“Making the council more transparent and accountable, with community feedback front and centre when decisions are made.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“Progressive, pragmatic left.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“My campaign so far has been about connecting with Wellingtonians at a grassroots level through stakeholder meetings, one-on-one meetings with community and business leaders and meeting with people in their communities and on their doorsteps. I am hearing incredible stories, dreams and ambitions from people who want a council to listen and work with them.”
Little said he plans to spend close to the $60,000 limit in place during the three months leading up to the election. He has committed to releasing a full account of all donations over the $1500 disclosure limit before voting begins. Candidates are only required to do this after voting.
He has not publicly disclosed any major backers but a spokesman for his campaign confirmed that Jacinda Ardern had been in touch and “wished him well”.
Ardern would not comment on Little’s run.
Calvert is a third-term Wellington City councillor standing again for a Wharangi Onslow Western ward seat. Born in Liverpool, Britain, she previously ran for the mayoralty in 2019, placing third with 13.8% of the vote. This term, she has advocated for the Khandallah swimming pool to be saved and spoken out against the cycleway rollout.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Reset the budget, Respect the ratepayer – get spending under control.
“Get the basics right – fix our roads, rubbish, and public spaces.
“Rebuild trust – a council that listens, engages, and delivers.
“Backing local business, building and bold ideas - cut the red tape and streamline processes.
“Restoring a council that listens, engages, and delivers – build back public confidence in the council’s ability to deliver what Wellingtonians want."
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“I’m a pragmatic moderate and not aligned with any party or political group.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“It’s a crowded and diverse field, but with my entry, I hope we shift the focus of the debate to real workable solutions for the city’s challenges.”
Calvert said she plans to run a “lean, no-frills campaign”, spending only what she raises from donations. She said she would only declare donations after the election as required.
McDonald, also known as Donald Newtown McDonald or Don Newt, has run for Wellington mayor a number of times. He is known in the capital for his cryptic social media posts on community Facebook page Vic Deals and is said to hold the record for filing the most complaints with the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
He did not respond to the Herald’s questions about his campaign.
Shi ran unsuccessfully in the council’s Pukehīnau Lambton Ward byelection last year. She describes herself as an immigrant single mum of two.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Prioritise council spending on core infrastructure and essential services for the community, especially repairing and replacing ageing, leaking pipes.
“Provide better and more affordable public transportation.
“Nurturing a business-friendly environment so that Wellington’s business can thrive.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“I am listening and ready to solve the problems facing our city.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
Shi said she is her own backer and doesn’t intend to spend much on her campaign as she is currently unemployed.
Harford says he has lived in Wellington all his life and believes the council “needs less jesting and more Joshing”.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Urgently improving Wellington’s weather; Mandating optimism throughout the City Council; Installing a lazy river on Courtney Place.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“Neither left nor right wing, but rather highly serious with two wings.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“Unfortunately, there are a number of very silly candidates clogging up this race. Serious contenders such as myself and William Pennywize are often drowned out by the bizarre ramblings of Ray Chung, Andrew Little, Karl Teifenbacher and the others.”
Harford plans to spend no more than a few hundred dollars on his campaign as he has not received any donations.
Karl Tiefenbacher owns the Wellington coffee and gelato chain Kaffee Eis. Tiefenbacher lives in the CBD but is also running for a Motukairangi Eastern Ward seat. He has previously run for a council seat twice and lost.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Better value from council for Wellingtonians.
“A ‘yes’ council that supports businesses and drives employment opportunities and vibrancy.
“Rebuilding confidence and pride in our city by ensuring transparency in everything the council does.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“I believe in commonsense centrist policies that support the majority and allows the city to thrive.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“There has been too much focus on political game playing and not enough on the policies that will turn our city around.”
Tiefenbacher is boasting several anonymous “passionate Wellingtonian backers” who have financially supported his campaign, although he said it is “largely self-funded”. He plans to spend about $40,000.
Kelvin Hastie describes himself as a “predator-free champion” for his conservation work. He ran for the mayoralty in 2022 and placed sixth with 2208 votes.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Pausing High‑Impact Projects & Re-Consulting Infrastructure Plans- pausing major projects—including the Golden Mile redevelopment, the city composting scheme, and the City-to-Sea bridge demolition—so they can be reassessed with fresh consultation.
“Rate Relief via Governance Reform and Regional Amalgamation - reducing rates by amalgamating Wellington with nearby councils (Porirua, Hutt City, Upper Hutt), aiming to eliminate duplication, streamline services, and bring down the cost burden on ratepayers.
“Strategic Social Housing Renewal - a partnership with central government to radically modernise Wellington’s social housing stock. Rather than pouring money into ageing homes, I want to demolish obsolete properties, offer viable units to first-home buyers, and use proceeds from surplus land for building new, energy-efficient, resilient public housing tailored to today’s standards.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“My political outlook is independent, grounded in inclusivity, and oriented toward sustainable, forward-thinking progress.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“A contest of ideas, pitting bold, community-led innovation [my platform] against more established institutional politics.”
Hastie said he has not yet received any donations exceeding $5000.
Ray Chung is a first-term city councillor running for the mayoralty under a group of independent candidates titled Independent Together. He ran for the mayoralty in 2022 placing fourth with 12,670 votes. He has come under fire for a sexual gossip-filled email he sent about Tory Whanau in 2023. Chung is also running for re-election in the Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“A council led by me will work with the other Independent Together and like-minded councillors to deliver on zero rates increases to make Wellington affordable for all.
“We will make the hard, adult decisions to refocus council resources towards core priorities and basics, reducing duplicated services, unnecessary gold plating and ensuring residents get value for money.
“We will restore access to the city for all and focus on making it easier for businesses to flourish. Businesses generate jobs for residents and students, and this will bring people back to the city to contribute to prosperity and growth.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“My goal is to get central government party politics out of council governance and to refocus everyone on the core priorities and basics that only council can deliver to its residents.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“I began my campaign early because I understood that to take back the city from the political parties in favour of truly independent councillors required a long runway. The political parties, Labour and Greens in particular, don’t want to relinquish their hold on the city’s treasury, and that’s evident by the number of candidates they’re running.”
Chung said he has the backing of residents “across all political, cultural, economy, age, and sex demographics”.
He will not proactively disclose donations but has previously said his campaign group had raised between $150,000 - $200,000. He was previously backed by high-profile philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik but he withdrew his support following the email scandal.
A former police officer and territorial soldier, Rob Goulden served as a Wellington City councillor between 1998 and 2010. Mayor Kerry Prendergast said at the time his aggressive behaviour had become a problem at the council. He now works as a Metlink bus driver and runs a security and protective services company.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Grow the city’s economy by focusing on the things we are good at, e.g. film industry, arts, culture and entertainment, developing Wellington as an IT hub, tourism and Wellington as a centre of education with our two universities and potentially other centres of learning.
“Focus on priorities and cut wasteful spending. Core business and infrastructure on projects we can afford. Reduce debt and rates to an affordable level. Rates increases will be no greater than the level of inflation.
“Provide Leadership to a city that desperately needs it, scrutinise all expenditure, do things smarter and enhance input from the public with better decision making and better processes and bring back the vibe, confidence and investment to Wellington.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“Centrist.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“It’s been a challenge with lack of access to media. It’s definitely the dirtiest campaign I have ever been involved with.”
Goulden said “The campaign manager and a couple of the team are running the campaign fund and account” and he has “nothing to do with it”.
Caldwell, who also goes by Scoot, lives in Auckland working as a software engineer. He is an advocate for housing intensification.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“To be unafraid of growth and change. This is the only way that Wellington can become a city that everyone can enjoy living in.
“To grow our rates base without asking Wellingtonians to dig even deeper into their pockets. This will mean taking on the Beehive. Government buildings do not pay any commercial rates, which impacts the city’s bottom line. If you own buildings and run your operation in this city, you have to contribute to the coffers like everyone else.
“To be unapologetic in the rejection of curtain twitchers trapped in the 1980s who hold the city back. We have to embrace affordable housing, great infrastructure and thriving businesses.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“I don’t play politics - the Mayor of Wellington needs to be for all Wellingtonians, not just for Wellingtonians with the same political views.”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“It’s a pretty poor showing. The city deserves better than yet another former minister looking for a cushy retirement gig.”
Caldwell said he is not yet convinced he needs donations to win the mayoralty.
James Barber is running as William Pennywize, a reference to Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the movie adaptations of Stephen King’s novel It. The campaign is a satirical jab at Chung’s campaign group Independent Together, also called IT. Pennywize recently attended one of the group’s events in Newtown.
What are your top three priorities for Wellington if elected?
“Make the Basin swamp again, daylight all awa as well as genetically engineering giant tuna and moa as part of our new public transport scheme. You will no longer slowly rumble down Adelaide Rd on a double-decker and be stuck in traffic on Courtney Place you will instead fly along the back of a giant tuna or a resurrected moa.”
How would you describe your politics in one sentence?
“Rewilding Wellington will tackle the water crisis, the climate crisis and the wellbeing crisis at the same time; while also just being really cool!”
What do you make of the Wellington mayoral race so far?
“The Wellington mayoral race has been a desolate wasteland of visionless moaning about how infrastructure costs money. The Pennywize campaign is a bright oasis of opportunity and aspiration in an otherwise boring and depressing landscape.”
Barber said he has received $750.70 in donations and plans to spend every cent.
Today is the last day to enrol to cast an ordinary vote, those not enrolled after today will have to cast a special vote.
Voting opens on September 9 and closes at noon on Saturday, October 11. Provisional results will be released the same day with the final results declared on October 16.
Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.