Jackson calls mayor with congratulations
Sir Peter Jackson hopes Wellington’s new mayor will bring in greater transparency and accountability.
The film-maker financially backed Andy Foster’s campaign and went to his last-minute launch at Shelly Bay.
The location was fitting considering the pair’s opposition to a housing development there. Jackson’s keyboard battles with Shelly Bay developers and the Wellington City Council have been publicly aired several times this year.
Foster went on to narrowly beat one-term incumbent Justin Lester in an election that had the city on the edge of its seat.
He confirmed he received a phone call from Jackson and his partner, Dame Fran Walsh, on Sunday to say they were delighted at the win, and he looked forward to catching up with them reasonably soon.
It’s the first time Foster has heard directly from Jackson since he began his campaign. He hoped to work closely with a wide range of people in the city, including the film-maker.
“They’re a huge part of Wellington, they’ve done an enormous amount for [it] and the employment . . . [and] economic activity that brings.”
Jackson and Walsh said they congratulated Foster and all Wellington City councillors on their wins. “Along with the thousands of Wellingtonians who voted them into office we share in their aims of bringing greater transparency and accountability to local government.
“We wish them well in finding real solutions to the urgent issues facing our city.”
Foster said he would not vote on any decision where Jackson and Walsh had a pecuniary interest, meaning at this point he sees Shelly Bay as fair game.
On the campaign trail the capital’s new mayor said he wanted to find a home for Jackson’s movie museum, which went down the gurgler in a failed partnership with the council.
He admitted voting on that would be a conflict of interest but he could help to get the conversation started.
“It was clear there was a breakdown in relationships around the discussion on including the movie museum with the convention centre.
“We’ve got 600,000 people a year who are going to visit Hobbiton in rural Waikato, so if we could have something that showcased all that creativity in Wellington, that would be absolutely fantastic.”
Jackson said after Foster’s campaign launch that he wasn’t a political person. “I don’t know whether Andy’s left, right, or going around in circles.
“I’m just supporting him because he seems to have moral integrity.”