The man Sir Peter’s backing for mayor
Sir Peter Jackson is throwing his support behind a new Wellington mayoral candidate, current councillor Andy Foster.
Foster announced his candidacy yesterday afternoon at Chocolate Fish Cafe in Shelly Bay, with Jackson in attendance.
‘‘There are many people who are not happy about what’s been done, what has not been done, and the way things have been done,’’ Foster said.
It will be Foster’s third run at the mayoralty, the first in 2001, coming fourth, and the second in 2016, when he came fifth with 3662 votes.
He will join fellow OnslowWestern Ward councillor Diane Calvert in his bid to topple the incumbent Justin Lester, as well as Conor Hill, Jenny Condie, Norbert Hausbert and Don Newt McDonald.
‘‘I’ve never had so many people say ‘please stand [for mayor]’,’’ Foster said. ‘‘We’ve chosen Shelly Bay to announce it because it represents so many different things – what’s going right, as well as what’s not.’’
Jackson has become a vocal opponent of a proposed Wellington Company development at Shelly Bay since penning an open letter to Lester over the issue in March.
Jackson said he thought Foster had integrity, something which he believed Lester and the council’s senior leadership lacked.
There had been ‘‘crazy, idiot decisions’’ and ‘‘very dodgy behaviour’’, he said. ‘‘There’s a bit of rot in the council and it needs to be cleansed.’’
He couldn’t say exactly how much his companies were contributing to Foster’s campaign, but they included Weta Digital, Weta Workshop, and Park Road Post. ‘‘I’m not really doing this for politics. I don’t know whether Andy is Left, Right or skirts around in circles.’’
Jackson had invited Weta employees ‘‘passionate’’ about the issue of Shelly Bay to attend the candidacy announcement.
Foster did not want to disclose who else was funding his campaign, but it included ‘‘others’’ besides Jackson’s companies.
He took a number of opportunities during his speech to take a jab at Lester, saying people had told him they didn’t ‘‘particularly enjoy working with our mayor’’.
He also hit back at assertions from Lester that Foster’s was a single-issue campaign, saying the mayor needed to ‘‘read [his] press release’’.
About a hundred people attended the announcement, many of them wearing Weta Digital T-shirts and squinting in the late afternoon sun.
Members of Shelly Bay iwi breakoff group Mau Whenua were also present, including Catherine Love, who said she supported Foster because he was one of the only and earliest councillors to ‘‘seriously challenge the lack of transparency’’ on the Shelly Bay issue.
In a media statement, Foster laid out his ‘‘high level’’ policy plans
under six sub-headings – the environment, economy, civic square, transport, housing and rates. ‘‘I want our city to be the best it can be and to restore a sense of vision, energy and progress. I will be releasing a lot more detailed policy on how we can make these things happen in coming days.’’
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester welcomed the competition but said the city was bigger than one issue.
‘‘As mayor, you are duty-bound to represent the interests of the whole of the city. The city is much larger than one issue. He is being funded by Sir Peter for this single issue.’’
Foster’s campaign, and the fact it was being backed by Jackson, would not change anything for Lester’s campaign, he said. ‘‘I’m in favour of good-quality housing and improvements to a dilapidated series of buildings. I’m focused on getting things done.’’
Mayoral candidate Conor Hill also took aim at Foster for campaigning on one issue. ‘‘Along with housing, transport, the central library, the convention centre, and the airport, Shelly Bay is one of the important issues facing Wellington.
‘‘Of course, Andy Foster will be able to have his entire campaign funded by one individual, so I can see the attraction for him.’’