Out with the old, in with the new
There will be plenty of fresh faces around the Greater Wellington Regional Council table when it next meets, with almost half of the previous council not returning.
Change was already guaranteed ahead of Saturday’s election, with four councillors having called time on their local government careers.
Those councillors – chairman Chris Laidlaw, Ian McKinnon, Sue Kedgley and Paul Swain – were joined by Lower Hutt representative David Ogden and PoriruaTawa representative Barbara Donaldson, who were voted out.
Ogden was usurped by 30-year-old Green Party candidate and aquatic scientist Josh van Lier, while Donaldson lost out to 70-year-old businessman Chris KirkBurnnand, an independent.
Other newcomers to the 13-seat council are Wellington City representatives Thomas Nash, Glenda Hughes and David Lee (replacing Laidlaw, Kedgley and McKinnon), and Upper Hutt representative Ros Connelly (who replaces Swain).
The turnover matches that of the last election three years ago, when six new faces were also elected.
The election of Nash, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who works as a collaboration manager at Massey University, ensures Kedgley’s vacated Green Party seat will be filled for the next three years.
Nash said he was grateful to those who had supported his campaign for serious change, for which there was now a clear mandate.
‘‘I’m just really keen to get started. You can discern a change in support for green movements. There has been a strong statement from New Zealanders that they want really serious, progressive action on climate change.’’
Lee, a current Wellington City councillor who ran as an independent, said he had mixed emotions after the axing of his city councillor colleagues Chris CalviFreeman, Peter Gilberd and Brian Dawson.
‘‘That came as quite a shock. These are my colleagues – some of them for six years. To see them just gone overnight, it’s quite brutal.’’
Lee said it was exciting to see so many new faces who didn’t qualify for a SuperGold Card – for people over 65.
‘‘The public is actually demanding a refresh, and looking for much younger talent.’’
Hughes, who ran as a Wellington Party
member, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Connelly also said it was ‘‘really exciting’’ several of the new councillors were under the retirement age.
‘‘The regional council had a bit of a reputation of being a retirement village for excouncillors. Now there are a number of people who see it as a place where they can effect change in its own right.’’
Transport and water consenting were two key areas of concern, she said.
Van Lier was surprised to be elected ahead of well-known figures such as Ogden and former local body politician Peter Glensor. ‘‘There is a move to elect different people and people in different backgrounds.’’
His focus would be on transport, reducing emissions, advocating for light rail, and water bottling rights.
Kirk-Burnnand, an independent, had a background in business and community organisations. ‘‘I think I’ve got a lot of skills to bring to the table. I’m very interested to see how long it takes me to get up to speed.
‘‘I’ve been in business since I was a teenager and I’ve always felt you should be putting back into the community.’’
Ogden said he was very impressed by van Lier and was sure he would do a good job. ‘‘He’ll make a big difference, I think.’’
Donaldson, who was in charge of the council’s sustainable transport committee which oversaw the botched bus network changeover, said she was disappointed but accepted the result.