Two-horse race to chair region

Newly-elected Greater Wellington regional councillors will choose their new chairperson within the next couple of weeks, with the competition reportedly down to two frontrunners.

It is understood returning councillors Daran Ponter and Roger Blakeley are in a two-way battle to take over from outgoing chair Chris Laidlaw ahead of the council’s first meeting on October 30.

Ponter and Blakeley both retained their Wellington City seats in Saturday’s election, during which six first-time councillors were voted in.

Ponter, who is deputy chairman of the council’s sustainable transport committee and co-chair of its natural resources plan committee, said his focus would be on public transport and climate change.

The council was roundly criticised for its botched handling of the region’s bus network overhaul last July, with some of the problems still persisting.

‘‘My platform is to get stability in relation to the public transport system, and to regain public confidence in the Wellington bus network.’’

There were also long-term issues to address, such as the council’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

‘‘We need to put a practical emphasis on climate change. We have a broad outline but we need to lay out a plan for how we are going to get there.’’

Returning council-owned pastoral farming land to other uses such as wetlands and forestry was one option to reduce the council’s carbon footprint, Ponter said. Much of that land was leased out, with many leases soon up for renewal.

The new council seemed like a good mix of people who would work well together, he said.

Blakeley would also focus on fixing Wellington City’s bus network, with possible initiatives such as ensuring bus drivers were paid a minimum of $25 per hour.

‘‘That will be a real focus of the new council. I want to put a line behind everything that has happened to date, and push for fewer bus hubs and more direct services.’’

Blakeley also wanted to restore public confidence in the council, which had taken ‘‘a big hit’’ because of the bus network problems, and move quickly on the first changes proposed in the $6.4 billion Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme.

Unlike new Wellington Mayor Andy Foster, Blakeley was sure the business case for a mass-transit system would stack up. He was also in favour of stepping up climate change initiatives.

‘‘There is a huge mandate in the public for candidates who have focused on climate change.’’