You’re off! Voters show the red card to mayors
Off you go! That’s what three cities in our region told their mayors on Saturday. Wellington – that liberal, woke, gayfriendly, feminist, multicultural, PC city – is now represented by a mayor who recently stood for NZ First.
I didn’t pick it, though I suspect support for Andy Foster coalesced in the last week, and Diane Calvert voters gave him their all-important second preferences. As Foster said, some votes were specifically for him; others were anti-Justin Lester.
Lester easily had the best campaign last time. But this time he seemed far more low-key, perhaps thinking that he would romp in. There has been some grumbling about the Andy circus being paid for by Sir Peter Jackson, though I’m not sure the amount was as big as that received from major donors by two mayoral candidates last time.
Some on the Left are predicting dire things under Foster, but how much will change? The council is strongly Labour/Green and much stronger on climate change than previously, with the Right consisting of only five or six councillors. The gender balance is 11-4 in favour of women.
Forget looking for a new sister city; Wellington is a city of sisters. It’s also a much younger council, with 22-year old Tamatha Paul and 21-year-old Teri O’Neill forming the wedge of a ‘‘youthquake’’.
Foster has a plan of action. Some of it – including stalling the runway extension and his marquee Shelly Bay policy – may find favour with the new council. I suspect some Labour councillors may even secretly enjoy not having Lester around talking up convention centres, Shelly Bay developments and runway extensions.
But is a council that voted 11-3 to abolish free Sunday parking, and now has a couple of climate warriors on board, really going to vote Sunday parking back in because the new mayor, with a tiny majority, wants it? Tell him he’s dreaming.
Campbell Barry’s victory in Lower Hutt was also a surprise. He turned over a massive Ray Wallace majority to win. Barry is the country’s youngest mayor, and has been the focus of councillors opposed to the old guard.
That has not won Barry friends in the establishment, but voters obviously like what he stands for. There have been some bad financial decisions made in the Hutt, and Barry’s accusations of corporate welfare have merit. His past style was combative, though it was interesting that his first social media post after winning was a very conciliatory tribute to Wallace.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) was also a fascinating contest. Wellington has three new regional councillors, with Thomas Nash topping the poll. He was an excellent candidate, though I’m sure being endorsed by the Greens helped. So where were the other Green candidates? It’s as if the Greens don’t overly like winning.
They seem to prefer being Labour’s younger sibling. With Nash, Sue Kedgley, Sarah Free and Iona Pannett all coming first in their various contests, you would think the Greens would have contemplated putting up more candidates.
Daran Ponter, Roger Blakeley and Ken Laban were all returned to the GWRC, which shows that, if you fail in local body politics, as these guys did with the bustastrophe, but apologise and take responsibility, the voters reward you. Meanwhile, Barbara ‘‘I’m not talking to rude voters’’ Donaldson, unrepentant until the end, got kicked out.
With Green Josh van Lier winning a seat in Lower Hutt and Ros Connelly replacing the retiring Paul Swain, expect a more progressive GWRC. By my reckoning, there are seven or eight Left-leaning councillors who will look to pay bus drivers better and invest more in public transport, and five or six who support the old ‘‘hands-off’’ bustastrophic approach of Swain and Chris Laidlaw.
And let’s hope new chums will persuade their paranoid colleagues that it’s important we know exactly how councillors vote on issues and that ‘‘in committee’’ should be used very sparingly.
Sadly, Wellington’s turnout was below 40 per cent. Though online voting is no silver bullet, postal voting, as Paul recently pointed out, makes it difficult for people who might switch accommodation frequently – such as students and renters. Why not bring back polling days? Yes, it would cost more, but it’s only once every three years.
In the least surprising poll, Porirua mayor Mike Tana was ousted. When the news is more about your expenses and domicile than your policies, and when unhappy sitting councillors decide to stand against you, the signs are not good. The surprise to me was the closeness of Tana’s loss.
So, we have three new city mayors and a GWRC with a mandate for change. But will these new mayors get their way? Will they be able to work across ideological divides to reach consensus? It’s going to be a fascinating three years, and I’m looking forward to it immensely.
Why not bring back polling days? Yes, it would cost more, but it’s only once every three years.