2025 Takapū Northern Candidates Issues Index

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Degassing of the community pools which I voted for.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

yes

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

No, I voted for the revised spending as per the long term amendment over the 20 year period.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes, I have been championing this at Wellington City Council.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I voted for it.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

Beachfront resilience on the South coast and Makara Beach.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

CO₂ makes up 0.04% of the earths atmosphere. Humans contribute 3-4% of this. NZ produces 0.21 % of all human CO₂ which is one-fifth of one percent, equal to the margin of error. Wellington's contribution is just a tiny speck of the rounding error. Given this it would be irresponsible to waste rate payer money on something that has no impact on the climate but would severely impact business, jobs and peoples day to day lives.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

No, for the reasons above and the fact that NZ's domestic aviation contributed 3.2 Mt CO₂-e (2022), equal to one day’s output from Chinese coal plants last year. Grounding every domestic flight for a decade changes atmospheric CO₂ concentration by less than one part per billion.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

No as above and NASA’s own MODIS dataset shows +14 % leaf-area increase since 1982, largely because crops, grasslands, and forests love extra CO₂ (CO₂ fertilization boost ≈ 15–20 % yield on wheat, soy, rice).

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

No as above

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

No

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

No

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

Remove emissions considerations from all council decisions. Invest in stop banks to protect homes, businesses and communities from severe weather.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

I support it in principle, but have difficulty in setting targets at a WCC level, when Wellington, as an interconnected region warrants a wider understanding of risks and opportunities. I am committed to practical steps and real gains, with wider community engagement and endorsement.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Smarter investment into transport planning, at a regional level or, at least, incorporating WCC, Porirua, Upper and Lower Hutt. We need an interconnected transport system, across the Wellington region, investing in carbon reducing options that move people around with more choices. I feel we have to engage the "hearts and minds" of people in this journey and consciously offer them the opportunities to trade out of heavy carbon emission transport options.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

In principle yes, but I am yet to be convinced that the long-term plan reflects the best interests of a thriving, interconnected Wellington region, in terms of decarbonisation goals.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

I don't support it in isolation but would support it if it were part of a regional and broader transport and urban development plan, ensuring consultation on other options, is also on the table.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

May be worth considering further down the track but not as a lead policy at this stage. Again, needs to be part of a transport plan that is supported by the wider Wellington region. For example, if suitable public transport options are maximised by commuters, a congestion charge may become irrelevant.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

I support having community housing hubs close to transport options, but this needs to be considered against the level of infrastructure supporting it. I would also want to see more community engagement to help shape what this looks like and address considerations such as inter-generational living (Blue Zones). I am not in favour of simply creating high density housing without a community rationale behind it.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

Perhaps idealistic, but I would like to see more investment in urban planning (public and private partnerships) in creating liveable community hubs, on transport links, that are modelled (conceptually) on "Blue Zones" communities. We would plan and support healthy, sustainable and resilient communities and intergenerational living where people felt safe, connected and supported. Sustainability and liveability would be managed at the local level, acknowledging input and feedback from a wider system/construct.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

Yes, I support Te Atakura. The climate crisis demands urgent action and should be at the centre of all our council decisions. Our local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

Transport is the area where local councils can have the biggest impact. A climate-friendly city that works for everyone means making buses, trains, walking, and cycling easy options.

I’m committed to cheaper, faster and more reliable public transport. This includes:

• A second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays,
• Improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD,
• Working across regional and city councils, and with central government, to implement low cost improvements to improve public transport travel times.

I support the Golden Mile changes in principle, which will increase bus priority, though first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.

Transport cannot be separated from housing, and the comprehensive housing policy the local Labour team has released focuses on building more homes, with greater density, in the inner city and close to public transport networks.

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

I support Te Atakura – First to Zero and the local Labour team has a policy that all major council decision papers will be required to include a Community Impact Statement, which will include a clear account of the climate impact of each decision.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

Our transport policy is about giving people options to get around the city, and that includes making sure people who choose to cycle can do so safely.

I support rolling out the cycle network with an aim to have it completed within 10 years. I am also aware that the council faces a serious financial crunch, particularly given the recent $83million sludge plant blowout, which the next council will have to account for against current projects. This may require some rephasing of existing projects, as has already happened during this term of council when it voted to rephase the rollout as a result of government cuts to the national land transport policy.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

Yes in principle, as it can encourage public transport use and also reduce pressure on the transport network at peak times. I’m also very aware that council needs revenue tools other than rates.

However, I do believe we need to have sufficiently reliable and affordable public transport before it is introduced in Wellington, and I have concerns about the impact on low-income households. There would also have to be exemptions. Trades professionals and other service providers would need to be able to meet their client requirements without additional cost to both.

I'd want to address these issues with our regional council and central government before we introduced a congestion charge in Wellington.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

Yes, I do. Labour councillors were one of the drivers of the ambitious new District Plan enabling more homes to be built, led the conversion of empty offices into affordable rentals, protected our public housing stock, and kickstarted the review of rates policy to incentivise development of vacant land.

However, more needs to be done. Wellington City Council must embrace density and take an active role in shaping a city that is modern, liveable, and enables people to live in communities where they work and play, while protecting our most vulnerable. Our housing policy includes:

• Changing consenting practice to be more proactive and supportive of development.
• Incentivising more office to residential conversions.
• Setting up an urban development office (UDO) within WCC to support developers to coordinate residential development alongside transport upgrades.
• Protecting Wellington’s social housing and continuing the HUP2 upgrades

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

In addition to the policies listed above:

• Investigate a Council ‘green jobs’ programme for projects like home insulation, solar installs, native planting, and water restoration in partnership with central government, unions, iwi, local training institutions, and industry bodies, keeping jobs in-house where possible.
• Work collaboratively with local and regional authorities to develop a regional climate plan with clear emission targets and annual reporting to the public.
• Back the development of meaningful resilience and adaptation plans for Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, including to address flooding and sea level rise.
• Plant more trees in reserves to create habitat for native birds and plant more street trees to provide shade to pedestrians (particularly in under-served suburbs).
• Develop a 100-year vision of environmental restoration for te taiao in partnership with the community, including with iwi, hapū, and other Māori communities.

Are you committed to the Council’s decarbonisation goals: Te Atakura – First to Zero?

No. I still have doubts about the method we use to calculate decarbonisation. Even if the calculation is accurate, I would still prefer a more balanced approach for our society. It is important to take a balanced approach that not only protects our natural environment but also considers the financial sustainability of the Council and the wellbeing of our communities. We must reduce emissions while ensuring solutions are practical, affordable, and fair for all residents.

What’s the single biggest action you’d take to halve the city’s emissions in the next five years?

The single biggest action I would take is to improve and expand affordable public transport. Reliable buses, trains, and ferries can move far more people with lower emissions compared to private cars. This not only reduces carbon emissions but also eases congestion, lowers household transport costs, and makes the city more liveable. Alongside this, I would ensure that any transition is balanced, protecting both our environment and our communities.[

Will you advocate for aligning the Council’s spending to reflect the city’s decarbonisation goals?

Not quite. As I understand it, there are already a few communities in Wellington championing decarbonisation. I believe we need to prioritise affordability and efficiency. Investments should target initiatives that deliver the greatest environmental impact while also supporting community wellbeing and ensuring value for ratepayers.

Will you support the full rollout of the Paneke Pōneke bike plan within 10 years as originally envisaged?

I support improving cycling infrastructure where it makes sense and where it is safe, practical, and cost-effective. However, I do not support a blanket rollout of the bike plan across all areas, particularly in hilly or narrow suburbs where it may not be suitable. My priority is to deliver better and more affordable public transport while ensuring value for ratepayers.

Do you support a congestion charge being introduced?

I do not support introducing a congestion charge at this stage. While I understand the intention behind it, such a charge would place additional financial pressure on residents and businesses during a time when affordability is already a concern. Instead, I believe we should first focus on improving public transport and traffic flow so that people have viable and affordable alternatives to driving.

Do you support the 2024 District Plan and the National Policy Statement on Urban Development?

So far, I support the National Policy Statement on Urban Development. I support most of the 2024 District Plan, with some exceptions. For example, the Proposed District Plan requires bike parking in new developments but does not require car parks. Another case is that the 2024 District Plan assumes Wellington will grow by another 50,000–80,000 people, which I have doubts about.

What climate action would you champion that isn’t already being worked on by the Council?

I would champion practical climate actions that deliver measurable impact while balancing cost and community needs. For example, I would focus on expanding affordable and reliable public transport, improving energy efficiency in Council-owned buildings, and supporting community-led initiatives for waste reduction and local renewable energy projects. My approach is to complement existing Council programs with initiatives that maximize environmental benefits without overburdening ratepayers.