Wellington City Council election guide — 2016

Renters United asked every candidate for Mayor 11 questions about the issues that most concern renters in Wellington. You can also read their responses in full.

Jump to: Mayoral candidates ↓

Eastern ward candidates ↓ · Lambton ward candidates ↓ · Northern ward candidates ↓ · Onslow-Western ward candidates ↓ · Southern ward candidates ↓

Note: We have rated each candidate on four key points:

  • ↑ Green if their policies are likely to improve things for renters
  • · Amber if their policies will have no effect
  • ↓ Red if they will make things worse for renters.

Mayoral candidates

The mayor is elected by voters across Wellington. You can vote for as many candidates as you wish, ranking them by preference. Read more about preferential voting here.

Justin Lester

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Will introduce a mandatory WOF via a local bill, supports insulation schemes.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategy, wants to open a wet house.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Would seek to increase affordable housing supply.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Supports creating a "Rate my Rental" app.

Jo
Coughlan

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Isn't committed to a WOF, doesn't have an alternative.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • "Kindness" meters and a homeless/spare room matching service like AirBnB.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No plans to increase housing affordability or supply of quality rentals.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No plans.

Nick Leggett

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports WOF in principle but will not implement locally. Wants central government to do it.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • No new initiatives, existing strategy.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No specific policies but a commitment to look at the issues.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Doesn't believe council has a role.

Helene Ritchie

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a WOF, no specific implementation plans.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategies.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Supports more council and state housing. Wants to spend funds for runway extension on housing instead.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Would introduce a renters advisory committee of Council.

Nicola Young

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Signed up to support WOF but now prefers a voluntary scheme. Keen to encourage non-hostel student accommodation.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Wants to experiment with work creation schemes, no policies to increase support or available housing.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Will reduce rates. No plans to address affordable housing supply.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments.

Andy
Foster

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports WOF but expects central government to implement it.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategies.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Plans to increase council housing by 10% and supports existing zoning plans.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments.

Keith Johnson

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a WOF, no specific implementation plans.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • General commitment to building more social housing.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Would increase supply and encourage housing associations and other mixed-ownership models.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments.

Johnny Overton

We have been unable to contact this candidate.

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Eastern ward candidates

The Eastern ward is composed of all suburbs from Hataitai east. You can see a map of the ward on the WCC website. (PDF, 1.4mb). Three candidates will be elected by voters in the Eastern ward.

Chris Calvi-Freeman

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports WOF in principle and additional standards for new rental homes.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • No specific commitments.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Wants more council housing, no specific plan.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Might support services for tenants.

Sarah
Free

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a compulsory WOF, but would implement voluntary first if necessary.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategy, the proposed wet house and a new womens' night shelter.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Wants more council housing, affordable housing and supports mixed-ownership and non-commercial models.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments, generally supportive.

Lynda McGregor

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a WOF for council housing, then city-wide.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategy, and the proposed wet house.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No specific commitments.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Sees it as a national issue, has no plans to address locally.

Robert
Murray

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Does not support WOF.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports wet house but no other clear strategy.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • "No ideas".
  • Improving renters rights
    • "Generally No".

Other
candidates

The following candidates have not responded. We will post their responses when we receive them.

  • Rob Goulden
  • Simon Swampy Marsh

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Lambton ward candidates

The Lambton ward is composed of the central Wellington suburbs including Te Aro, Kelburn, Mount Victoria and Thorndon. You can see a map of the ward on the WCC website. (PDF, 1.2mb). Three candidates will be elected by voters in the Lambton ward.

Brian Dawson

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a local WOF and would push for a national one. Would consider rates incentives.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategy, and the proposed wet house.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Would like to double council housing and encourage more affordable private housing.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Generally supportive, no specific policies.

Tony Jansen

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports introduction of a national rental WOF.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Suggests empty NZTA properties could be used, wants more social housing.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No specific policies.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Little knowledge of the issues.

Troy
Mihaka

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports introduction of a rental WOF.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Would like to encourage iwi and other community housing.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Would like to encourage more house building.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Would like to see local tenancy services in partnership with MSD and Students' Associations.

Iona
Pannett

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports introduction of a compulsory WOF, willing to explore use of by-law to implement.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports current strategy and introduction of a wet house.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Supports more council housing and mixed ownership models for affordable housing.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Supports creating a tenancy advocacy service, willing to look at the council being involved.

Mazz
Scannell

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports introducing a rental WOF.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategies, additional support including wet house.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Supports additional council housing and transport cost reductions.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Wants longer momre secure tenancies and advocacy services.

Nicola Young

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Signed up to support WOF but now prefers a voluntary scheme. Keen to encourage non-hostel student accommodation.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Wants to experiment with work creation schemes, no policies to increase support or available housing.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Will reduce rates. No plans to address affordable housing supply.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments.

Other
candidates

The following candidates have not responded. We will post their responses when we receive them.

  • Dave Gee
  • Milton Hollard

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Northern ward candidates

The Northern ward is composed of all Wellington suburbs north of the Ngauranga Gorge, including Newlands. You can see a map of the ward on the WCC website. (PDF, 1.2mb). Three candidates will be elected by voters in the Northern ward.

Peter Gilberd

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports introduction of a WOF, by 2025.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategy and additional support.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Build 70-100 new council houses per year, encourage more community provider housing.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific policies, mostly sees it as central government responsibility.

Other
candidates

The following candidates have not responded. We will post their responses when we receive them.

  • Judith Gray
  • Malcolm Sparrow
  • Jill Day
  • John Apanowicz
  • Graeme Sawyer

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Onslow-Western ward candidates

The Onslow-Western ward is composed of the Wellington suburbs from Karori and Northland to Khandallah and Broadmeadows. You can see a map of the ward on the WCC website. (PDF, 1.2mb). Three candidates will be elected by voters in the Onslow-Western ward.

Diane
Calvert

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports WOF in principle.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Supports existing strategies.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No specific policies or commitments.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Sees it as central government responsibility.

Matthew Plummer

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Does not support a rental WOF.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • No information provided.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • No information provided.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No information provided..

Other
candidates

The following candidates have not responded. We will post their responses when we receive them.

  • Simon Woolf
  • Ray Chung
  • Paul Douglas
  • Thomas Morgan

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Southern ward candidates

The Southern ward includes Newtown, Berhampore, Brooklyn and all suburbs to the south. You can see a map of the ward on the WCC website. (PDF, 1.4mb). Two candidates will be elected by voters in the Southern ward.

Brendon
Bonner

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a compulsory WOF and wants council to implement it.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • Wants to build new housing, no other specific commitments.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Wants more council and state housing.
  • Improving renters rights
    • Supports creation of tenants' unions and their funding/support by the council.

David
Lee

  • Warm, dry, safe rental homes
    • Supports a WOF with central legislation, local system would be voluntary.
  • Tackling homelessness
    • No specific commitments.
  • Controlling the cost of renting
    • Supports existing council housing, interested in "city housing" model from Singapore.
  • Improving renters rights
    • No specific commitments

Other
candidates

The following candidates have not responded. We will post their responses when we receive them.

  • Brent Pierson
  • Don Newt McDonald
  • Paul Eagle

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Questions and comments

If you are a candidate or representative of a candidate and wish to correct or elaborate on the information please contact info@rentersunited.org.nz.