The former Labour leader doesn’t strike me as a visionary, and nothing he said in an interview with Andrea Vance in The Post today has changed that view. No one should expect him to magically recapture the vibe that made Wellington New Zealand’s most exciting city in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Perhaps the best Wellington could hope for under a Little mayoralty is that he would be a far more competent and grounded manager than the incumbent. That wouldn’t be hard, I hear the cynics chorus; but it might be a modest first step on the city’s road to recovery.
Footnote: I haven't lived in Wellington for more than 20 years, so have no skin in this game. But I'm still a frequent visitor and grieve for the city that used to be.
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My money is on Ray Chung, an impressive business-experienced candidate in the 2022 election and is a sitting Councilor. He knows what is needed to turn the city around, although he will need a majority of like-minded Crs to actually do that and given the nature of those who now inhabit the once great city that is questionable. "Angry Andy," as he's known, will likely push Whanau into 3rd place.
I too am a refugee from Wellington over 25 years ago. I worked in semi-government and had become disgusted at the political corruption and ineptitude so went into private enterprise. While walking down Featherston Street one lunch time. I noticed all the buildings with the names of the former occupying companies, most which no longer existed or which had transferred Head Offices to Auckland. At the time I was offered a transfer to Auckland. Eventually I took the transfer. There were no private enterprise jobs in Wellington at the level I was currently at and I would not go back into the public service under any circumstances.
My family and I have never regretted the move. Visits to Wellington are now upsetting. A recent visit on a Friday afternoon to Lambton Quay had most of the shops shutting down at four o'clock! We asked a number of shop staff, "where is everyone?". Most shrugged and said this is what Friday's are now like. The place now has a depressed vibe, empty shops and buildings everywhere, night visits to Courtney Place are now scary and no building cranes anywhere that we could see. The town is dying.
A former Labour heavyweight with a penchant for ministerial reshuffles versus an incumbent whose tenure reads like a thinkpiece on “wellness in politics.”
Let us dissect this political pantomime with the gleeful cynicism it deserves.
Andrew Little – the man who famously *volunteered* to exit stage left in 2017 so Jacinda Ardern could waltz into the spotlight – now fancies himself the savior of Wellington’s “chaotic” council . His pitch? “Serious leadership,” a phrase that rings hollow when his campaign promises – “fixing the pipes” and “cheaper public transport” – are about as revolutionary as a lukewarm flat white. But fear not! He’s “80% certain” he’ll run, which is roughly the same confidence Wellingtonians have in their bus schedules .
Tory Whanau, meanwhile, is the incumbent who’s turned council meetings into a self-help seminar. After a “bruising couple of years” featuring ADHD revelations, alcohol struggles, and a near-resignation, she’s back – thicker-skinned and Green Party-endorsed (because nothing says “stability” like a mayor who once backed selling airport shares to fund… *something*) . Her campaign mantra? “Continuity,” which translates to: “Please forget the Reading deal, the Golden Mile fiascos, and that time the city’s finances resembled a student’s overdraft” .
**Little’s Platform**: A laundry list of Labour-approved buzzwords: “housing development,” “Treaty honouring,” and “climate action.” His pièce de résistance? Vowing to “stand up to the Beehive” – a bold claim from a man who, as Health Minister, oversaw a health sector restructuring so convoluted it could double as a Kafka sequel . Bonus points for pledging to defer the Golden Mile project, a move that says, “Let’s procrastinate our way to progress!” .
Whanau’s Legacy? A masterclass in contradictions. She’s the Greens’ darling… who sold airport shares. The “compassionate” leader… who slashed community facilities. Her crowning achievement? Making Wellington’s council the political equivalent of a group chat where everyone’s yelling over each other .
Little’s résumé is thicker than a council consent file. Twelve ministerial portfolios? Impressive! Unless you recall his tenure as Health Minister during COVID, where his “steely leadership” involved replacing 20 DHBs with two entities – a bureaucratic shell game that left GPs more confused than Liam Lawson in a Red Bull car
His current campaign reeks of a midlife crisis: “I’ve fixed unions, treaties, and pandemics… why not potholes?”
Whanau has turned personal vulnerability into a political brand. ADHD? Autism? Recovery? All noble struggles, but when paired with policies as coherent as a drunk dial, it’s hard not to wonder if Wellington’s council is being run by a mindfulness app. Her “thick skin” is commendable, but perhaps less so when applied to ignoring ratepayers screaming, “STOP SPENDING!” .
In this race to the bottom, Wellingtonians face a choice:
- **Option A**: A recycled national politician whose idea of “urgent change” is reheating Labour’s 2017 manifesto.
- **Option B**: An incumbent whose leadership style is best described as “chaotic neutral.”
Little’s slogan might as well be: “Remember when I wasn’t Tory?” Whanau’s retort: “Remember when I wasn’t *this* Tory?” Meanwhile, the city’s pipes burst, cyclists swerve around construction cones, and the airport runway extension looms like a Monopoly board mistake .
In this race to the bottom, The real loser is Wellington’s hope for a mayor who’s neither a career politician nor a wellness influencer. Godspeed, capital city. You’ll need it.
Unfortunately political nous is seen as more preferable to common sense.
Unless the mayor has a majority among the councillors and the resolve to put the CEO and his minions back in there box nothing will change which is a shame as the Wellington of the 70's 80's and early 90's was a fantastic city in which to live... in my opinion.
I think your money may be lost. Feelz wins in Wellington these days.
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