Latest news with #AndrewLittle
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Graham Bloxham drops out of Wellington mayoral race
Graham Bloxham. Photo: Supplied Wellington mayoral candidate Graham Bloxham has announced he is quitting the race. It appears Bloxham has announced he is quitting before submitting his nomination, which has not appeared on the Wellington City Council website. Bloxham runs the Facebook page WellingtonLive and has faced controversy in recent months after being arrested for failing to stop for police , and being told by the Employment Relations Authority to pay a former employee $30,000 . In a LinkedIn post, Bloxham said he will not be running for the mayor of Wellington. "After much research 'talking to the neighbours cat over the fence', I feel I can do a much better job outside of council." He said his family did not want to deal with personal attacks on him. "I have looked back and tried to imagine what it might look like, and reflected on the impact on my family. Neither want to deal with the personal attacks on their father." Nominations for the mayoralty close midday on Friday. Other candidates include Andrew Little, Ray Chung, Diane Calvert, Karl Tiefenbacher, Rob Goulden, Josh Harford, William Pennywize, Donald McDonald, Alex Baker and Kelvin Hastie. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says councils should stop whining, and cut costs
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said it was fair to expect councils to do the same belt-tightening as the government. Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii The Finance Minister says councils "whining" about having to cut costs need to tighten their belts, as rates increases push up inflation. Inflation edged up to a 12-month high of 2.7 percent , Stats NZ said on Monday. Rates were up 12.2 percent, still reflecting last year's increases, eclipsing the rise in power costs of just over 8 percent and rent increases of more than 3 percent. "When we look at what's driving inflation, the factor that Stats NZ are calling out is the biggest is rates rises and that's a concern for the government," Willis told First Up . "That's why we are making it very clear to councils that we expect them to get back to basics and to do everything they can to keep rate rises low - because it's certainly hurting ratepayers and it's affecting our inflation levels as a country." Legislation requiring councils to to prioritise core services in spending, carry out extra financial reporting and transparency and accountability reporting, and disclose all contractor and consultant spending is before Parliament. Separately, the government is looking into putting a hard limit on council rates increases among other options to control rises. Local Government Minister Simon Watts is expected to bring a paper on possible rates capping to Cabinet in December. Wellington mayoral candidate Andrew Little, a former Labour leader, said a cap on rates would only reduce accountability and undermine the relationship between councillors and residents. Local Government New Zealand president and Selwyn District mayor Sam Broughton said rates capping could be "disastrous for communities" and leave councils without the means to fund essential infrastructure. Willis said it was fair to expect councils to do the same cost reduction as central government. "I've heard their whining, but I've also seen that many of them have continued to be wasteful in their spending, to not drive value for money, haven't gone through the exercises that central government has in terms of pulling in our belt and reducing costs. "We've also given them a number of new funding and financing tools which they can use to meet their costs outside of rates and we'd like to see them making more use of them. "In this argument, I'm on the side of ratepayers, not on the side of the whining councillors." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
'Woman's voice' Diane Calvert joins Wellington mayoral race
Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas Wellington City Councillor Diane Calvert says she's running for the mayoralty, saying it is important that a woman's voice is part of the mayoral race. Calvert, a three-time councillor, joins six men vying for the job - including former Labour leader Andrew Little. Current Mayor Tory Whanau ruled herself out of the race in April, saying Little's entry had changed the game. Calvert's announcement comes after a dramatic fortnight in which candidate Ray Chung was accused of dirty tactics after an email leak. Chung had sent the email, seen by RNZ, to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting third-hand claims about a sexual encounter with Whanau . Calvert said she had been encouraged to stand for mayor to offer "a credible alternative". She had become increasingly concerned about the way the mayoral campaign had unfolded over the past two weeks. "Like many Wellingtonians, I've had concerns about the tone, the tactics and the lack of focus on the big challenges ahead. That's part of what prompted me to stand for both mayor and my ward. I will bring a steady voice and experienced leadership to the table, both during the campaign and if elected. "I'm not affiliated with any group and will work across the political spectrum to find common ground to move the city forward. It's also important to me that a woman's voice is part of the mayoral race, and one grounded in experience - not noise." Calvert said Wellington faced "one of its most challenging and defining periods" due to the major reform facing local government , and other "key issues" including rates affordability , care of infrastructure and community engagement. "As a three-term councillor, I know the council and how the system works. I also know what needs fixing and how to navigate the challenges ahead." Her campaign's focus would include getting the basics right, respecting ratepayers and "restoring a council that listens, engages and delivers". "This campaign isn't about grand promises - it's about practical, deliverable action that improves life for Wellingtonians. Wellington needs a reset, and I'm ready to lead and collaborate on making that happen." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
How friendly fire torpedoed a mayoral campaign
Ray Chung sent the email with nasty allegations about Whanau in it to three fellow Wellington councillors, but never asked her about the story or verified the gossip with the original source. Photo: Supplied It was shaping up to be a rather dull, straight-forward mayoral race. Current Wellington mayor Tory Whanau had quietly opted not to re-stand, without fuss, making room for a new frontrunner in former Labour minister Andrew Little. The focus was on rate rises, the golden mile, bike lanes, and restoring faith in council leadership. It was safe, steady, and, well, a little dry. But now the capital's mayoral contest has morphed into something else entirely - a bare-knuckle political brawl, drenched in scandal and whispers of dirty politics. "It's just sordid and it's just a bit gross and it's very high school," Joel MacManus, the Wellington editor of the left-leaning The Spinoff, tells The Detail. At the centre of the latest firestorm is mayoral candidate Ray Chung, a self-described straight-shooter whose campaign took a serious hit last week when a leaked email he had written surfaced - one that critics say paints a picture of his manipulation, smear tactics, and a political hit job. "I think Chung is an erratic figure. I've described him as Trump without the tactics, Winston Peters without the wit, and Wayne Brown without the brains," says MacManus, who has been watching the unfolding scandal closely and has written opinion pieces on it. When asked if the email scandal could be called dirty politics, MacManus replied: "You certainly can, but if we are talking about the origin of dirty politics in the way we talk about it, that Nicky Hager book, that was a type of politics that had strategy and tactics and underhandedness. This is, you know, a lot clumsier and stupider than that." Chung sent the email with nasty allegations about Whanau in it to three fellow Wellington councillors, but never asked her about the story or verified the gossip with the original source. Whanau says it is not true; she can prove she was elsewhere on the night named; and she's seeking legal action. The email was leaked to her and she handed it over to the media last week to highlight the abuse she and other female politicians endure. The mayoralty race was now spiced up, front-page news. "Well, the bizarre thing is, it's simultaneously the most boring campaign and the most chaotic one," says MacManus. "Andrew Little could very easily walk this in without proposing anything particularly controversial, without any particularly notable policies, so, in one way it's dull, and yet in another way, it's going to be fascinating because I think there's going to be a lot more rocky stuff to happen, I think there's going to be a lot more interesting chaos and scandals along the way. "I think it is going to be a fun one to watch, even if the outcome is fairly predictable." The email cost Chung an important backer, with rich-list philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik officially withdrawing his support for the mayoral candidate. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also waded into the scandal, condemning Chung's comments. "That was unacceptable content in that email, really pretty vile and unacceptable stuff," Luxon said. Chung has since apologised to Whanau in an email. In a video released to social media, he admitted he had regrets, but he also claimed to now be a victim in the scandal. But MacManus expects more "dirty politics" in the coming weeks. "I am absolutely expecting more to come out.... just because I think there is a very strong chance that Ray Chung, just knowing who he is as a person and a candidate, will continue to do things like this." Now, as the campaign heats up, the stakes could not be higher. Wellington is not just choosing a mayor. It is choosing what kind of city it wants to be - principled or pragmatic, progressive or proven, forgiving or fed-up. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Wellington mayoral candidate says cap on rates would reduce accountability
Andrew Little at his mayoral campaign launch in Wellington on 17 May. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A former Labour leader running for Wellington mayor says a cap on rates would only reduce accountability and undermine the relationship between councillors and residents. In an interview with RNZ this week , Finance Minister Nicola Willis reconfirmed the government was looking into "capping" - putting a hard limit on - council rates increases, saying it would get pushback from councils "because when you take candy away from kids in a candy store, they don't really like it". Labour's leader Chris Hipkins and councils' representative group LGNZ both pushed back , saying rates capping would in fact worsen the situation. Hipkins also argued the big rates increases seen in recent years was a result of the government scrapping Labour's three waters reforms, later labelled the "affordable water reform". Local Government Minister Simon Watts told RNZ the rates cap policy review was yet to be presented to Cabinet, but confirmed there would be announcements about it later in the year. "We're taking our time to make sure that the policy design of that mechanism is fit for purpose, importantly as I've said before taking on board also the learnings particularly in Australia where this has been implemented to make sure that we've learning from that experience." Former Labour leader Andrew Little has thrown his hat in the ring for the Wellington mayoral race this year, and said while rates did need to be better controlled a hard cap would reduce accountability. "A lot of people are really concerned about the level of rates rises. I mean, here in Wellington, we've seen rates rises of 30 percent over a two year period, which is unreasonable and is wrong," he said. "But at the end of the day, mayors and councillors are responsible for making the financial decisions." A cap would reduce accountability and responsibility, he said, and undermine the democratic relationship between mayor and councillors and their residents. "Mayors and councillors, every election, they are accountable to their people for the decisions they've made and if they've made bad decisions they're going to be responsible for that - that gets dealt with at the ballot box. If you take away ultimate responsibility for those decisions, then where do residents - as electors of mayors and councillors - go?" "Coming over the top with a central government mandated sort of decision isn't an answer to that requirement, and the problem that goes with councillors and mayors who get out of control and spend wrongly and irresponsibly." Pointing to Wellington's Town Hall upgrade, he said councils sometimes did need to say no to projects, "and I think in Wellington they haven't been, and it's making cities like Wellington unaffordable ... councils, particularly Wellington City Council, has to show much greater control over its financial decisions". He had a different stance from Hipkins on three waters, saying that while historical under-investment in water systems would end up costing, but "just scrapping three waters alone I don't think can be held responsible". "There's partly catch up on water stuff. The real impact of the current water reforms is yet to be seen." Minister Watts said rates capping was one mechanism the government was considering to "ensure that the money that is being collected through rates is spent appropriately," but not the only one. "We're also going to be releasing and publishing transparency reporting around councils' financials and also introducing legislation in regards to changes around what councils focus on. So it's a suite in a package of interventions that will get us to a more sustainable local government." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
