Pukehīnau / Lambton General Ward by-election candidates, clockwise from top left, Edward Griffiths, Joan Shi, Geordie Rogers, Peter Wakeman, Karl Tiefenbacher, and Ellen Blake. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
*This story was updated on 13 February, 2024, to clarify one of Geordie Rogers' direct quotes.
The battle for Tamatha Paul's former seat at the council table is heating up with voting for the Pukehīnau / Lambton General Ward by-election ending this week.
Wellington City Council is facing several challenges with bursting water pipes, rising rates and the possibility of core services such as the capital's swimming pools being reduced.
The opportunity to tackle these issues came up last year when Paul left the city council to take up the role of Wellington Central MP for the Green Party.
Voting ends this Saturday - with seven candidates putting their hat in the ring.
RNZ approached each of them asking why they should get the job.
Geordie Rogers
Geordie Rogers. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
Green Party candidate Geordie Rogers is the president of renters' advocacy group Renters United.
His experience working with the council on housing planning and making sure the city had healthier homes were part of his key attributes for the role, Rogers said.
"Not only do I have the skills to be able to hit the ground running, but I have already done this work before," he said.
"From day one, I can get in there and start having conversations with our other elected members to actually make a difference for everyone in Pōneke."
How would you describe your political beliefs?
Rogers said it could be described as left wing, and the city needed to put people and the planet first.
"I just think it is incredibly important that we take a people-focused view that's engaging with the community to make sure we're building a future that everyone wants."
What's your main policy pitch?
Rogers said there needed to be more investment in services and making housing more affordable.
He would also like to see improvements which provided safer options for walking, cycling and public transport.
The council needed to invest in improving infrastructure such as the water pipes, cycleways, roading and bus transport, he said.
"That [denser housing] ultimately lowers our cost of maintaining the infrastructure over time and leads to people using less carbon emitting forms of transport and it does increase people's enjoyment and connection to their neighbourhood."
Why should Wellingtonians vote for you?
Rogers said someone who could deal with the "massive problems" and work across the council table was needed.
He wanted to be someone who created a future for the city where future generations could afford to live there.
Are you confident you can win?
Rogers said he was confident.
"We've been talking to thousands of people; we've had lots of fantastic conversations and we're seeing that voter turnout higher than we would normally expect.
"It's great to see so many people participating in democracy, and all the conversations that we've had have been about how people want to invest for the future so it's easier and better tomorrow than it is today."
Karl Tiefenbacher
Karl Tiefenbacher, founder of ice cream brand Kaffee Eis. Photo: Supplied
Karl Tiefenbacher is a local businessman, having founded popular ice cream brand Kaffee Eis 19 years ago.
He told RNZ that his experience as a businessman had allowed him to make be able make judgement calls on what added value and was achievable.
"I think that's probably one of the main things that the council are missing at the moment."
How would you describe your political beliefs?
He said he was a centralist.
"I've voted Labour in the past, I have voted National in the past, I've voted New Zealand First in the past, I don't think any party really has all the right answers."
Tiefenbacher said he believed there should not be party politics in local government.
What's your main policy pitch?
Tiefenbacher told RNZ his main policy was to "stop wasting money we don't have on things we don't need".
When asked to expand on this, he stated the council had been putting investment into things the city did not need while ignoring the things it did need.
"For many years, we have been taking the money that we're meant to be putting into the pipes into other projects and that's obviously had detrimental effects."
He believed the cycleway projects and the council's organic composting programme needed to be postponed or cut.
Why should Wellingtonians vote for you?
He said if Wellingtonians were happy with the direction the city was going currently going in, they should not vote for him.
"I actually think we need to get way back to a back-to-basics approach and we need to start investing our money in the things we really need to do."
Are you confident you can win?
He said he was very confident.
"People are just not happy with the direction Wellington is heading."
Joan Shi
Joan Shi described herself as a business woman and a current data science student at Victoria University.
Shi has lived in Wellington for the past 12 years after growing up in China.
Joan Shi. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
How would you describe your political beliefs?
She said her political beliefs revolve around listening to the people and making sensible and balanced decisions.
What's your main policy pitch?
Shi told RNZ her main policies were to improve the Wellington economy, find savings in "vanity" projects, and fix pipe infrastructure.
"We need to replace the pipes first, then add the new cycle lanes if we [have] get money left, to avoid the road being dug twice."
Why should Wellingtonians vote for you?
Shi said Wellingtonians needed a person who was international and had a background in multiple industries (international trade, international banking, charity, IT).
She described herself as a stubborn person who would focus on the goals council sets, which she believed was to fix and replace aged pipes.
Are you confident you can win?
She said she was confident she could win because "Wellington needs change".
Ellen Blake
Ellen Bake has described herself as a long-term resident of the Pukehīnau / Lambton General Ward and worked a variety of jobs, including in policy and with community groups.
Ellen Blake. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
How would you describe your political beliefs?
Blake told RNZ she was an independent candidate and labelled her politics as left of centre.
"I am firmly future, climate and biodiversity action focused."
What's your main policy pitch?
Blake said she wanted better climate-friendly and sustainable transport for people, more and varied green spaces, and affordable housing for the city.
The policies would have to be paid for in a "planned and manageable way", she said.
Why should Wellingtonians vote for you?
Blake said Wellingtonians would vote for her because of her support for policies which benefitted everyone.
"I grew up here as did my kids, I work here and do a lot of community activity here. This place is and will continue to be my home."
Are you confident you can win?
She said she was confident voters would support her vision for the city and that she would do the work to make it better.
Edward Griffiths
Edward Griffiths told RNZ he was a Wellington resident who saw a real opportunity to support Pōneke to be the place it aspired to be.
"I'm focused on addressing issues that are causing real pain for Wellingtonians."
Edward Griffiths. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
How would you describe your political beliefs?
Griffiths said he would describe himself as a progressive who had no political affiliations.
Despite running for council, he was not especially political.
What's your main policy pitch?
Griffiths said he wanted to make his political judgements on evidence rather than purely policy.
He was concerned about Wellington's water, transport and assets.
Why should Wellingtonians vote for you?
Griffiths said he would do his best to represent the best interests of Wellingtonians now and into the future.
"I will take a practical and outcomes-focused approach to balance the dire need for the council to deliver its basic services with the pain of rising costs."
Are you confident you can win?
Grffiths told RNZ it would be a challenge running against "a major political party" and an "established candidate" but he had hope.
"I believe the people of Wellington are looking for something different and hope they see me as that."
Other candidates
RNZ also sought comment from candidate Zan Rai Gyaw and Peter Wakeman.
Peter Wakeman. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
Wakeman told RNZ he believed he could win "in the event people vote for their own interests".
He believed central Government should "bail out" the city council to fix its financial issues, fund more homes and to lower insurance costs.