Motukairangi / Eastern General Ward candidates

Question: Who am I?

Ken Ah Kuoi: Talofa and kia ora. My name is Ken Ah Kuoi. I'm a candidate for the Eastern Ward, Motukairangi.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Ken Ah Kuoi: I have experience in governance, in community, sport and business, including board member for KIL Destination BID, vice president for the Wellington Rugby Union, Pacific Advisor for the Sport Integrity Commission. And with 20 years as a lawyer, I know how to cut through red tape and getting things done.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Ken Ah Kuoi: I will always put people first. That means listening, not just consulting. I will set up community hubs around the Eastern Ward, and I will invite people to share their views on what really matters – transport, rates, safety, housing. Community voice is essential.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Ken Ah Kuoi: The challenge is cost of living. That's why I support zero rates increases for the first three years, and then aligned it with inflation. The opportunity is for council to reset priorities, focus on core services and cut wasteful spending, and deliver real value for ratepayers. Let's get Wellington back to basics and back on track.

Question: Who am I?

Alex Baker: Kia ora. Ko Alex Baker tōku ingoa. I'm standing for Mayor and for councillor in Motukairangi/Eastern Ward.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Alex Baker: I have leadership, financial management, housing, city infrastructure and climate change management experience, which I built up from my years in working in audit at KPMG, corporate finance at KPMG, strategy and investment in Kāinga Ora and also as Director of Sustainability at Kāinga Ora. These are the key issues that are facing our city and I believe that we should be electing someone who has experience dealing with those.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Alex Baker: I've met with hundreds of people over the course of my campaign to talk to them about what they see as the issues and what their values are. And there are three clear things that have been coming through. One is that people are really happy, actually, with the progress that the city's been making on sustainability projects. Two is that people can't find jobs here and that's why they're moving away. And three is that people are worried that the city is becoming increasingly unaffordable. And that is why my actions as Mayor and as councillor are focused on those three issues, affordability, jobs and sustainability.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Alex Baker: A challenge for Wellington is population growth. Since 2017, our population hasn't grown at all. Hamilton in that time grew by 15%. What this means is that Wellington households are now paying 15 hundred dollars a year more in rates than they could have been if we'd been growing at a reasonable rate. Growth is also a huge opportunity for our city because to grow, that means that we have to get our settings right to attract businesses and people back into our city. That means more affordable housing, better quality housing, a better place to do business and continuing to invest in those sustainability projects.

Question: Who am I?

Chris Calvi-Freeman: Hi, I'm Chris Calvi-Freeman. I'm standing as an independent candidate in the City Council's Motukairangi/Eastern Ward. I've lived in the ward all my life, except for periods when I've worked overseas.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Chris Calvi-Freeman: I have extensive experience in transport planning across a wide range of disciplines, traffic, public transport, cycling. I have experience in managing large budgets, big teams, complex projects. I have a lifetime of experience in community involvement. I chaired the Hataitai Residents’ Association and I have been a councillor in the past. I'm ready to hit the ground running.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Chris Calvi-Freeman: I'll work with officers and councillors to ensure that any consultations that go out are open, honest and clear. I'll listen to what residents and businesses have to say. I won't prejudge issues. I won't have to toe a party line.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Chris Calvi-Freeman: Clearly the biggest challenge is making sure that we use ratepayers' money the most efficient way possible. That means cost effective choice of projects, implementation and design of projects, getting the best value for money. The big opportunity we have is an urgent one. It's to make sure that when the Government approves the second Mount Victoria Tunnel, it will have fantastic walking and cycling facilities. I've been working to that end for a number of years and this is an opportunity that we must seize.

Question: Who am I?

Trish Given: Kia ora. Ko Trish Given ahau. I am running as an independent candidate for Motukairangi/Eastern Ward. I'm originally from Ireland but I've been living in Wellington for 16 years and I live in Hataitai with my family. When I first moved to Wellington I didn't know anybody, so I got involved volunteering with community events and groups and also, I've been working for many years in community development and governance and also in local government, education, social enterprise and local business.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Trish Given: I'm standing for council because I deeply care about the future of our city and its residents. I want to help shape it in a way that truly reflects the values, needs and cares of the people who live here. I bring strong leadership, collaboration, communication skills and a deep understanding of how communities function and flourish. I know how to get things done, even when it is complex or challenging and leading with integrity and heart.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Trish Given: I believe that good decisions come from listening and that means showing up, creating a space that's accessible for all and ensuring that everyone is heard. Someone said to me recently that to represent a community you must truly know it and that really really matters to me. I've worked with many groups, from many walks of life, and I will carry those experiences with me in every decision that I make.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Trish Given: A major challenge is rebuilding trust in council and people need to know that their voices count and that decisions made are fair and responsible. But I also see a powerful opportunity to build a Wellington that's people-friendly, sustainable, thriving and vibrant. A city designed around connection, well-being and fairness for all. I believe together we can build an amazing city that works better for everyone.

Question: Who am I?

Rob Goulden: My name is Rob Goulden, I'm a candidate for the mayoralty of Wellington in 2025. I'm also standing for the Motukairangi/Eastern Ward.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Rob Goulden: I've previously served as a councillor for 12 years between 1998 and 2010. I've come from long service careers of well over 40 years. I bring a Master's degree in Business Administration to the job and I served on one of the most successful councils Wellington's had, right up to 2010.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Rob Goulden: I've always been strong on consultation. I think we need the reinstitution of ward meetings and a much better consultation process for people to have their say on the running of the city and what they want to see for the future of their city. So I'm going to do a lot more work in that area and actually listen to people. This current council doesn't, and that's very evident from the satisfaction survey.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Rob Goulden: Biggest challenge for the city is the city's financials. The Council's 1.6 billion in debt, net, at the present time. It's going to go a lot higher. We're paying about 1.2 million dollars a week in interest only and if we’re not careful the debt will go well over 2 billion, and that is unsustainable, unaffordable and that's the biggest issue for the city going forward. We have to get rid of that debt over the next 10 or 20 years.

Question: Who am I?

Luke Kuggeleijn: Hi, I'm Luke Kuggeleijn and I'm the ACT local candidate for Wellington's Eastern Ward. I was born and raised in the Eastern suburbs and I'm a proud local. I hold an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science from Victoria University and I'm currently undertaking postgraduate study in medical technology. I'm actively involved in my community as a part-time swim coach and a surf lifeguard. I'm also an aspiring triathlete, so I spend a lot of time swimming, cycling and running around the suburbs, so I know these streets and the community quite well.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Luke Kuggeleijn: I bring a strong work ethic, discipline and a desire to make a positive difference in Wellington. My youth means that I bring energy, adaptability and a fresh perspective, and I'm not afraid to put in the work. My academic background has taught me to approach problems logically and critically. I also come from a family that's run a small business for 25 years, so I understand a lot of the pressures that small businesses are facing. And running as an ACT candidate also gives me access to a strong network of policy support and experienced people to enable me to serve effectively.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Luke Kuggeleijn: Listening is key and I'd actively seek feedback from the residents to ensure that the locals know how to reach me and that their voices are heard. When making decisions I'd weigh up the community input alongside the long-term best interests of the city. I won't make decisions based on ideology or political favour. I'll make them based on the facts, what people are telling me and what's in the best interest for Wellington.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Luke Kuggeleijn: Well Wellington's biggest challenge is undoubtedly infrastructure. And years of underinvestment and political distraction have left us with an unreliable water system, and traffic bottlenecks and broken roads and that needs to change urgently. But we also have a big opportunity, if we cut wasteful spending and we narrow the Council's focus to its core responsibilities we can make real progress and restore trust. If we make smart and disciplined decisions Wellington can be a city where services work, businesses thrive and residents are confident in the future.

Question: Who am I?

Michelle McGuire: Hi, I'm Michelle McGuire and I'd like to run in the Eastern Ward/ Motukairangi, for the Council. Born and bred in the Eastern Ward, this is where my family has called home for four generations. I believe that counts for something. I've spent the last 15 years owning my own businesses in residential construction and distribution.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Michelle McGuire: I bring to the table work ethic, determination, common sense and change.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Michelle McGuire: I believe that the councillor's role is to engage with the constituents and ensure that they're fully informed along the way and to be the advocate around the council table.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Michelle McGuire: I believe Wellington has an issue with wasteful spending that needs to be kept under control. I think we need to get our rates under control and help our residents and businesses thrive in the city. If we bring businesses back, we can make the city a bit safer and make a huge difference for Wellington, make it more positive and make it the coolest little capital that it used to be.

Question: Who am I?

Thomas Morgan: Hello, Thomas Morgan is me and I'm standing for the Eastern Ward in the Wellington City Council elections in 2025. And I'm over there, despite not living in the area, because it's a good place to stand strategically in the political world of campaigning and standing in elections. So thanks very much.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Thomas Morgan: Rightio, my strengths and skills for being in the Council are all around solving problems, oddly enough, and I've spent 30 years looking into council activities around the country, and also working with businesses and organisations to help solve problems for them. And there's a particular process, everything is a system, everything has got a way of sorting out the answer. And I don't claim to know all the answers because I'm not the expert in much of it, but I do know how to get that from other people. So there we go.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Thomas Morgan: Rightio, how to communicate with the community. This is a really, really vital issue right now. Huge issue. And my answer is quite simple, to communicate properly, to ask people what they think, to get them engaged and involved in council’s processes and do it on a regular basis across the whole community using technology that most people can get access to, and then having their input taken seriously into decision-making.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Thomas Morgan: Rightio, one opportunity and one challenge for the city. And the opportunity I think is probably to fix the challenge. The challenge is to have the city ready for emergencies. According to A.I., the biggest issue for Wellington is making sure we're resilient for a major catastrophe, and when that happens it's going to be a major, major problem and right now I don't think we're ready for that. So the opportunity right now is to get prepared for that challenge and to solve the problem before it happens.

Question: Who am I?

Sam O'Brien: Kia ora, my name's Sam O'Brien. I live in Hataitai and I'm the Labour candidate for the mighty Motukairangi/Eastern Ward this election. I'm running because I want to see the East be a really vibrant and affordable place for everyone to live.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Sam O'Brien: So there's a couple of areas where I think I can add real value on council. Firstly, I'm a city planner by trade, so I get the technical side of things, and I've got experience working with developers, infrastructure providers and locals to get things done in our communities. Second, I'm used to finding common ground. Councils are about building consensus, and I've got plenty of experience doing that on some of the tricky issues in our region like freshwater management. And finally, I'm ambitious for Wellington as a city. I think it's a great place to live and I'm ready to work hard on council to make it even better.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Sam O'Brien: Ultimately, I think people know what's best for their communities, whether it's something smaller like kids having a say in their new playground in Strathmore or bigger calls like how we adapt to storms and flooding in places like Lyall Bay. We need residents to lead this. The Council consults a lot, but we don't always hear from everybody. That's why councillors is important. On the campaign I've been out every week knocking on people's doors to hear about their local issues. That's one simple thing I'll keep doing if I was elected to council to make sure I'm connected with what's happening on the ground.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Sam O'Brien: We're in a hard spot at the moment because we've got aging infrastructure on one hand, but costs are also going up across the board as well. I think the real opportunity here is to tackle that challenge head on. We've got to stop kicking the can down the road and put together a proper plan for how we'll invest in our city's future. That's got to be a plan that gets value out at every dollar spent. And I think that's how we make Wellington a place where everyone has a warm, dry home, where it's easy and affordable to get around, and where our environment and our public assets are protected for the future.

Question: Who am I?

Johnny Osborne: Kia ora koutou. My name is Johnny Osborne and I'm standing for the city council in the magnificent Motukairangi/Eastern Ward.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Johnny Osborne: My background in water policy, in law, as a stay-at-home dad, as a volunteer sports coach and a volunteer tree planter has given me the skills and the knowledge to be an effective councillor. My experience has taught me that working collaboratively and constructively with others is where we get the most enduring and lasting solutions to our challenges and as a councillor that is what I plan to do.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Johnny Osborne: Effectively engaging with the community is really important if the Council is going to make good decisions and, to be honest, it's not something that feels like they've done very well recently. We need to find new and novel ways to talk with everyone across the city to make sure we hear from different voices and not just the same voices every time. As a councillor I will be open, I will be transparent and I will be engaging, because I know that I don't have all the answers, but collectively we do.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Johnny Osborne: We all know we've got massive challenges with Wellington's water infrastructure. We're simply leaking too much water, too much sewage and our stormwater system is not ready for a changing climate. We have to invest in it, and we have to invest in it now. We've got amazing opportunities across this wonderful city from Predator Free to supporting our tech sector, but what I really want to see us do is working with our regional council colleagues to improve our public transport network, so we reduce our climate pollution and make our city more affordable to live in.

Question: Who am I?

Karl Tiefenbacher: I'm Karl Tiefenbacher, I'm a born and bred Wellingtonian. I'm running as an independent for both the Mayoralty and also in the Eastern Ward.

Question: What skills or strengths would you bring to the Council?

Karl Tiefenbacher: So I had a financial markets career for 18 years before I started Kaffee Eis 21 years ago. As a business we're an importer, we're a manufacturer, we're a wholesaler, we're a distributor, and I really understand how the city runs. So what I offer for this role is I offer financial and business acumen, common sense, determination and just the ability to, basically, make things happen.

Question: How would you consider your communities' views when making a decision?

Karl Tiefenbacher: I think one of the real issues that we have as a city is that our council tend to consult but they don't actually tend to listen. So we need to basically realise that the citizens of Wellington actually understand what we need as a city more than what the council itself does. So consultation needs to be clear, it needs to be precise, it needs to give the exact information that we need to know the answer to, and then we actually need to listen to how people consult.

Question: What is one key challenge and one opportunity for the city?

Karl Tiefenbacher: I think there's a lot of issues going on in our city at the moment. I think breaking down to one is pretty difficult, but I would say that probably for me the most important one would be affordability. It's becoming harder and harder to be able to afford to live in Wellington and it's also becoming harder and harder to afford to do business in Wellington. So I think we need to address that before anything else happens. We need to enhance employment growth, if it only comes by actually becoming a more affordable city. So a solution for that is really just to dial down on everything the council spends, how we spend it, what we're spending it on and then make sure we're getting true value for money. So I think if we can get value for money, then we can fix that affordability factor.