Wharangi / Onslow-Western General Ward candidates

Question: Who am I?

Ray Bowden: Hi, I'm Ray Bowden and I'm standing for councillor in the Onslow-Western Ward. I've lived in Wellington all my life, grew up in Lyall Bay, raised my kids in Newlands and I love Wellington City.

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

Ray Bowden: I spent my career in IT resolving tricky problems and developing practical solutions, and now I want to put those skills to work to make Wellington an even better place to live. I would bring 30 years of practical IT experience to council, including ITIL practices, troubleshooting and developing new solutions that actually work. In council I'll focus on fixing what's broken, cutting through red tape, and locking in fixed price contracts with non-completion penalties to ensure contract cost blowouts don't fall on ratepayers, contracts get completed on time and every ratepayer dollar is spent wisely. I'm practical, results driven and I get things done.

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

Ray Bowden: I want to make sure I'm listening to people, which is more than just reading reports. I'd be out there talking to people at local events, after work and even in the supermarket aisles. So I'm hearing from busy working families, as well as those who can't make a formal submission. If you live in Wellington, your voice will count.

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

Ray Bowden: Our biggest challenge is the same one we've had for decades, leaking water pipes. We need a Long-term Plan that progressively fixes the pipes at a pace that stays ahead of water restrictions yet limits the burden on ratepayers. Currently our biggest opportunity is to cooperate with central government to finally sort out traffic congestion, connecting the CBD to the airport and hospital, and get Wellington moving again. Doing this right will make Wellington one of the most liveable cities in the world.

Question: Who am I?

Lily Brown: Kia ora, I'm Lily Brown and I'm standing as an independent candidate for the Onslow-Western Ward. Originally from Taiwan, Wellington has been my home for 25 years. This is where I raised my family and this is where I built my life. This is my community. And right now, I want to give back to a community that has given me so much by serving on the Council. I believe we need fresh, independent voices at the table, for people who understand the everyday challenges of Wellingtonians.

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

Lily Brown: I bring a strong mix of practical business experience and governance know-how. I'm not afraid to ask the hard questions and I know how to cut through the noise to focus on what really matters. My approach is solution focused. I want to fix what's broken, protect what we value, and make smart, long-term decisions for the city. I will bring clarity, accountability, and real-world perspective to council.

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

Lily Brown: I believe good decision making starts with respect. Respect for people's time, experience, and views. I'll connect regularly with residents in person, through social media, and with updates that keep people informed and involved. It is about building trust, listening with intent, and making sure that your voice shapes the decision that affects your daily life. As your councillor, I will be accessible, transparent, and responsive.

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

Lily Brown: Wellington's biggest challenge is also its biggest opportunity. We need to move from division to collaboration. There is too much noise and not enough focus on infrastructure, and party politics often get in the way. Independent voices can break that cycle so we can get on with making our city safer, more welcoming, and more affordable. It is time to bring back the spirit of the world's coolest little capital and work together to get things done. Thank you.

Question: Who am I?

Diane Calvert: Kia ora, I'm Diane Calvert, standing for Mayor of Wellington and also for re-election for Wharangi/ Onslow-Western Ward.

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

Diane Calvert: I bring nine years of council experience, knowledge of the machinery of local government and strong working relationships, and a plan grounded in how Wellington works and how it can work better. With strong public backing, I can lead the reset Wellington needs.

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

Diane Calvert: Look, as an active community advocate, I take the time to listen. I ask the tough questions and I base my decisions on what's best for Wellington and what you tell me, not politics, not ideology.

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

Diane Calvert: Look, Wellington's facing a cost crisis. Affordability of rates is our biggest challenge, but it's also our opportunity to get council working smarter and deliver real value to residents and businesses. My reset plan is a simple, focused approach – to fix what's broken, protect what matters and enable city growth in an affordable way.

Question: Who am I?

Ray Chung: Hi, thanks for looking at my profile. I'm Ray Chung and I'm a third generation Wellingtonian. I've been the councillor in the Onslow-Western Ward since 2022. I'm running for Mayor and again for councillor in the Onslow-Western Ward. I grew up in the CBD and had all my school in Wellington. I became a telecom engineer and from there I went to Massey University for a marketing degree. So then on to an international marketing career, working for multinational companies all around the world selling telecom systems to major companies.

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

Ray Chung: I understand budgets and the need to operate within your means. I spent the last two decades in international business, where I've worked with very, very talented teams across the world. And you don't last long with those jobs if you're spending more than you're earning. As a councillor, I've opposed the unnecessary and wasteful spending. As Mayor, I will put an end to rate payers being used as cash cows on fanciful projects.

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

Ray Chung: Anyone who's ever met me know that I'm a people person. In fact, I'd much rather be engaging with people personally than doing these types of videos. Over the last three years, I've met thousands of people at my monthly constituent meetings. I've met them at the community sessions, ethnic groups, and on buses, and on the streets. I will continue to do this and will reinstate town hall type meetings where I can engage with the public and residents and talk to them about what issues affect them. More and more people are now taking more interest in public affairs.

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

Ray Chung: The key challenge we have in the city is affordability. It's getting too expensive to live in Wellington. The bureaucracy is expanded and even the Government says that council rates are contributing to the cost-of-living crisis. I'm standing beside my goal to have zero rate increase policy. Rate payers cannot be squeezed any longer. We can make the city attractive by engaging with businesses again, by reducing the demands that council places on rate payers. We can do this.

Question: Who am I?

Joy Gribben: Hi everyone, kia ora koutou, nǐ hǎo, talofa, mālō e lelei. I'm Joy Gribben, I'm standing in the Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward for council. It's an area where I've lived for 12 years, and I'm still in the area, but I've just moved over the boundary.

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

Joy Gribben: I'm standing for council, because I believe I can make a difference. I love uniting teams around a vision, working out how to make it happen and then getting it done. I have governance and management experience from working in government departments, the Beehive and NGOs. I have economics and policy and local government experience, and I've recently worked for Christchurch City Council as their Principal Advisor Climate Change, so I know how it works behind the scenes too.

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

Joy Gribben: Your views are important to me. The council's here to serve you. I'm a former director of engagement and outreach, so I have a full toolkit of techniques to make sure that your opinions form part of a robust policy making process. I will stay in touch with residents to make sure that your views are heard.

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

Joy Gribben: The biggest challenge facing us is to fix our water infrastructure. No one wants sewage flowing into our streets, our streams and our rivers. It happens too often, and it's got to stop. The new water entity needs strong financial governance to make sure they get the job done quickly and cost effectively. A good opportunity for us is to help our communities and our businesses to grow. I'll make sure that we have good community facilities and support the local economy. Let's do this together.

Question: Who am I?

Rebecca Matthews: Kia ora, I'm Rebecca Matthews, I'm standing for the Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward.

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

Rebecca Matthews: I bring to this role six years of experience in local government and the achievements that I've made, like removing overdue fines in our library system; leading planning work that's going to enable thousands more houses for Wellington; and this term, I've been the chair of the finance committee, which is overseeing the greatest investment in water and really cleaning up those leaks in Wellington.

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

Rebecca Matthews: We always listen and make changes. I don't think I've been involved in any process where we haven't made changes based on community feedback. But I also like to think about who's not in the room, who doesn't have the time or capacity to come and talk to us, think what their views might be, and think with every decision about how this will affect our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren.

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

Rebecca Matthews: So a challenge that we have is the need to really increase our investment in infrastructure, whether it be water, transport or community, and to be able to do that in a way that doesn't place too much burden on families and households. But there's a real opportunity to grow our city and have more people living here to share both the financial costs of the things that we need to do, but also add to the vibrancy and diversity of our city.

Question: Who am I?

Guy Nunns: Greetings, my name is Guy Nunns and I'm standing in the Western Ward for a seat at the council table in the upcoming elections. I've lived here for 56 years.

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

Guy Nunns: What will I bring to the council table? I'm a friendly, outgoing person with a good sense of humour and an inquisitive nature. I'm a qualified builder and a mechanic and I've studied politics and religion at two different universities. For the last 35 years I've followed the KISS principle, keeping it simple. Furthermore, I've observed the practice of practice, that in everything I do, I can always do it better.

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

Guy Nunns: I will engage openly and happily with my constituents. I won't always do what you want me to do, but I will always be listening and entering into dialogue. I will honour the democratic process all the way and be accountable for all my decisions.

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

Guy Nunns: Wellington City has lost sight of its core business. Rates have now reached a level of unaffordability for many and our city's population is shrinking. All the while our council is fiddling while Rome burns, spending inordinate amounts of money on ideology and nonsense. This must stop now. I want to kick-start the economy in Wellington and reach for another Golden Age.