Gender inequality coupled with the climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. With local elections approaching, the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women New Zealand wanted to know how important climate issues will be for the Wellington City Council. We sent a set of questions to Wellington City mayoral candidates to hear their thoughts around climate change issues with a gender lens.
The survey was sent to all candidates with approximately three weeks to respond. We’re pleased to be able to include responses from the following candidates:
- Alex Baker
- Josh Harford
- Diane Calvert
- Kelvin Hastie
- William Pennywize
- Rob Goulden
Unfortunately, responses were not received from the remaining candidates. Without responses from all the mayoral candidates, we felt the best way for you to grasp what their climate priorities are is to read them in full.
See below the questions we sent, and the answers from mayoral candidates in their own words. We hope it helps you feel informed going into the local elections 2025.
Question 1: Resilience
Research has shown that a gender approach to urban planning and city development is crucial for resilience. How will you explore the connection between gender and urban development to make Wellington resilient–especially through extreme weather events such as gale force winds that litter the streets with roofs, trampolines and rubbish, and heavy downpours that make roads undriveable and increase sewage discharge into the ocean?
Alex Baker
My 'four lanes' sustainable transport policy is about walking, biking, busing and driving. Ensuring Wellington has infrastructure that means people can get around Wellington easily, safety and affordably using whichever mode works best for them. Historically, car centric transport planning was heavily in favour of the types of trips typically made by men. Enabling non-car transport modes is one of the most effective way's for a transport system to support trips made by other parts of the community (women and children). This is also the best action a city can take to reduce its emissions.
William Pennywize
Our two key policies of Making the Basin Swamp Again and Our Bright Public Transport Future present opportunities to tackle the climate crisis while rewilding Wellington city. By daylighting our underground awa such as the Waitangi and returning the Basin Reserve to swamp we will be using natural solutions and creating environments which absorb water rather than flood streets, homes and businesses. We will make our earth mother and the lungs of the planet well and this will in turn protect us for disaster such as heatwaves and flooding.
Ko ngā whainga Hanga Repo Anō ki Hauwai me te haerenga ki te anamata ngā ara tika hei whakautu ki te ao e mahana haere ana. Ka huakina ngā awa paipa, ā, ka whakarepongia te Basin Reserve. Ka mitia te waipuke e ēnei hangaia. Kāore ngā rori, ngā whare e waipukengia, ka haere kē te wai ki tai. Ka tiaki tātou i a Papatūānuku, ka tiaki hoki ia i a tātou.
Diane Calvert
Thanks for the question but the background refers to a paper written in 2018 and aimed globally and not specifically at Wellington. Urban development practices should accommodate everyone within the city and their specific needs which includes safety. That's why the Council employs people with the skills to do such work. It's also important to continually engage with the community to see what else may be done within affordability constraints. Thats always the challenge - what's required vs what the city can afford but we need to ensure we adequately provide for retaining walls, strengthening of infrastructure etc. Extreme weather events in Wellington are more likely to include slips which take out roads, banks and even water infrastructure as opposed to litter. There is personal responsibility here to ensure everyone keeps their belongings (even trampolines) secure and maintains sumps outside their properties
Josh Harford
A very large portion of my agenda revolves around urgently improving Wellington's atrocious weather. With wind-catching sails, a giant umbrella, and anti-rain technology, we can improve the weather for everyone.
Kelvin Hastie
I have a Degree in Design and are very aware of the issues surrounding gender and the urban environment. I plan to establish an Urban Development Committee so these issues are placed at the forefront of decision making
Rob Goulden
No answer.
Question 2: Healthy homes
Poor living conditions disproportionately harm young people and children, and we know that women consistently perform the majority of childcare and housework. How will you address concerns about unhealthy homes, where issues are exacerbated by Wellington’s cold, wet winter climate, and sickness caused puts unnecessary pressures on an already stretched health system?
Alex Baker
My policy will encourage the redevelopment of the most dilapidated housing stock into new thermally efficient homes, which are easier to keep within healthy temperature and humidity ranges.
The WCC policy for calculating the rates for each household currently penalises building new housing. My policy (a switch to land value rates) will encourage the redevelopment of Wellington's most dilapidated housing stock. NZ's modern building code is not perfect, but there can be no doubt that homes built to the modern standard are far more thermally efficient than old homes. These new homes will be easier and cheaper to keep warm and healthy. The improved energy efficiency also has an emissions reduction impact.
William Pennywize
While a rewilding future will mean that modern luxuries such as heat pumps and pink bat insulation may not be possible, a Pennywize mayoralty will be tackling the housing crisis by allowing people to build their own houses on council land. The first step is a house for all, then we can make them out of healthy breathable materials with a good indoor outdoor flow.
Nā te whakahoki mai o te ngahere ka uaua pea te whai i ngā purere miahro o nāianei. Heoi anō ki raro i te manaaki a PEnnywize ka ahei te minenga ki te hanga whare ki te whenua o te kaunihera. Ko te mahi tuatahi ka hanga whare, ko te tuarua ka hanga ki ngā wahanga o te taiao, he pai mō te hā ki roto te hā ki waho hoki.
Diane Calvert
Again your background references are old and not Wellington City Council specific. Given Wellington's highly educated population, I suspect there is not such the discrepancy in respect of childcare and housework. Nevertheless, the Council's responsibility is to ensure its social housing meets healthy homes standards and it has a programme of work to do that. Its also important for Council to support business and commercial development to ensure Wellington can offer a wide range of good jobs to support a higher salary band and choice of roles.
Josh Harford
I intend to steal homes from Auckland. By stealing houses from Remuera, Epsom, Ponsonby and such, we can deprive the richest kiwis of 1/7th of their property portfolio and give it to Wellingtonians doing it tough.
Kelvin Hastie
I plan to replace our current social housing stock with new stock to help address this issue
Rob Goulden
Ensure that the Council officers enforce the building and alteration standards for housing. Insist all new builds being properly constructed, weather proofed and landlords provide healthy affordable accommodation. Ensure women particularly those raising families on their own have priority access to clean affordable healthy housing.
Question 3: Public transport
Because of their lower income levels, women are more likely than men to rely on public transport. How will you reduce carbon emissions by ensuring that the public have adequate and affordable alternative transport options?
Alex Baker
One of the priorities of my four lanes policy is bus priority lanes through the CBD and from the Eastern suburbs. Bus priority lanes improve the reliance and speed of bus journeys. This flows on to reduce the cost to operators of providing the service and will allow for fare reductions or service frequency improvements.
Cycle lanes are also hugely empowering for people with lower incomes. Another part of my policy is making sure these are completed.
William Pennywize
Rewilding Wellington city will both get us ready for adapting to the climate crisis but also bring about the large changes in energy and transport that we need to see in order to get emissions down. Our Make the Basin Swamp Again campaign platform will not only bring the forest into the central city, thereby using natural solutions to extreme weather events, but also be the first step in our radical replanning of transport in the city which will get people out of their cars and onto the backs of giant moa and tuna.
Ko te whakahoki ngahere mai te mahi nui o te whai pōti a Pennywize. Ka rite tātou katoa mō te anamata, ngā papa o te ao e mahana haere ana, ngā whakautu hoki ki taua nei raru. Me heke iho te hā wera. Ka hanga repo anō ki Hauwai! Ka whakahoki tēnei mahi i te ngahere ki te pokapū o te tāone o Pōneke, ā, ka panoni tēnei i ngā ara waka o taua tāone. Ka whakaritea ngā ara moa, ngā awa tuna hoki, ka noho mokemoke ngā waka, ka eke tuna ka eke moa hoki ngā tāngata katoa o Pōneke.
Diane Calvert
The city had a decrease of 1.4% in its carbon emissions between 2020 to 2024. The lowest carbon emissions per capita in Australasia. Public transport as a service is provided by Greater Wellington Regional Council and it is important that we offer choice to people. I believe they have just introduced fare capping. 48% of Wellingtonians use public transport at least weekly - the highest in NZ.
Josh Harford
I intend to abolish public transport and create walking buses instead.
Kelvin Hastie
I am a huge supporter of public transport. One of my main platforms is amalgamation so I would like to see a Regional approach to public transport, especially for lower socio-economic communities across the region
Rob Goulden
Wellington City Council declared a climate and ecological emergency in June 2019 and in August 2020 adopted the Te Atakura Implementation Plan to deliver on the commitments made in the Te Atakura Blueprint. Te Atakura shows Wellington City Council is serious about addressing climate change. So, I support Te Atakura as a practical and realistic strategy to encourage and enable Wellingtonians to make climate-friendly choices.
Within reason and depending on how that impacts the bottom line and long-term policy objectives. Some spending cannot be deferred, such as spending on addressing Wellingtons broken and outdated infrastructure. So, there will always need to be trade-offs.
We need to build on progress already made and ensure that the Vehicle & Bus fleet is fully electric.
Question 4: Water services
Reduced access to safe water impacts health and wellbeing during pregnancy, and affects the provision of maternity services, menstrual management, and sexual health. How will you ensure Wellington’s water services remain stable and reliable?
Alex Baker
A new water entity is being established to manage Wellingtons water assets. So to a degree responsibility for 'safe water' is being taken out of the hands of WCC. The role of Council now is about ensuring the Governance and funding of the new water entity is capable and sufficient to manage the water asset.
William Pennywize
To help achieve our rewilding goals while also accepting that Wellington’s pipes are in appalling shape after decades of neglect and various earthquakes, a Pennywize mayoralty will subsidize rain water collection at every house. This will boost our resilience during extreme weather events and also mean that we don’t have to spend $1.8 billion + on three waters.
Kua mahue ngā paipa i ngā kaunihera o mua, ā, kua pakaru i ngā rūwhenua. Ki te whangai i te mahi whakahoki ngahere mai ka koha putea te kaunihera ki ia whare ki te whakatū ipu mō ngā ua. Ka tū kaha tātou ahakoa ngā aitua, ā, ka iti haere te putea mō te wai.
Diane Calvert
The new water entity model- Wellington Metro Water commences on 1 July 2026. Whilst the city is well behind in is renewal of its water infrastructure, this will have to be sequenced and at a pace users can afford. The new governance model is still being determined but will be in place prior to the elections.
Josh Harford
By throwing an unprecedented level of thoughts and prayers at the problem. I intend to combine this with a policy to construct chocolate fish ponds in every burst water pipe and every pothole.
Kelvin Hastie
As you know a Metro authority is being established. The biggest problem is lack of scale and coordination. This is why I support a unitary authority
Rob Goulden
Greater use of green, renewable energy sources for Wellington and the region, and a greater commitment to recycling and re-using finite resources.
Water issues and conservation issues such as predator free program (I agree with the current funding of this program and maybe a little bit extra given the incredible result they have already had. Great value for the city and it's image and greening the capital as far as planting is concerned, including planting on rooftops and encouraging more homegrown food, more capture of rainwater etc.
Better water conservation and stop the wastage. Stick to and enforce the KPI's
Have oversight of the new proposed water entity. Some guarantees around the supply of water. and some assurance that faults are fix in an efficient and reasonable time.
Question 5: Gender lens on climate
What’s your plan to ensure women have a voice at the table on climate action in Wellington?
Alex Baker
This is a good question. I didn't actually have a plan on this. I have two young children and am active in a community that is full of women. I listen to their values and fears and attempt to fold those in to any actions that I take or positions I advocate for.
William Pennywize
Pennywize extends an invitation to the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women to help shape the city council’s climate policy should he rise to the lofty position of mayor.
Ka pōwhiritia tō rōpū ki te wānanga mō te whakautu ki te ao e mahana haere ana mēnā ka eke a Pennywize kia koromatua o Pōneke.
Diane Calvert
Women already have a strong voice but like any key matter for a city, it's important to ensure there is a gender balance and if that doesn't happen organically within the Council structure, then I will take appropriate action.
Josh Harford
Put tape over the mouth of any silly man.
Kelvin Hastie
I would like to create a climate change committee with woman at the fore.
Rob Goulden
Let's hope that suitable women are successful in getting elected to Council in the first place and that there is a balance on the Council.
If that is not the case I would be happy to listen to advocacy groups such as your Council on behalf of women's groups.