Who is Better Wellington?

Better Wellington began in 2022 by a group of friends determined to ensure that the next raft of councillors elected to represent Wellington residents and ratepayers will act in the best interests of the city. We don’t believe that presently every councillor respects that principle.

Better Wellington has since grown to include thousands of Wellington residents, all of whom share the same goals and objectives. Not everyone who has signed up in support of the goals of Better Wellington want their names on this page.

Collectively, we sit nowhere in the political spectrum. We opposed the sale of the Wellington Airport shares while at the same time want the political ideology removed from the decision-making. We are neither Left nor Right. We consider ourselves Pro-Wellington. Our supporters have voted across the political divide, but we all agree that party politics must play no role in the future governance of Wellington City. We believe that Wellington City is best served by councillors who are elected independent of any political party.

Check out our full policy position on our Vote Smart page.

Paul Heffernan

I have lived my whole life in Wellington – 33 years in the Hutt Valley and 33 years in Wellington City. My wife and I raised our 5 children here during my 42 years in the IT industry. Wellington was a vibrant, exciting city and I was proud to call it home. Now I am concerned for the future of the city. I want to see an end to political parties and their ideologies around the council table and being pushed down our throats. It is the local people who have a real, vested interest in our city who should be standing and voted onto council, to make our city better. Our city needs revitalising and that doesn’t happen when councillors bicker, are self-indulgent, righteous and have no empathy with the ratepayers who fund the council’s work. We need people who want the council to do what it’s supposed to do – provide affordable and reliable services that keep the city going, not people who are more concerned with their political beliefs. I’m proud to be a founding member of Better Wellington, and urge you to support us, come on board to help take back our city.

Alistair Boyce

I am a Product of Wellington. I was formed in this city and it shaped me. Most people know me as the publican, proprietor and chef of the famous Backbencher Pub. I am the guy who has satirized politicians since 1990. You can still find me there these ‘daze’, or I am roasting coffee at The Immigrant’s Son Espresso, Ngaio Gorge. Over recent years I have watched and provided commentary to the battle between the Wellington retail and hospitality sectors and its aberrant council that has got increasingly out of touch with the heart of the city. Many of us have opposed the dangers of ideology capturing the necessary operations that underpins  a vibrant, growing and economically viable city. For the city to be dynamic in all its social and cultural facets it needs fiscal responsibility and a strong local economy at its core. The city has to be allowed to breathe not be strangled with unnecessary cycleways, red tape and excessive rates. ‘Fix the pipes’ and let the private sector drive growth. Give us the infrastructure and the people will decide and they might even come back to our dying city. Please do not tell us how to live our lives and let us keep the oxygen of our endeavours’. Wellington deserves a better quality of leadership and civic management. I am a strong supporter of ‘Better Wellington’ as a vehicle to facilitate a better future for our city and children.

Glenn Inwood

I’ve lived in Wellington for almost 30 years, having moved to the capital city to work as a senior sub-editor at the now-defunct Evening Post newspaper before establishing a public relations company. My wife and I own companies that are involved in exporting goods and services and I am a board member of the New Zealand Taiwan Business Council, facilitating Kiwi companies’ access into the Taiwanese market. Our children were born here and call this city home. But the path to home-ownership for them is out of their reach despite the bearish house prices and not least the compounding increase in the cost of council rates demands. Like many Wellington residents, I question the ideological approach of the city council’s town planners, and feel we are heading down a track that is leading to poor outcomes for our important retail and business sector.  Time for a Better Wellington!

Nicola Cranfield

I’m the co-owner of Cranfields, the boutique store renowned for its unique collection of homewares, gifts, and accessories, in the central business district. I make a point of dedicating my support to artisans both locally and internationally and I like my store to reflect my commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainable business practices. I’ve encountered challenges with the Wellington City Council, particularly its bureaucracy and decision-making processes, which hinder small-business growth. Small businesses are the backbone of this country’s economy. Most Kiwi businesses are SMEs. That’s why I’ve been outspoken on issues to protect the retail sector, like concerns over the “Let’s Get Wellington Moving”, specifically the plan to remove car parks and cars from Lambton Quay. We need local government to work in with small businesses and be more supportive. My decision to not renew my tenancy lease for my 33-year-old business was an extremely difficult one to make, but the result of numerous factors and concern over the future of Wellington’s business district. I’m currently looking for new premises, and it will be in a location with a more supportive council.

John Swan

Party Politics has no relevance to the governance of Wellington City. I was born in Wellington and have practised law here for over 50 years. In that time, I have been actively engaged in ensuring that our city was a great place to live and do business. I have been a Board Member and President of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce and was a director of the Employment and Manufacturers’ Association (EMA) Central prior to the merger of these two business organisations. The link between the WCC and business no longer exists. I am appalled at the direction that the Mayor and the majority of current Councillors have chosen for the City. The City is insolvent, demolition of key assets continues unabated, infrastructure is repaired rather than replaced, fiscal management is inept. Consultation is insincere and Council employees behave dictatorially. The financial status of the Council and the costing of projects presently being undertaken and planned must be made available for the scrutiny of ratepayers and renters in the City. We must unite to save the City. Better Wellington is best equipped to ensure that a Mayor and Councillors are selected and elected with the survival of Wellington being their prime objective.

Gary Moller

I’m highly supportive of the goals and ambitions of the Better Wellington group. We need to take party politics away from the council table, remove ideology and replace it with sound financial management. There is a huge dissatisfaction with how our city is being run, with the huge rates increases that people are facing and many other things, including cycle ways. I live in Brooklyn and run a natural health practice, focusing on addressing the root causes of ill health or poor sports performance through healthy, natural, and sustainable therapies. My views on cycling are well-known. I’ve won multiple victories in the Mountain Bike (MTB) Masters World Championships, MTB Marathon World Championship titles, Cyclocross Masters 70+ World Championships, and have a decade-long winning streak in the New Zealand Masters 60+ Cyclocross Championships. My article critiquing the current cycle way policy can be read here.

Karen Tonks

As a born and bred passionate Wellingtonian, it pains me to see what has happened to our once dynamic and vibrant city. When former PM John Key said, ‘Wellington is dead’ we were collectively shocked. But he nailed it. Today Wellington a shabby, dilapidated, unloved and dangerous warzone. Road cones, red zoned buildings, road cones, cycle lane insanity, road cones, parks disappearing before our eyes and iconic businesses closing down because these measures and ‘road cones’ have ruined their business. What can we do? We need councillors who will answer to the people first, not to their party. I was a creative at Saatchi & Saatchi when Absolutely Positively Wellington was Wellington’s shining light, and before that I won The Telephone Book Cover design celebrating this humming city of ours. I know what makes our city tick, and I believe we can do it again. It’s time for a Better Wellington.