My Wellington: From promoting bands to promoting policy

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Yadana Saw is a Greater Wellington Regional Councillor, and has spent much of her life in Wellington.

Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Yadana Saw has been a Green Party representative for the Pōneke/Wellington constituency for only a year after leaving behind her role with Music 101 at RNZ. From Mabel’s on Tory St, she expressed her unique sense of identity and place in Wellington.

Why are we sitting at Mabel’s with all this delicious food?

It's named after my grandmother and it’s my cousin’s restaurant. It's the only place in town where I can go out and get Burmese food and I don't have to either schlep myself over to my auntie's house, hope my mum cooks me something or cook it myself. But yeah, it's family.

Have you ever spent time outside Wellington?

I've had little tiny stints in other places. I’ve been in Wellington most of my life, I grew up in Whāngarei and my family lived in Auckland but I haven't spent an enormous amount of time overseas.

Given the option of living in a wardrobe in Earl’s Court [London] with everyone I went to uni with, I kind of opted to work in community development, and try and make a difference in my community. I want to know more about the lives of people here in New Zealand and help them rather than try and get around Europe on 20 bucks with the same people I was in class with.

Tell me about your neighbourhood in Wellington

I live in Newtown. That's where I was born. That's where I was mostly raised and so now I get to raise my own family there as well.

Yadana Saw gets around Wellington by bike if she can.

I’ve seen Newtown evolve over that time, but also still have an enduring spirit and character that hasn't changed from when I was a child. When I see new migrant families raising their kids there, it's such an insight to what it must have been like for my mum with me back in the day.

What do you think is the biggest issue affecting Newtown now?

It's the tension of the provision of housing. The whole community agrees we need more housing and there are differing attitudes to how that might look but I think the goal and the values are the same.

How would you usually get around the city?

In descending order, it's biking, walking, bus, and then car as the last option. The car is either for visiting family in the Hutt or when my kids have to get to the activities that there's no other way to get to. But we're really lucky being in Newtown that it's very walk-able, bus-able and bike-able and it would be awesome if everyone had that ease of choice wherever they lived.

Favourite food in Wellington?

My favourite favourite dish, when I can't be bothered making it is the mohinga here. And because I'm allowed to have my extra bits to make it to my specifications, I can tailor it to exactly how I like it.

What about drinks?

I’m absolutely loving The Ram at the moment, which is exactly 20 steps from the Greater Wellington offices on Cuba Mall. It's rudely close and it's just such a great vibe and a great mix of people in there.

Where would you go in Wellington to just get away from it all?

Taputeranga Marine Reserve. As soon as we get down there as a family, we're just scrambling around the rocks and trying to find all the critters in the water and I just love that.

You can see sometimes see the South Island and you get that sense of scale and distance. But you can also really focus on what's under your feet, trying to find a crab or some sea stars. Just the ability to get so close to nature.

Finally, why leave the music scene and head into politics?

The decisions that are made around our council tables do have a consequential impact on whether our creative sectors, our artists and musicians can actually be making the beautiful contributions they do.

We have some super talented people from our city who are internationally recognised but if it wasn't for the conditions that existed at the time, like putting on shows at Bats or living in inner city derelict commercial buildings, I don't know if they would get to where they are.

I hate to name drop, like you wouldn't get the Taikas, Jermaine & Bretts, or the Fat Freddies if it wasn't for cheap rent in town, bars they could just make noise and people who could afford to come out and hang out.