Diane Calvert makes surprise Wellington mayoral bid, rejects 'slogan politics'

Saturday, 19 July 2025

Diane Calvert on why she's making a surprise Wellington mayoral bid

In a twist to what’s already shaping up as one of Wellington’s most unpredictable mayoral races, city councillor Diane Calvert has confirmed she will now stand ‒ just weeks after publicly ruling herself out.

Her U-turn comes after what she describes as “a fortnight of chaos” in the capital’s campaign, marked by “nasty politics, tit-for-tat distractions, and people feeling they’ve got no-one to vote for”.

“There’s been all this noise,” Calvert told The Post. “But no-one’s talking about the real issues facing Wellington.”

“A lot of people are saying to me, ‘we don’t know who to vote for’. They don’t want to vote for someone Labour-aligned, they were going to vote for Ray [Chung], but now they don’t feel they can.”

Wellington City councillor Diane Calvert initially ruled herself out of the mayoralty race, but now believes she’s the best person to take on Labour’s Andrew Little.

Her entry follows a turbulent fortnight for right-leaning challenger Chung, whose campaign has been dogged by allegations of dirty politics. Three councillor candidates - Lily Brown, Andrea Compton and Dan Milward ‒ this week abandoned the Independent Together ticket.

Calvert said she wants the race to be a “contest of ideas” focused on complex issues like local government reform and financial stability.

“We don’t need people that are good with slogans. We need people who can understand the complexities ‒ how everything integrates like a spider’s web.”

Calvert, who has spent nine years on the council, is positioning herself as a centrist alternative with the governance experience to “reset the city”.

She will campaign on five core priorities: sorting council finances, refocusing on core services like roads and waste, strengthening communities, encouraging business investment, and restoring public trust in the council.

A full policy platform will follow in coming weeks. Pressed to sum up her approach, she described herself as the “no-frills candidate”.

“We have to get the basics right so we can then help others.

“This is about reality, not aspirations,” she said. “I’m not promising a fantastic new city. The next three years are about getting back to basics.”

Andrew Little had shaped as the frontrunner, after Ray Chung’s week of controversies.

Calvert said her two millennial daughters convinced her to run, urging her to bring “a woman’s voice” into what had become a male-dominated race.

“They actually want me to stand from a woman’s perspective,” she said. “We know at times we think differently, we approach things differently, and there needs to be a woman’s voice in there.”

She joins the group of men vying for the top job, including Chung, Andrew Little, Graham Bloxham, Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Alex Baker and Rob Goulden.

But Calvert admitted she faced an uphill battle without significant campaign funding. Chung has attracted a number of cashed-up backers, and Little brings with him Labour’s organised party machine.

“In the past, a lot of the funders seem to gravitate towards male candidates. For whatever reason,” she said.

While launching her mayoral bid, Calvert confirmed she will also continue campaigning for re-election in her Wharangi/Onslow-Western general ward.

“Putting my name forward for mayor doesn’t change my commitment to my ward ‒ but it’s important voters have an experienced, credible, and principled choice city-wide,” she said.

Calvert was critical of past decisions prioritising cycleways over water infrastructure and social housing.

“It’s not that I’m against cycleways per se,” she said. “But we chose the wrong priorities. In 2021, we could have put more money into water or social housing ‒ we put it into cycleways.”

She wants Courtney Place prioritised for improvements but is wary of major Golden Mile construction starting before the election. “I think it should be paused. It’s such a polarising project.”

On social housing, Calvert said Wellington needed a “city deal” with the Government. “It’s not financially sustainable in its current form. We need to get back around the table as a trusted partner.”

And zero rates rises? “Not realistic,” she said bluntly.

“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. Young people are going to be paying for what we’re enjoying now.”

Calvert has built a reputation as one of the council’s squeaky wheels. But she defended her past warnings, on financial risks, access to council information, and project overruns, arguing they had all been vindicated.

“My squeaky wheel has all come to fruition,” she said. “But now it’s about working across the table. We need to stop pushing change through on casting votes.”

She said her leadership style was evolving: “I’ve learned we can’t drive our own political agendas. We’ve got to collaborate.”

While wary of political party influence in local government, she said she’d work with whoever voters elected. “We don’t choose who’s around the table. The voters do.”