June 18, 2024 • 10 mins
Three left-wing councillors typically viewed as part of Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau's council majority have said she can no longer rely on their unconditional support; an apparently crumbling of her support.
But NZ Herald Wellington Issues reporter Georgina Campbell thinks this could be the making of Whanau as a mayor, now that she has to reach across political alliances to other councillors to pass her initiatives.
She joined Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills to talk through the issue and a rise in Covid cases in the Wellington region.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk Sat B, taking the pulse of the
city The Capital Letter on news Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Heed be joining us now for her regular slot is
New Zealand here and Wellington Issues reporter Georgina Campbell.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good morning, George, good morning. You've written a piece.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Which I have got here in my hot little hands
because I read it yesterday, which I really enjoyed it.
I thought, ah, that's a teasing little headlight. Why toy,
why mere Tory Faro's crumbling support is good for Wellington?
A capital letter? I thought, Oh, I better read that,
so it was very good tease. George, tell us, why
(00:46):
why do you think it's good for Willington.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Yeah, I think it could be the making of her
having this left leaning voting block falling apart a little bit.
And the reason that I think that is because I
think the mayor should have to reach across the aisle
the political spectrum, build majorities with different people on different issues.
(01:10):
I think this is probably a good way cup call
for her. And of course, you know we're talking about
the three councilors who have publicly withdrawn their unconditional support
for the mayor's policies after a controversial decision to sell
the council's airport shares. So this basically means her working majority,
who reliable working majority, has disappeared, and it's just to
(01:33):
look quickly at the mechanics of local government. Usually majorities
around the council table are formed in two ways. The
first is that the council operates like a board of directors.
This certainly doesn't happen in Wellington City Council, highly collaborative.
It tends to happen in smaller provincial councils. The second
is when there is a majority faction which effectively forms
(01:54):
the government and a minority of counselors kind of fulfill
the role of opposition. And this is how Wellington City
Council has been operating under Torifano until now. Now, of
course we will remember her predecessor, Andy Foster. There was
no obvious majority around that council table and he had
to build a majority, although I don't think in my
view did that particularly well on an issue by issue basis.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
And so that is what Tory Farno is looking at now.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So you might think, well, how could that be good
for Wellington, if we're going to go back to what
it was like under Andy Foster. I think the key
difference is is that Tory Fano is an Andy Foster.
I think she has more political nouse and also she
will have majorities that she can rely on for progressive
things that you know the left landing counselors support anyway,
(02:42):
but I think on some issues, you know she'll she'll have.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
To work for the vote.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Would it surprise you if I told you that we
had a counselor in the studio talking to us that
said that she hadn't spoken to Tory for six or
eight months or ten months.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Suddenly Tory saying hello and talking to them.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
There's a lot of talk about how long Tory hasn't
spoken to certain councilors and I don't really know what
to think of that, but yeah, like Tory might be
talking at least more to certain counselors than she may
have felt.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
She previoceived it too.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And my next question, and you don't have to answer
this because it's neck question, and I know everyone freaks
out when a neck question comes mind, is how long
will those three stay on the sideline? I mean, I
think they're going to get into the ruck again pretty quickly.
It's a rugby terminology, by the way, about getting back
into the team just because you don't thanks.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
They don't go over my head. I'm not a rugby cowl.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I think they'll get back at the team pretty damn quickly.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah, I mean, I think when it comes to progressive
issues that they care about, yeah, they're going to be
on board. But I don't think they're just going to
kind of blindly, if you like, kind of give their
vote to whatever the mayor wants. I think after the
reading cinema deal and now the airport shares, and that's
a wake up call for them too. Of course they
shouldn't be doing that. Sure they can be labor and
(03:57):
green counselors, but they also need to have their own mind.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I wonder if a couple of those three have also
got grandeur of being mayor next term. I'll leave that
thought to myself, because that's a nick thought for himself.
COVID's ramping up again and we're in the middle of winter.
I mean, tell people using it as an excuse. I
know we're getting them at work.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I've got COVID, I've got co have you tested. No,
but I know what COVID's like.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
I still haven't had it.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
I don't know what it's like anyway, is ramping up though,
to the point that Wellington Regional Hospital opened a dedicated
to COVID nineteen ward for the first time in three years.
Recently this opened to accommodate COVID nineteen in patients from
May thirty one to June eleven, so it has since closed.
(04:44):
But yeah, so the first time we've had to have
a dedicated clinical area for COVID since twenty twenty one.
And the hospital is continuing to see increasing numbers of
people testing positive for respiratory illnesses. So it's putting a
lot of pressure on our services. At the moment, it's
respiratory bug season and the hospital is just really urging
people to take care, especially people over the age of
(05:06):
sixty five, and just be vigilant.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
And I'm also hearing and please don't take this if
you are crook goat. If you need to get to
the hospital, get to the hospital, but please use the
hospital as an emergency. It's not there because you've got
a running nose. Use your GP, use you know, other
systems that are in place to help you. Hospitals do
not need people going with a running nose. Now, if
(05:32):
you've got some chest pains and you've got something serious,
to make sure you dial one one one and get
to the hospital. I'm not trying to suggest that, but
just bear in mind if you're not. You know, if
you think that you're okay, you just got a bad
cold or something's going to you're going to be okay
with a call to the doctor. Please do that now, Georgia,
this is really intriguing me and I'm trying. I'm beating
myself up in my head to think whether I know
(05:53):
who this person is or not.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
And I don't.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You sat down with an interview with a pretty impressive
Wellington businesswoman.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Who's that Yeah, she is pretty impressive. It's Jesse Wong
who as the founder and owner of you may So.
She's a handbag designer and she's had an incredible successful
career and she's on the Maya's Business Advisory Group, which
was recently announced, and she's just had her first child.
(06:22):
So I decided to ask her if she'd be open
to having an interview just to talk about, you know,
what her life's like at the moment and about motherhood
and running her business, and she agreed, which was really.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
Cool to catch up with her.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
She gave birth to Bobby, her son basically just as
Australian Fashion Week wrapped up. She was watching from afar
was very successful for you May, and the debut of
the Bobby bag happened on the runway, so he's got
to be bag named after him. But she said, you know,
preparing for her first child has really forced herself to
(06:59):
make herself obsolete from the day to day and focus
on the big picture.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
You know. Over the course of.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Her career, she's sort of says that she's had to
give up or step away from parts of the business,
Like she used to make all of the handbags herself.
So when she handed over production like that was a
big moment for her. She actually she said, can I
just ask you?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I asked you a really simple question.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Now I read that when she was joining the advisory
count the Mayor's Advisory Group. Was the first time I've
ever heard Now I know that you May is not
targeted at my audience, but did you know if you
made handbags before you read about her?
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, if you if you just have a look, especially
in Wellington because the business did start here. If you
just look at people's handbags, you'll see a lot of
you may if you got one, No I don't have one.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Perhaps you have one of that?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Look, she said she's really going to advertise for retail
businesses on the Mayor's Advisory Group. Retails and her family.
Her grandfather had a fruit shop in Island Bay, her
auntie and uncle had a fish and chip shop across
the road Parliament. Her dad had a computer business on
Laptin Key. Retails in her blood. So she's really going
to advocate for those business owners.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Did she give you any indication of whether that's working,
Whether she enjoyed her meetings and she's whether they're going
to get any say and anything that goes on.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I got to read the article.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, she's just had her baby, so I'm not actually
sure if she has been able to get to a
meeting yet, but she will do.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, Oh my gosh, I mean to think that you
can run. I've just had another grandchild, and I know
what's involved in having a baby. I've got had a
couple myself, not personally, but you know my children. You're
looking at me strangely, as if you don't have a
dead clue what it's like to have a child back.
Why are you saying that? No, but I know about
(08:53):
a stress and concern and workload and all that. We're
going through it our family right now. It's insane. So
good on her. I can't wait to read the article.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
Yeah you should.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I think it's interesting and she's so pull calm and
collect it. You know, you can see how she has
such a level head for you know, the streets of business.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Wow, you May. I'm going to check it out. I'm
going to look at their website.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I'm going to look at their handbags and if I've
got someone that I need to buy a handbag, I
would definitely buy you May. How's that if I can
afford it, it will be too expensive?
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Is it that they are luxury hairbags?
Speaker 3 (09:30):
That's the way of tellib it is too expensive? George.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Always a pleasure, Thank you very much, and I'm not
going to mention it. But a lot of stories again
about the fairies, your favorite topic, so oh gosh, because
it's the boat that keeps given.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Hopefully we'll give an announcement from the government soon about
what they're doing with the fairies, change the game.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm sure that you'll be first to know when when
we find out something. George always a pleasure Georgina Campbell,
who is New Zealand Heralds Wellington's issues reporter.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am we do,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk Sat B, taking the pulse of the
city The Capital Letter on news Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Heed be joining us now for her regular slot is
New Zealand here and Wellington Issues reporter Georgina Campbell.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good morning, George, good morning. You've written a piece.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Which I have got here in my hot little hands
because I read it yesterday, which I really enjoyed it.
I thought, ah, that's a teasing little headlight. Why toy,
why mere Tory Faro's crumbling support is good for Wellington?
A capital letter? I thought, Oh, I better read that,
so it was very good tease. George, tell us, why
(00:46):
why do you think it's good for Willington.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Yeah, I think it could be the making of her
having this left leaning voting block falling apart a little bit.
And the reason that I think that is because I
think the mayor should have to reach across the aisle
the political spectrum, build majorities with different people on different issues.
(01:10):
I think this is probably a good way cup call
for her. And of course, you know we're talking about
the three councilors who have publicly withdrawn their unconditional support
for the mayor's policies after a controversial decision to sell
the council's airport shares. So this basically means her working majority,
who reliable working majority, has disappeared, and it's just to
(01:33):
look quickly at the mechanics of local government. Usually majorities
around the council table are formed in two ways. The
first is that the council operates like a board of directors.
This certainly doesn't happen in Wellington City Council, highly collaborative.
It tends to happen in smaller provincial councils. The second
is when there is a majority faction which effectively forms
(01:54):
the government and a minority of counselors kind of fulfill
the role of opposition. And this is how Wellington City
Council has been operating under Torifano until now. Now, of
course we will remember her predecessor, Andy Foster. There was
no obvious majority around that council table and he had
to build a majority, although I don't think in my
view did that particularly well on an issue by issue basis.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
And so that is what Tory Farno is looking at now.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
So you might think, well, how could that be good
for Wellington, if we're going to go back to what
it was like under Andy Foster. I think the key
difference is is that Tory Fano is an Andy Foster.
I think she has more political nouse and also she
will have majorities that she can rely on for progressive
things that you know the left landing counselors support anyway,
(02:42):
but I think on some issues, you know she'll she'll have.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
To work for the vote.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Would it surprise you if I told you that we
had a counselor in the studio talking to us that
said that she hadn't spoken to Tory for six or
eight months or ten months.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Suddenly Tory saying hello and talking to them.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
There's a lot of talk about how long Tory hasn't
spoken to certain councilors and I don't really know what
to think of that, but yeah, like Tory might be
talking at least more to certain counselors than she may
have felt.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
She previoceived it too.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And my next question, and you don't have to answer
this because it's neck question, and I know everyone freaks
out when a neck question comes mind, is how long
will those three stay on the sideline? I mean, I
think they're going to get into the ruck again pretty quickly.
It's a rugby terminology, by the way, about getting back
into the team just because you don't thanks.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
They don't go over my head. I'm not a rugby cowl.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I think they'll get back at the team pretty damn quickly.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah, I mean, I think when it comes to progressive
issues that they care about, yeah, they're going to be
on board. But I don't think they're just going to
kind of blindly, if you like, kind of give their
vote to whatever the mayor wants. I think after the
reading cinema deal and now the airport shares, and that's
a wake up call for them too. Of course they
shouldn't be doing that. Sure they can be labor and
(03:57):
green counselors, but they also need to have their own mind.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I wonder if a couple of those three have also
got grandeur of being mayor next term. I'll leave that
thought to myself, because that's a nick thought for himself.
COVID's ramping up again and we're in the middle of winter.
I mean, tell people using it as an excuse. I
know we're getting them at work.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Now.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I've got COVID, I've got co have you tested. No,
but I know what COVID's like.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
I still haven't had it.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
I don't know what it's like anyway, is ramping up though,
to the point that Wellington Regional Hospital opened a dedicated
to COVID nineteen ward for the first time in three years.
Recently this opened to accommodate COVID nineteen in patients from
May thirty one to June eleven, so it has since closed.
(04:44):
But yeah, so the first time we've had to have
a dedicated clinical area for COVID since twenty twenty one.
And the hospital is continuing to see increasing numbers of
people testing positive for respiratory illnesses. So it's putting a
lot of pressure on our services. At the moment, it's
respiratory bug season and the hospital is just really urging
people to take care, especially people over the age of
(05:06):
sixty five, and just be vigilant.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
And I'm also hearing and please don't take this if
you are crook goat. If you need to get to
the hospital, get to the hospital, but please use the
hospital as an emergency. It's not there because you've got
a running nose. Use your GP, use you know, other
systems that are in place to help you. Hospitals do
not need people going with a running nose. Now, if
(05:32):
you've got some chest pains and you've got something serious,
to make sure you dial one one one and get
to the hospital. I'm not trying to suggest that, but
just bear in mind if you're not. You know, if
you think that you're okay, you just got a bad
cold or something's going to you're going to be okay
with a call to the doctor. Please do that now, Georgia,
this is really intriguing me and I'm trying. I'm beating
myself up in my head to think whether I know
(05:53):
who this person is or not.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
And I don't.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You sat down with an interview with a pretty impressive
Wellington businesswoman.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Who's that Yeah, she is pretty impressive. It's Jesse Wong
who as the founder and owner of you may So.
She's a handbag designer and she's had an incredible successful
career and she's on the Maya's Business Advisory Group, which
was recently announced, and she's just had her first child.
(06:22):
So I decided to ask her if she'd be open
to having an interview just to talk about, you know,
what her life's like at the moment and about motherhood
and running her business, and she agreed, which was really.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
Cool to catch up with her.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
She gave birth to Bobby, her son basically just as
Australian Fashion Week wrapped up. She was watching from afar
was very successful for you May, and the debut of
the Bobby bag happened on the runway, so he's got
to be bag named after him. But she said, you know,
preparing for her first child has really forced herself to
(06:59):
make herself obsolete from the day to day and focus
on the big picture.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
You know. Over the course of.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Her career, she's sort of says that she's had to
give up or step away from parts of the business,
Like she used to make all of the handbags herself.
So when she handed over production like that was a
big moment for her. She actually she said, can I
just ask you?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I asked you a really simple question.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Now I read that when she was joining the advisory
count the Mayor's Advisory Group. Was the first time I've
ever heard Now I know that you May is not
targeted at my audience, but did you know if you
made handbags before you read about her?
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, if you if you just have a look, especially
in Wellington because the business did start here. If you
just look at people's handbags, you'll see a lot of
you may if you got one, No I don't have one.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Perhaps you have one of that?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Look, she said she's really going to advertise for retail
businesses on the Mayor's Advisory Group. Retails and her family.
Her grandfather had a fruit shop in Island Bay, her
auntie and uncle had a fish and chip shop across
the road Parliament. Her dad had a computer business on
Laptin Key. Retails in her blood. So she's really going
to advocate for those business owners.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Did she give you any indication of whether that's working,
Whether she enjoyed her meetings and she's whether they're going
to get any say and anything that goes on.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I got to read the article.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, she's just had her baby, so I'm not actually
sure if she has been able to get to a
meeting yet, but she will do.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, Oh my gosh, I mean to think that you
can run. I've just had another grandchild, and I know
what's involved in having a baby. I've got had a
couple myself, not personally, but you know my children. You're
looking at me strangely, as if you don't have a
dead clue what it's like to have a child back.
Why are you saying that? No, but I know about
(08:53):
a stress and concern and workload and all that. We're
going through it our family right now. It's insane. So
good on her. I can't wait to read the article.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
Yeah you should.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
I think it's interesting and she's so pull calm and
collect it. You know, you can see how she has
such a level head for you know, the streets of business.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Wow, you May. I'm going to check it out. I'm
going to look at their website.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I'm going to look at their handbags and if I've
got someone that I need to buy a handbag, I
would definitely buy you May. How's that if I can
afford it, it will be too expensive?
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Is it that they are luxury hairbags?
Speaker 3 (09:30):
That's the way of tellib it is too expensive? George.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Always a pleasure, Thank you very much, and I'm not
going to mention it. But a lot of stories again
about the fairies, your favorite topic, so oh gosh, because
it's the boat that keeps given.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Hopefully we'll give an announcement from the government soon about
what they're doing with the fairies, change the game.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm sure that you'll be first to know when when
we find out something. George always a pleasure Georgina Campbell,
who is New Zealand Heralds Wellington's issues reporter.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am we do,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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