Norbert Hausberg

The 2019 election results three years on

Jenny Condie won her Ward and became Deputy Mayor. Against all odds Norbert Hausberg won the Mayoralty. Conor Hill sneaked into his ward by three votes ahead of his contenders. Steph Edlin and Teri O’Neill got in the Motukairangi/ Eastern Ward. Humphrey Hanley and Laurie Foon made it in Paekawakawa/ Southern Ward. Tamatha Paul, Iona Pannett and Lee Orchard swept into Pukehinau/Lambton Ward and Rohan Biggs, Michelle Rush the list could go on. All prediction got blown up, what happened? The last minute rush of young people voting tilted the playing field dramatically. A change team was in and they wasted no time. A pedestrian corridor from The Beehive to the Embassy Theatre was established within two weeks. The public transport chaos was changed with the absolutely downright brilliant team Thomas Nash had under his leadership at GWRC. With him at the fore front, bus rapid transport was realised in the first 6 month. It became more frequent and cheaper as well.

The change avalanche had started and there was no going back. Zero waste came two years later and with the composting system we started, it set international standards.

Shane Jones realised what was going on and put billions of the Regional Economic Development Fund Into a fast rail network to Masterton and further to Gisborne. A trip to the Wairarapa was cut down to 30 minutes. The region came closer together.

The second tunnel for active transport became a problem as the funds ran out. Nothing can stop Wellingtonians. The citizens grabbed their picks, shovels and wheelbarrows and started under the supervision of tunnel builders and engineers to dig it by hand. The Movie industry caught on and decided to finance the lot and turned the tunnel into the Welliwood Tunnel. It got widened and has displays of all movies made in Wellington. It turned out to be a major tourist attraction.

Nissan came to the party and choose Wellington for a city wide trial of autonomous electric vehicles over 10 years. Get them with your app and they take to wherever in the city limits. Free of charge as Wellington is now autonomous with electricity generation. All the photovoltaic systems helped as well.

Transport hubs with medium density housing/shops/trades sprang up as the application process was streamlined. Small container villages emerged to help the housing shortage.

By that time the world noticed and we were not the coolest capital anymore but the coolest place on the planet and a beacon of hope for climate change, sustainability, transparency, affordable housing and justice.

Jacinda said good bye to Auckland and settled with her Family in Wellington. Just in time to announce that no cars needed in Wellington was a reality.

And this is only a snapshot of what went on in the last three years, it would fill pages and the coming three will really rock.

Yes dreams are free, so are nightmares. The Council and the Mayor of 2019 are elected, sworn in and nothing happens in the coming three years.

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