If you’ve gone on a cruise out of town lately, you’ll have clocked the shocking array of roadside billboards begging for that sweet democratic #1 ranking. Last week, OUSA hosted the candidates for the upcoming local body elections in a series of forums, held in the Main Common Room at 12pm from Monday to Wednesday.
A portion of candidates vied for the student vote, while some missed the event altogether (low student voting rates might make it not worth the trip out to the MCR for some). While lack of arts venues dominated the youth-centred conversation last election cycle, this time it’s been about student housing, a student bar, and the Albany St project/cycleways – giving old-timers ample opportunity to talk about their “good old days” in the flats that still look the same, with beer-soaked carpets after swaggering home from the Cook Hotel.
Just as it’s good practice to give your prospective landlord a quick Google before signing a tenancy agreement (please), Critic Te Ārohi background checked the Dunedin City Council (DCC) debutantes. This year, the DCC has the most mayoral candidates from across the motu at 17. Dig into the juiciest gossip, policy, and court cases of the mayoral candidates, and perhaps find some costume inspo for next year's Hyde St Party – a question posed by OUSA.
Pamela Taylor (aka Court of Saint Pamela)
Pamela Taylor’s digital footprint is wild. At the forum, her replies to questions attracted the biggest – and only – boos from the crowd, which already raised suspicions. Pamela wants to cut jobs, slash zero carbon plans, keep car parks (which she falsely claimed had declined by 4000 in the past few years), and not risk pissing off the United States by supporting Chlöe Swarbrick’s bill to sanction Israel for its war crimes. She reckons Dunedin (not Ōtepoti) should capitalise off all the gold sitting under the city, the most recent bid to boost the economy. In the last election cycle, her ideas for turning the city into a tourism destination read like a kid’s wishlist to Santa, complete with a Signal Hill gondola, luge, treetop flying foxes, jet boat rides, and an octopus racing slide. In 2022, a sponsored article in the ODT called her the “perfect candidate”, however a dive into her X account ‘Court of Saint Pamela’ reveals conspiratorial posts. An entertaining yet concerning read.
Jules Radich (Batman)
The incumbent mayor of Ōtepoti, Jules Radich, introduced himself to students by way of listing everything he’s done since taking office in 2022. He claimed to have delivered on plans for water, waste, and debt; preserved parking (debunking Pamela’s claims); and pressured the Government into delivering on the Dunedin Hospital build. What he didn’t mention was that no Councillors are backing his bid for re-election, including the two who were part of his ‘Team Dunedin’ ticket in the last election. Both are backing Sophie Barker instead, Radich’s former deputy before she resigned in 2023, citing “difficulties” working with the mayor. Councillor Steve Walker has also criticised Radich’s leadership, saying he’s not a “united leader”. A big focus for Radich in this election is the “demographic deficit” in the city of people aged 30-50, aiming to “retain the brains we train” (students); however the DCC’s 371-page 9-year plan under his leadership mentions the word “student” just three times. Oh, and apparently sea level rise isn’t a threat to Dunedin’s coastal environment as “the ocean is quite cold”.
Sophie Barker (Robin)
Sophie Barker used her position as the mother of a University student to her advantage when appealing to the youths. Dressed in her iconic bright pink blazer, her opening address stated her intention to better ties between ‘Town and Gown’ as students constitute 20% of the Dunedin population (her daughter being one of them). As mayor, she would address unhealthy flats, cost of living, provide job opportunities after graduation, push for tertiary precinct improvements, and host more events (that her daughter might enjoy). Other top priorities for Sophie are climate resilience, seeing the hospital built, better public transport, and sorting out the bickering of the council (using her experience as a mother). All in all, Sophie hopes not to finish third in the mayoral race this time ‘round. Oh, and did you know her daughter goes to Otago Uni?
Carmen Houlahan (Mayoral Robes, and Perhaps a Santa Hat)
Carmen’s campaign centres on collaboration and transparency. The experienced Councillor would like to see a better relationship with the University, and her ODT profile headlines ‘better ties with govt needed’ – but said central Government needs to “butt out” of local government in the following blurb. Her opening address included a fond mention of the student bars she used to frequent, the heart of student culture attracting young people to the city – identifying their closures as an issue she would address by reinvigorating the Tertiary Council Board. Carmen would also like to see more diverse voices around the table, saying, “That is democracy and I think that is a good thing [...] we don’t all agree around the table.” Bucking the trend of labelling landlords as “evil” when discussing student housing, Carmen said there was a need to build better relationships with property owners in order to address quality of flats. She’s had some hiccups in her time on Council; Sophie Barker laid a complaint against her in 2023 after Carmen sent 17 texts and called eight times, describing their contents as “upsetting” following a disagreement (Carmen later apologised). Overall, the Otago alumnus seems to be in the corner of student culture.
Lee Vandervis (Ambulance Driver because he “likes being busy”)
Lee Vandervis has garnered a reputation for representing the pissed off population of Dunedin’s boomers – earning him almost two decades as a Councillor. The talk of the town last election cycle was Lee’s epic and highly expensive battle over a $12 parking fine which ended in rejection at Aotearoa’s highest court, and which Stuff reported in 2022 cost the DCC $101,682.85 in total. At the forum last Tuesday, Lee upheld his reputation beautifully, complaining repeatedly about the Council despite himself being a very long-term Councillor. As mayor, he would ensure “no-nonsense” meeting behaviour. Priorities would include quitting unnecessary spending (planning to cancel the $100 million carbon zero and cycleways budget), getting rid of the Otago Regional Council, and stopping being “woke and boring” in order to engage young people in politics. He reckons MOU’s with Māori have resulted in the DCC being more “restricted” in terms of what they can do and disagrees that “drug addiction” among Dunedin’s homeless population is of relevance to Council. Check out Lee’s website (leevandervis.com) for an extensive blend of Lee’s Vandervision for Dunedin and personal life.
Marie Laufiso (Samoan War Goddess)
Elected in 2016 to the DCC, Marie was Aotearoa Greens’ first Pasifika elected member at both a local and central government level, and part of her work when re-elected in 2019 was supporting Cr Aaron Hawkins to become NZ’s first Greens mayor. Marie is standing under the ‘Building Kotahitaka’ (togetherness) ticket with Council candidates Cyndee Elder and Anna Knight. A first-time mayoral candidate, she got off to a rocky start last Monday by announcing that she’d forgotten about the event until just before (relatable to a student audience, probably) and would therefore be sticking to her cue cards. Her mantra is “welfare of all”, centering most of her answers to OUSA’s student-centric on how to better serve the community holistically, including students as a piece of the puzzle. “Dunedin must be a city where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” she said, pin-pointing tamariki and homeless whānau as top priorities. Asked about the DCC’s role in student flats, Marie referenced a recent case of a student who claimed the Tenancy Tribunal isn’t fit for purpose after winning a long and arduous case against a serial offender landlord. “Authorities like Councils have a role to play in ensuring they aren’t allowed to let out properties,” she said (finger clicks).
Andrew Simms
Car dealership company director Andrew impressed the crowd with pragmatic, original, and thought-through answers at the forum. He was bold in his assertion that he’d end homelessness as mayor, claiming his plan would be held as an “international example” of how this eternal political hot-potato could be solved (despite the eyerolls behind him). In answer to the question about a student bar, he said that his greater priority is an Otago Uni/tertiary community board, like the one he’s currently on in Mosgiel, that would provide a direct line to the Council, able to call the mayor up for a yarn about any and every issue. Andrew had perhaps the most original answer to the question of addressing poor student housing. As a commercial property owner himself, he explained that they are inspected every three months to ensure they’re up to standard. Arguing that we should “stop pretending that Dunedin student flats are anything more than commercial entities,” he saw no reason why they shouldn’t be included in this type of existing system. There was also a question about supporting Chlöe’s Israel sanctions bill, to which he shared that his eight-year-old son has a friend who’s lost 21 relatives in the conflict. “Deliberations shouldn’t have taken more than ten minutes,” he said.
Mandy Mayhem (A Giant Uterus)
With a name like Mandy Mayhem, it's no surprise that her slogan is “a Mayor with flair.” Growing up in Dunedin, Mandy has had many different career paths, as a celebrant, circus ringmaster, artist, and newspaper deliverer. The unofficial ‘Mayor of Waitati’ has engaged with many, many different aspects of the Ōtepoti community, which she says is her life’s purpose to serve. Formerly serving on the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board for six years, Mandy seems to have her fingers in all the community pies. Her big focuses are co-governance and Māori representation, promoting an inclusive city and advocating for a more holistic approach to Council priorities.
Benedict Ong (Banker)
As a former international investment banker, Benedict positions himself as a candidate who offers “bold economic leadership.” With goals like creating jobs, reducing Council spending, and strengthening our sustainable tourism sector, Benedict has made it clear that campaigning for mayor and Council is currently his sole professional undertaking, clearly having earned enough money as an international investment banker. Born in Dunedin but raised overseas, Benedict wants to make Dunedin a place students want to, and can afford to, stay living in after graduation. Benedict has been back in Dunedin for around 2 months and is keen to round out his already stacked resume (as a former international banker).
Mickey (Mouse) Treadwell
Before introducing himself, Mickey thanked Political Rep Jett Groshinski for his “principled stance on Palestine”. Running under the Green Party ticket, Mickey is a lifelong Dunedinite who’s been enthusiastically door-knocking Dunedin during his campaign, admitting to having his “excitement dampened” by the students who weren’t aware there’s an election happening. A wee LinkedIn stalk reveals that, professionally, Mickey is a Gameplay Programmer and part-time lecturer at the Polytech. His main focuses for this campaign cycle are housing the homeless, free public transport, coastal resilience for South Dunedin, and supporting community groups more.
Flynn (Nisvett) Nisbett
By far the youngest on the campaign circuit at age 18, Flynn is running under the label of the Silly Hat Party. Flynn's entire campaign is a bit that went too far – we’re talking carpet roads, heaters on street corners, and replacing cash with chocolate fish because “money is obviously the root of all evil” (cue cheers from the crowd). As (self-appointed) ‘king’ of the Silly Hat Party, Flynn plans to build a bridge from Stewart Island back to the South Island to “reconnect with our whānau down there.” Mint.
Zenith Rose-Wills (AKA Ruthven Allimrac)
As a self-proclaimed 200-year-old anti-fascist vampire, Ruthven worries that because we are “living under a government that seems to be sprinting towards the apocalypse,” a big opportunity for Ōtepoti is to show the rest of the motu what we can get done when we are united. Ruthven’s priorities are preventing climate change, lowering rent, and creating citizens' assemblies. Running under the banner of The Radical Action Faction (bars), Ruthven brings vampire citizenship to the forefront of people's minds. “I drink [blood] only with active and informed consent,” he told the ODT.
Four candidates were no-shows at the OUSA forum: Lync Aronson, David Milne, Doug Hall and Lianna MacFarlane. Critic Te Ārohi encourages readers to do your homework and check them out for yourself.