Outgoing Labour MP announces council bid

Outgoing Labour MP Greg O’Connor has confirmed he will run for the empty seat on Wellington City Council, following the death of councillor Tony Randle.

Speaking exclusively to the Herald at Zampelles Cafe at O’Connor’s local Johnsonville mall today, he said he made up his mind after being persuaded by people “from across the political spectrum”.

“My cousin from the South Island who’s an MP [Damien O’Connor], said to me when I was discussing it with him, he said ‘you love that God forsaken effing city, you should stand’, and it was a good comment because it’s dead right.”

“The costs of living here are blowing out,” he said, saying he would campaign on growing the city’s population again by making Wellington an attractive city to live and do business in.

He said Wellington needs a champion, “you’ve got a Prime Minister who seems to be every time he opens his mouth, it’s to rubbish Wellington ... the Mayor of Auckland, every time he talks about Wellington, he spits it out like it’s the depths of hell.”

The 68-year-old said he will run for the Northern ward as an independent candidate for the December 11 byelection, rather than on a Labour Party ticket.

“I’ve always been my own man,” he said.

The former Police Association boss entered Parliament in 2017 and most recently serviced as Assistant Speaker.

He delivered his valedictory speech earlier this month completely in rhyme, touching on his ministerial ambitions which were scuppered after getting in trouble with Dame Jacinda Ardern, where he received a stern phone call from the then-Prime Minister while ordering a curry.

O’Connor’s treasured Ōhāriu electorate has been abolished in boundary changes, and he lost a bid to run in the new Wellington North seat against colleague Ayesha Verrall.

He initially said he wanted to return to Parliament on the party’s list and for a moment eyed the speaker’s chair, but after his name was absent from the list announced in June, leader Chirs Hipkins said O’Connor decided not to put himself forward.

But whose decision that really was is unclear; O’Connor would not comment on rumours he was not offered a list spot by the party.

“That’s between myself and the Labour Party, and it will remain that way too.”

His official line is that after discussions it was decided it would be “mutually advantageous that at that stage that I seek my fortune elsewhere.”

“I’ve got a good relationship with Labour, I’m certainly not going to go out of my way to be negative towards anybody because there’s just no point.”

Despite it all, he said he is leaving without anger and with no regrets, “through life you just roll with the punches, don’t fight fate,” he said.

Asked what local government issues he is interested in tackling if elected to council, O’Connor said amalgamation is top of mind, and something he strongly supports.

“I‘m a great believer in a super city,” he said, “we’ve got to do it, I’ve seen what’s happened in Auckland, Christchurch is basically a unitary authority, they’ve got the economies of scale, and that’s the sort of economies of scale that can make Wellington more affordable.”

He said he would be interested in sitting around the table of an amalgamated Wellington council, but ruled out a run as mayor of a potential super city, “perhaps if you’d asked me 10 years ago or 15 years ago,” he said.

While speaking to the Herald over a filter coffee, the chat is punctuated by locals stopping to say hi to the recognisable O’Connor.

A table of two women sat nearby interrupt to say that they are “disgusted” they will no longer be represented by him as their local MP.

“We’re not at all impressed at all” they say of the boundary changes.

He shares the news with them: “all is being revealed as we speak, this young man’s a reporter, and I’m just telling him I’m going to stand for the Northern ward.”

“You’d be a good councillor” one woman said, suggesting a street in the area be named after O’Connor in his honour.

Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.