Joel MacManus

Windbag: The clown car of candidates vying to be Wellington’s next mayor Twelve candidates – including at least one actual clown – have put up their hands for the worst job in local politics.

Twelve candidates – including at least one actual clown – have put up their hands for the worst job in local politics.

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-...

It's set so far back from the street that it's easy to pass it by

A block-by-block review of Cuba Street Join us for a walk down Wellington’s most colourful street.

A block-by-block review of Cuba Street

thespinoff.co.nz/partner/29-0...

Very low base. And Wellington had the steepest drop in consents in the market downturn, so possibly just a slight correction.

Wellington is the only metro region in New Zealand that is consenting more new houses now than it was this time last year.

Echo Chamber: These people are just speaking for the sake of it Wednesday’s question time was a perfect reminder of why people hate politicians.

Wednesday’s question time was a perfect reminder of why people hate politicians.

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-...

Wow. The Taxpayers' Union is jumping on the land value rates train.

Windbag: The government’s misleading case for rates caps Pretending colourful toilets are to blame for council rates rises is like saying millennials can't afford a house because of avocado toast.

Blaming colourful toilets for council rates rises is like saying millennials can’t afford a house because of avocado toast.

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-...

I've changed my mind, this election is going to be awesome.

Even that song refers to it as a cliche, so it's much older than that

There isn't.

I share your perspective

Too much effort

Diane Calvert is better than Ray Chung and I'm fine with saying that again. Good night everyone.

Yeah? Because you made a completely baseless and unfair accusation. I'm happy for people to argue about whether Diane Calvert is a good candidate. You took it too far.

So now you're accusing me of transphobia? And I'm the one operating in bad faith?

Settle down

Yes. She's a conservative and her goal was to disrupt Whanau's agenda. And she did it to some degree of success because she is a competent politician.

I'm not saying you should vote for her. Or that she is the best candidate. Reading comprehension is important.

I'm not sure that's fair. Better Wellington commissioned those Curia pills specifically to try and clear the field on the right and send the signal that Chung was the leading contender. Based on that polling it would have been a waste of time and money for Diane to run.

People are allowed to be right wing. We don't have to agree with them, but it's at least worth acknowledging degrees of competence.

Say what you will about Diane Calvert, but she is a MUCH better candidate and councillor than Ray Chung.

She's a skilled political operator. Many people on this site might not like her politics. But she's at least competent, intelligent and capable of engaging with issues in detail.

Another one bites the dust. Andrea Compton was by far the most talented Independent Together candidate. This is a tough loss for team Chung.

I was just sitting at the back of a pub writing down what I saw

How a Ray Chung campaign event descended into chaos Chung and other ‘Independent Together’ candidates held a campaign town hall on Tuesday night. It quickly descended into a scene of yelling, finger-pointing and accusations of assault.

With videos from @joelmacmanus.bsky.social 🙏🏻

www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

One car and one e-scooter is the best transport combo I've experienced

yes

it's fun!

Chaos on Courtenay: Inside Ray Chung’s unruly, incomprehensible campaign rally The controversial mayoral candidate’s rally devolved into a mess of yelling, finger-pointing, and claims of assault.

Controversial Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung's rally devolved into a mess of yelling, finger-pointing and claims of assault.

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/16-...