Prendergast may try for fourth term

MAARTEN HOLL - The Dominion Post

OPTIONS OPEN: Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast is considering standing for a fourth term.

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Kerry Prendergast is considering another crack at the Wellington mayoralty, after previously ruling out a fourth term.

But she could find herself in the race of her life against a candidate selected by Sir Robert Jones.

The millionaire Wellington businessman has confirmed he is rounding up a high-profile team to run for both the mayoralty and councillor positions at next year's election.

Ms Prendergast had definitely ruled out another term as mayor after promising her family she would step down from the busy role, which regularly sees her work 80 hours a week.

"But I have been under huge pressure from all sectors of the community to reconsider ... and I haven't ruled out running," she now says.

Already three candidates – green-leaning city councillors Ray Ahipene-Mercer and Bryan Pepperell, and local businessman Jack Yan – have entered the race.

Pressure for Ms Prendergast to stand followed concerns raised by her supporters over the lack of high-quality candidates to replace her, she said. "That is certainly the representation being made to me by other people [but] I don't want to comment on that."

She would make a final decision after Christmas.

Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce chief executive Charles Finny was not surprised Ms Prendergast was reconsidering her decision but said the organisation did not support individual candidates.

"But we would be very pleased if we had Kerry ... with business-friendly policies as one of the people in the mix."

Sir Robert expects to announce his election team in the new year, but his name will not be among the candidates. "I won't be running because I am too contentious."

His team would ban vehicles from the city's "Golden Mile" – Lambton Quay, Courtenay Place, Willis and Manners streets – to create a pedestrian mall complete with free trams and cycle lanes.

"The whole ambience of the place would just boom ... and the team, who are all name people, feel that Wellington has the potential to be magic."

There will be no election meetings from Sir Robert's team, who will instead bombard voters with mailouts during the election lead-up.

"Election meetings are a waste of time. A handful of nutters turn up and nobody else," Sir Robert said.

There is a history of Sir Robert backing Wellington mayoral candidates. In 1977 he supported transsexual performer Carmen, who came within a whisker of taking office.

After the Carmen campaign he went on to form the New Zealand Party, which split the National vote in 1984 and ended the Robert Muldoon-led government.