Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
This story has been correct to reflect Alex Baker is a former Chartered Accountant.
Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau says she's "glad" to see another mayoral candidate in the race, saying many in the community have been disappointed by some of Andrew Little's public comments.
"We have a new progressive mayoral candidate in the race," Whanau posted on social media on Monday morning.
"I'm glad to see more people putting themselves forward - it's healthy for democracy and shows that people care about the future of our city."
That progressive candidate is former director of sustainability at Kāinga Ora and former Chartered Accountant from KPMG Alex Baker.
He said what had driven him to join the race was that he didn't feel like his values were represented by the other candidates.
Green-backed Whanau had announced she was no longer seeking re-election after Labour-backed Little entered the race, saying she did not want a Green vs Labour battle.
"While I cleared the way for Andrew Little, I've been hearing from many in the community who are disappointed by some of his public comments, particularly regarding the Golden Mile. I believe that may be why we've now seen a progressive candidate enter the race," she said in Monday's post.
Mayoral candidate Alex Baker. Photo: Supplied
Andrew Little said he supported the Golden Mile in principle.
"Where I differ is that before pressing go I would want to be confident the businesses in our CBD can survive the disruption and I'd want to run the ruler over the contracts to limit the risk of cost blowouts and delays," he said.
"The council needs to rebuild trust. That means doing a better job of listening to the communities affected by decisions and keeping a firmer grip on the costs of major projects so we don't see any more blowouts like the Town Hall," he said.
In the post Whanau also said it was also notable that only men had put their names forward for the role so far.
"I've spoken openly about how the role has become increasingly untenable, and I know many women have been discouraged by what they've seen me experience firsthand."
Others vying for mayor include Former Labour MP Andrew Little, current city councillor Ray Chung along with Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Rob Goulden and Graham Bloxham.
Nominations are open until 1 August.
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