An assessment such as this is usually hotly disputed.
People look to pick apart the biases on show and, of course, they have their own views about who should rate highly and who should not.
What criteria have been used?
Mainly, the grades, out of 10, are an instinctive judgement about effectiveness. Five is basically a neutral score.
I’ve taken into account impact, experience and conduct.
More scrutiny is on the mayor, given the position of leadership.
Brent Weatherall 5
He was elected on the back of retailer misgivings about the George St redevelopment and opposition to the Aaron Hawkins mayoralty. He was also on the Team Dunedin election ticket led by Jules Radich, who won the 2022 mayoralty contest convincingly, and Brent Weatherall was one member who did not jump ship. Overall, he was reticent as a first-term councillor learning the ropes. He sometimes looks likely to say something strident or offer a phrase or two that could upset the left. Cr Weatherall does have a knack for producing sound bites conveying a couple of quick thoughts. The brevity of his speeches tends to make them more effective and a series of other councillors could learn from this. One key moment of the term was the council deciding to keep Aurora Energy — Cr Weatherall seconded this resolution and voted for it "under sufferance". Should he be re-elected, he appears poised to be more vocal.
Sophie Barker 7
A councillor who does her homework, Sophie Barker has a head for detail. She asks searching questions and has pushed for councillors to receive better information to assist their oversight of the organisation. She has been as determined as anybody to keep the chief executive accountable. Cr Barker was appointed deputy mayor, but resigned from the role within a year, citing difficulties working with the mayor. She had laid a complaint against Mr Radich over a disastrous radio interview in which he breached council confidentiality. Cr Barker continued to chair the strategy, planning and engagement committee. She is an advocate for built heritage, tourism, wildlife and a "liveable" city. She appears vulnerable to criticism and her pursuit of detail gets a bit much. She is also insistent work is properly aligned with strategy. Cr Barker’s voting on the zero-carbon issue — a yes in the end to higher investment — perhaps highlights the difficult balancing act between environmental and financial sustainability. She is contesting the mayoralty and looks a strong chance.
Steve Walker 6
Speaks well, if a bit often. An unfailing advocate for cycleways, Steve Walker frames his agenda as progressive and forward-looking. His candidacy was endorsed by the Labour Party in 2022 and again this year. The mayor seemed to give him less room to be influential, but he sought to be impactful anyway. Well read and diligent. His messaging is clear and, from time to time, provocative — such as when he suggested complicity if people turned their gazes from the horrors in Gaza. Cr Walker appeared to allow bitterness to get the better of him when he labelled Mr Radich a "buffoon" this year. This gave critics the perfect opportunity to call out his conduct. He takes some decision-making by his colleagues as almost a personal affront, such as when increased funding for place-based groups was frozen. His questions are usually well thought out and he is a keen contributor to the contest of ideas. If he uses the opening line "I’ll be brief", some suspense is created, because will he be?
Jules Radich 4
The mayor bumbled and fumbled his way through much of the term. The job unavoidably comes with criticism and Jules Radich mostly sought to grin and bear it. After winning the mayoralty comfortably, he had a couple of early knocks and seemed to lose his sense of identity. Mr Radich was accommodating of various views around the council table, but his chairmanship skills were questionable. Overly dependent on the chief executive. He was tasked with leading the council’s campaign to ensure Dunedin gets the hospital it needs, rather than some inadequate version, and it can be argued he succeeded in helping to secure a good result. However, his advocacy was patchy. His recent claim — "when the integrity of our new hospital was threatened, I didn’t hesitate to push back" — is contradicted by his own earlier commentary. Historical revisionism is again apparent in his references to a "driveable" George St; this outcome was never really under threat and Mr Radich can hardly take credit for how the finished product turned out. He argues the council’s focus shifted to essential infrastructure under his watch. Certainly, he can claim credit for pending drainage work in South Dunedin, having pushed for immediate action, instead of just going along with a long-term programme. Mr Radich’s worst chapter was breaching the council’s code of conduct by minimising an incident of racism from a community board chairman. The mayor, through his ill-advised radio interview, breached confidentiality and was found to have brought the council into disrepute. He was an effective councillor in his previous term and then struggled to step up to the mayoralty, but seemed to find his stride quite late this term. Mr Radich is standing for re-election and, if he misses out on the mayoralty, he hopes to still be at the table as a councillor.
Andrew Whiley 6
He stood for election on Mr Radich’s Team Dunedin ticket and it appeared he could be a helpful lieutenant. It turned out the new mayor and the veteran councillor were not on the same page. By the end of the term, Andrew Whiley had stated plainly he believed Cr Barker was the best choice for mayor from the 2025 election, and likely beyond. Cr Whiley was chairman of the economic development committee. A champion for infrastructure investment. He picked up on an issue a few others had either missed or were unwilling to face — frustration in the city’s business sector about the council’s Enterprise Dunedin unit. A review Cr Whiley sought ended up identifying lack of clarity about the unit’s purpose and direction, and consultants recommended it be stripped out of council operations and set up as a company at arm’s length. Cr Whiley was less successful in persuading people international visitors should pay entry fees for the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum. Relies on stock phrases in his speeches: "When I look at . . . I struggle with . . . the key aspect being . . . on that basis." If he is on the losing side of a debate, he moves on.
Mandy Mayhem 4.5
More sensible than her name implies. The first-term councillor has been a reliable advocate for Dunedin being an accessible, inclusive city. Mandy Mayhem brings energy to proceedings, but it is not yet clear this is channelled effectively. Her contribution can appear lightweight. However, she dared to call out chief executive Sandy Graham’s conduct as unacceptable when the executive had labelled councillors "f........". Courage was called for in that moment and it was not shown by others.
Jim O’Malley 5.5
Knowledgeable and a strong personality. If Dunedin residents end up with water bills that are not outrageous in the years ahead — compared with charges elsewhere in New Zealand — they may owe a debt of gratitude to Jim O’Malley’s foresight. That is because the council got on to necessary infrastructure spending earlier than others, he might point out. Cr O’Malley is influential around the table, but he has been out of sorts this year. He has, for example, been opinionated at the wrong times. His crankiness could have been a pointer it was time to call it a day, but he has put himself forward for re-election and the matter will be left in the hands of voters. Ego can be an issue. Any question that starts with "am I correct in saying" is inevitably followed by the conclusion that he was correct. The canning of the planned Albany St cycleway ought to provide salutary lessons for him. Cr O’Malley sat back and watched as his colleagues voted 7-7 and then the mayor used his casting vote to send the project back to the drawing board. Cr O’Malley was essentially unable to participate in the decision, because of views he had expressed earlier. He has been impactful at other times, such as coming up with a last-minute solution for getting extra zero-carbon work into the council’s 2025-34 long-term plan. Cr O’Malley chaired the infrastructure services committee. He, alongside Cr Barker, was a complainant in the mayor’s code of conduct matter. He resigned as the council’s hearings committee chairman this year, firing a broadside at the chief executive as he departed.
Bill Acklin 5
The mayor’s chief defender. Bill Acklin led the argument at the council for more events funding. A no-nonsense operator. Offers frank comments now and then, such as to put one or two councillors in their places. He had a problem with the council deciding it could use debt to fund a particular type of grant. Helpful to have around if you need a hospital campaign song.
Lee Vandervis 5.5
He has forged a reputation over the years as a nemesis of mayors. The dynamic was a bit different this term, because he was not necessarily sharply at odds with Mr Radich. Lee Vandervis remained a firebrand on the right, though, while Mr Radich turned out to be a centrist mayor. Cr Vandervis picked up the responsibility of chairing the finance and council-controlled organisations committee, having been passed over for senior posts by previous mayors. He was insistent about the need for council companies to return dividends. He was again a consistent critic of cycleways, the council’s appetite for debt and what he viewed as unnecessary spending. Cr Vandervis continued his tradition of being on the losing end of 14-1 votes. Some observers would view this as evidence of grandstanding. He was found to have breached the code of conduct relating to comments about Māori, but the council basically bungled the decision-making process. Cr Vandervis apologised, but rejected accusations of racism. Still an effective speaker, even if colleagues endeavour not to be swayed by his arguments.
Marie Laufiso 5.5
Complaining about the conduct of Cr Vandervis was a key moment for her this term. Marie Laufiso is reliably grateful for the graciousness of mana whenua. A critic of colonisation. She resigned from the Green Party over the Darleen Tana saga. Cr Laufiso is mindful of marginalised communities. She brought focus to the standard of housing occupied by students and what appeared to be inadequate enforcement of legislation.
Cherry Lucas 7.5
A first-term councillor who ascended to the deputy mayoralty, Cherry Lucas has handled her responsibilities capably. She brought focus on to the finances and teamed up with Cr Barker to push for transparency and accountability. Cr Lucas has had the odd misstep and a few councillors are wary of her tendency to "nickel and dime". She was behind the move to bring in paid parking on Sundays in the central city, which is unlikely to enhance her popularity. Competent in governance and respected by colleagues. She is not into showboating.
David Benson-Pope 6
Resolute, David Benson-Pope is the sort of man you need in your corner if you’re fighting to have a fit-for-purpose hospital in your city. He maintained a clear sense of what was acceptable and what would not be, keeping the council’s campaign on track. He did not see eye to eye with the mayor and the upshot was his experience was not called upon for a meaningful post beyond being a councillor. He occupied himself with activities such as praising the George St redevelopment, asking about wayfinding signage for motorists and expressing concern about the government’s direction in areas such as resource management and planning. Cr Benson-Pope has had two long stints as a councillor — adding up to eight terms and a partial term. He is not seeking re-election.
Carmen Houlahan 4
Not shy about asking questions or expressing a view. How useful this turns out to be is often mixed. Passionate, Carmen Houlahan will almost certainly convey feeling. It is sometimes not clear that even she knows how her sentence might end, or what phrase she might regard as necessary to supplement her previous thought. The council’s decision-making about theatre space was a win. She remains instinctively populist, attuned to the interests of motorists and property investors and the concerns of everyday people. Cr Houlahan’s grade is unavoidably affected by her breaching the code of conduct by pestering Cr Barker with a series of text messages the latter described as aggressive. Having to go through the complaints process would have been uncomfortable and chastening for Cr Houlahan, and surely helpful. She still has the odd gaffe, but has demonstrated some improvement overall on her first term.
Christine Garey 6
The fact completion of the Peninsula Connection appears in the council’s 2025-34 long-term plan no doubt ranks as her term highlight. Christine Garey will want to see it through, making sure the remaining required work on improving the coastal route really does happen. Getting the council to take a stand against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was another notable moment. Cr Garey has generally maintained a clear sense of purpose, arguing for such things as climate resilience. She is a super-fan of staff, frequently issuing praise in their direction.
Kevin Gilbert 5.5
He came into the council on Mr Radich’s Team Dunedin ticket and, like Cr Whiley, switched his allegiance to Cr Barker for this election. Kevin Gilbert is among the councillors more likely to produce a witty phrase. "Whoopee — we’re ahead of disastrous" was one sardonic reflection from him when a residents’ survey showed lukewarm satisfaction about the performance of the mayor and councillors. Cr Gilbert has received some praise on the campaign trail as a calm operator, but he also appears to be driven by a level of dissatisfaction himself about council operations. He wants to see headway in at least looking at a potentially better structure of local government in the area, such as a unitary authority.
