Tamatha Paul

Tamatha-Kaye Erin Paul (born 1997) is a New Zealand activist and politician who currently serves in the Wellington City Council for the Pukehīnau Lambton Ward. In 2018 she was the first Māori woman to be elected President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Running as an independent Paul was elected to the city council in 2019. She joined the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ahead of the 2022 elections.

Tamatha Paul
Wellington City Councillor for Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward
Assumed office
2019
Serving with Iona Pannett and Nicola Young
Preceded byBrian Dawson
President of Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association
In office
2019–2020
Preceded byMarlon Drake
Succeeded byGeo Robrigado
Personal details
Born
Tamatha-Kaye Erin Paul

1997 (age 25–26)
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyIndependent (2019–2022)
Green (2022–present)
Alma materVictoria (BA)
Massey (MRP)

Early life and education

Paul was born in South Auckland in 1997 and lived in Christchurch until moving at age eight with her family to the agricultural town of Tokoroa.[1] She is of Māori and European descent, with her father of Waikato Tainui and Ngāti Awa origin, while her mother is of English, Scottish and Spanish genealogy. Paul attended school in Tokoroa and achieved dux of Tokoroa High School in 2015. At age 12, Paul was diagnosed as the youngest person in the Waikato region with the autoimmune disease lupus.[2]

Paul received a $30,000 ‘First in Family’ scholarship from Victoria University of Wellington, and in 2018, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science.[3] Paul also received the Andrea Brander Accommodation Scholarship, the James MacIntosh Scholarship for achievement, and was on the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence.[4] Paul graduated with a Master of Resource and Environmental Planning from Massey University in 2022.[1][5] She lives in Aro Valley, Wellington.[6]

Political career

Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association

In 2016, Paul was elected as Equity Officer of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA),[7] and in 2017, she was elected Engagement Vice-President.[8] In 2018, Paul was elected to the position of President of VUWSA.[9] Paul was the second Māori[10] and first female Māori to be elected to the role.[11] During her time as president, Paul worked on the issues of climate change, sexual violence and mental health, and achieved extra mental health and counselling services for students at Victoria University of Wellington.[1]

Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council candidates for the Lambton Ward at the 2019 Aro Valley candidates meeting

In the 2019 Wellington local elections, Paul was elected to the Wellington City Council in the Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward.[12] Paul campaigned on issues such as environmental policy, representation for minority and youth communities, and an aspiration for a living wage policy. Paul says she was inspired by Chlöe Swarbrick and her Auckland mayoral campaign in 2016.[10]

Paul was considered part of a 'youthquake', a movement of young people in New Zealand running for local government, in 2019.[13][14][15] This included six Wellingtonians under 25 running campaigns for local councils. Swarbrick expressed support for these campaigns.[16]

In 2020, Paul told Stuff that a run for the mayoralty was “definitely something that I’m thinking about”. Though she said she had been frustrated during the past year at realising the lack of power the council had to make significant changes, so was unsure if a run for mayor would make any difference. “It frustrates me how little resource and decision-making power we have to deliver for Wellingtonians in areas like climate change, housing and transport ... There are more ambitious and aspirational things I wanted to be able to do on the council.”[17] She ultimately declined to run for the 2022 mayoral election.[18]

In April 2022, ahead of the 2022 Wellington local elections, incumbent Green councillor Iona Pannett was not reselected for the party's candidacy for the Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward election.[19] In May, Paul announced that she had joined the Green Party and was seeking selection as the party's candidate for the ward,[20] which she received in June.[21] Paul was re-elected as city councillor for Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward in 2022.[22]

Parliamentary campaign

In 2023, Paul announced she was seeking party selection for the parliamentary electorate of Wellington Central after both incumbent MP Grant Robertson and Green co-leader and previous party candidate James Shaw announced they would not run for the electorate in 2023.[23]

Political positions

Paul cites activist Tame Iti and activist and musician Tigilau Ness as childhood inspirations, and Pania Newton as a contemporary influence.[1]

Housing

Paul supports housing density and making housing available to all.[24][25] She opposed the proposed protections of neighbourhood character in the 2021 Wellington spatial plan debate.[26] In November 2020, Paul caused some degree of controversy due to a reply to a video response by a group of Mount Victoria residents regarding the Wellington City Council's draft spatial plan.[27]

Environmental issues

Paul supports greater public investment in sustainable transport and renewable energy.[28] She opposes the proposed runway extension at Wellington Airport.[29]

Royal gun salute and Waitangi Day

In February 2021, Paul opposed the timing of a 21-gun salute in honour of the Queen of New Zealand, Elizabeth II, due to it taking place on the same day as Waitangi Day.[30]

See also

References
  1. George, Damian (1 May 2021). "City councillor Tamatha Paul ruffling feathers as bold moves cause controversy". Stuff. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  2. Ferguson, Frances (3 February 2016). "Lupus has nothing on academic role model". Waikato Times. Stuff. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  3. "Roll of Graduates". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  4. "A sense of belonging". Victoria University of Wellington. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  5. "Massey University graduates database". Massey University. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. "Councillor Tamatha Paul". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. "VUWSA Election Results 2016". Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022.
  8. "2017 VUWSA Election Results". Salient. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "VUWSA Declaration of Election Result" (PDF). 6 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "Wellington council candidate ready to start a 'youthquake' in capital". The New Zealand Herald. 14 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. "Meet Tamatha Paul, Victoria University's first wahine student president". Newshub. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. "Wellington City Council 2019 Triennial Elections" (PDF). Wellington City Council. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  13. ""Youthquake" strikes local body elections". Radio New Zealand. 14 October 2019.
  14. "Playing Favourites with Tamatha Paul". Radio New Zealand. 6 June 2020.
  15. Graham-McLay, Charlotte (17 October 2019). "'Youthquake': The young New Zealanders voted into office – in between McDonald's shifts". The Guardian.
  16. "Echoing Chlöe Swarbrick, a 'youthquake' rumbles through Wellington's political scene". 7 June 2019.
  17. "First-term councillor Tamatha Paul considering run for Wellington mayoralty". Stuff. 1 September 2020.
  18. Campbell, Georgina (19 November 2021). "Wellington City Council: Who's running again and who's not?". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  19. "Wellington city councillor Iona Pannett dropped from Green ticket". Radio New Zealand. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  20. Campbell, Georgina (19 May 2022). "Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul seeking Green Party selection". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  21. Wong, Justin (11 June 2022). "Greens select Tamatha Paul as candidate for Wellington City Council". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  22. "Progress report for 2022 elections – Wellington City".
  23. Manhire, Toby (2 February 2023). "James Shaw exits Wellington Central race, backs Tamatha Paul as Green candidate". The Spinoff. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  24. Te Ora, Ethan; Te, Mandy (26 June 2021). "'Bold', 'visionary', 'historic': What does an ambitious spatial plan mean for Wellington's future?". Stuff. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  25. Te, Mandy (10 September 2020). "Wellington could become 'city no one wants to live in', councillor says, as housing debate divides". Stuff. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  26. Campbell, Georgina (24 June 2021). "Wellington housing plan signed off after heated debate". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  27. "City councillor removes tweet calling public submitters 'absolute knobs'". Stuff. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  28. Cardwell, Hamish (10 August 2021). "Time for government to take climate change seriously - Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  29. Gourley, Erin (19 May 2022). "Wellington councillor Tamatha Paul seeks Green nomination after colleague dumped". The Dominion Post. Stuff. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  30. "Defence Force under fire over planned 21-gun salute to honour the Queen on Waitangi Day". Stuff. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
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