Green backlash: ‘Centrist’ Karl Tiefenbacher provisional winner of Wellington City Council byelection

It’s a Green backlash in Wellington this afternoon as locals have voted in self-described centrist Karl Tiefenbacher in the city council byelection - replacing former Green councillor Tamatha Paul.

Wellington was out of step with the National-led Government in last year’s general election when Paul and Julie Anne Genter turned two safe Labour electorates Green.

Paul previously won the Pukehīnau/ Lambton ward for a second term in 2022, with the highest majority of any Wellington City Councillor. She stepped down from her role as councillor last year after securing a seat in Parliament.

She had pulled off a historic victory for the Greens in Wellington Central in the general election by flipping a safe Labour seat even as much of the country turned blue.

Karl Tiefenbacher is the provisional winner of the seat in the Pukehīnau/Lambton General Ward. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Paul and Genter’s rise to power followed the election of Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, who was the former chief of staff for the Greens and endorsed by the party for the mayoralty.

But some locals voting in the byelection appear to have turned their backs on the Greens, with Tiefenbacher named the provisional winner over main opponent Geordie Rogers, a Green party candidate.

Progress results show Tiefenbacher ahead of Rogers by 621 votes.

A total of 7358 votes were cast by last evening and 797 ordinary voting papers were received before polls closed at midday today. Today’s votes along with about 650 issued special votes remain to be counted.

Turnout will be about 24 per cent of the 33,723 enrolled voters in the ward – which centres on central Wellington, Te Aro and surrounding inner suburbs.

A formal declaration of the final election result will be made by Wednesday next week.

The seat is one of three in the ward, with the other two held by ex-Green turned Independent Iona Pannett and Councillor Nicola Young.

Green party candidate Geordie Rogers looks to be coming in second for the seat.

Tiefenbacher and Rogers were considered to be the main contenders in the byelection, which cost ratepayers $120,000.

Other candidates standing in the byelection were Joan Shi, Zan Rai Gyaw, Peter Wakeman, Ellen Blake and Edward Griffiths.

Geordie Rogers was endorsed by many of his fellow left-leaning councillors. He ran on a platform of renter’s rights and affordable housing.

Rogers is the president of advocacy and lobby group Renters United.

He had vowed he was running “to help build a city where everyone has access to affordable and healthy homes, clean rivers, streams and oceans, and access to the best inner city nature reserves Aotearoa has to offer.”

Rogers claimed opponents running against him wanted to “scrap public transport, cycleways, and housing,” on social media.

Tamatha Paul stepped down from her role as councillor after winning a seat in Parliament. Photo / Georgina Campbell

Outgoining councillor and new Wellington Central MP Paul was vocally supportive of Rogers’ campaign.

Meanwhile, third-place candidate Ellen Blake ran on a platform of pedestrian advocacy.

Tiefenbacher, perhaps better known as the owner of popular gelato cafe Kaffee Eis, described himself in an earlier interview with the Herald as a centrist.

“I don’t think the council should be political in the slightest. I think every decision should be around what’s best for Wellingtonians,” he said at the time.

Asked whether he was trying to loosen the Greens’ grasp on Wellington, Tiefenbacher said he wasn’t focused on the left or right.

Karl Tiefenbacher is the owner of gelato cafe Kaffee Eis. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“I’m just focused on what’s best for Wellington, and unfortunately the policies coming out of the Green Party are not what’s best for Wellington.”

He disagreed with spending on the council’s cycleway programme, which he described as a “massive amount of funds” being diverted away from investment in core infrastructure like water pipes.

Tiefenbacher also wanted to stop the project to pedestrianise the Golden Mile and said the $7.4b Let’s Get Wellington Moving transport plan should have been canned at least five years earlier than it was.

Many Wellington businesses had signs up in their windows supporting Tiefenbacher in the lead-up to the byelection.

Councillor Rebecca Matthews said on social media she was with Rogers when the results were announced today.

“Really glad to be there with my friend @grogersxyz when the news came in. Really grateful to him for standing and for all his hard work. Really sad about the results,” she said.

She followed up the post with another, stating she might need to get “very, very drunk tonight”.

Councillor Ben McNulty also posted online, congratulating Tiefenbacher on the win and saying he was looking forward to working with him.

“Gutted for @grogersxyz who flew the progressive flag hard, hope to see you putting your hand up again in 2025,” he said.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.