Incumbent MP for Rongotai Paul Eagle with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Getty Images
Incumbent MP for Rongotai Paul Eagle with Labour leader Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Getty Images
Anyone who has flown into Wellington has probably ended up spending more time in the Rongotai electorate than they planned to - creeping inch by inch in a traffic snarl-up to get to the city.
Rongotai is the gateway from the airport and the eastern suburbs to the rest of the capital, making transport a high-profile issue in the electorate leading up to election 2020.
It's the home of the Julie Anne Genter secret letter tunnel saga.
Controversy erupted last year amid revelations the Associate Transport Minister and Green Party MP's support for the $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving project was conditional on mass rapid transit being prioritised before a second Mt Victoria tunnel.
But none of the key players involved in that debacle are actually contesting the seat, despite the fact Genter lives in the electorate and is instead running list-only for the Greens.
Rongotai is a Labour stronghold, having never been held by any other party.
It was won by Annette King in 1996 after it was created for the first MMP election and only changed hands when she decided to retire from politics.
Paul Eagle went on to win it for Labour in 2017, giving up his deputy mayoralty at Wellington City Council and triggering a by-election in his ward.
Listen to Newstalk ZB Wellington at 7.40am on weekdays leading up to the election to hear from candidates across the region's electorates and commentary on the biggest issues facing the capital.
King left big shoes to fill, but The Opportunities Party leader and Rongotai candidate Geoff Simmons doesn't think Eagle has got anywhere close.
Simmons wastes no time pointing out Eagle was ranked 34 on Labour's list going into the last election but has now slid down to 47 in 2020.
"You have to wonder if they [Labour] even want him, Simmons said.
"The people of Rongotai are used to having MPs that perform. Annette King held the seat for a long time.
"She had a very respectable career and I think people can see that Paul Eagle is not living up to those standards, so I think it is an open race."
The Opportunities Party leader and Rongotai candidate Geoff Simmons. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Last election, Simmons ran for Wellington Central, but is having a crack out east this time as he feels more at home there. He lives right on the border of the two electorates.
In the next 30 years, Wellington's population is forecast to grow by up to 80,000.
Simmons says the city has to be "fundamentally re-engineered" to support that growth, while simultaneously dealing with climate change.
His vision is for everyone in Rongotai to get where they need to go on public transport or bike within 15 minutes.
He wants peak travel time congestion charging for the city, more cycle lanes for bikes and micromobility, and dedicated bus lanes to the eastern suburbs.
He wants to see the detailed business case for the second Mt Victoria tunnel, due early next year, before making a firm stance either way on whether it's needed.
Wellington's Mt Victoria Tunnel. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Responding to comments made my Simmons, Eagle says: "I think he's got a lot more to worry about as a party than being worried about my place on the list.
"I wasn't too sure whether Top was even functioning as a party."
Eagle points out he secured a 10,900-strong majority in the last election, although he doesn't take that for granted.
He says he's "really happy" with his list placing.
"It makes me work hard and it makes me ensure that if I'm in Parliament, it comes with the backing of the people of Rongotai."
One thing the pair do have in common is an interest in getting bus rapid transit up and running on a dedicated transport spine through the city, before thinking about anything like light rail.
The Island Bay cycleway debacle has left a bad taste in Eagle's mouth and some have accused him of being anti-cycling, but he insists that's not the case and is instead advocating for a multi-modal approach to transport.
Eagle also wants to free up land like the old bus barn and Kilbirnie fire station for social and affordable housing.
This is something he expects to see traction on if re-elected, following some initial conversations this term.
Rongotai is the gateway from the airport and the eastern suburbs to the rest of the capital. Photo / Mark Mitchell
On the second Mt Victoria tunnel, Eagle sounds more like a National Party candidate.
National's candidate for Rongotai David Patterson. Photo / Supplied
He says building the second tunnel sooner rather than later is a "no brainer".
"This is quite a major bottleneck that is incredibly frustrating for the residents out there and you don't need to talk too long to them to realise they're pretty passionate about it."
He's not opposed to cycleways, but is calling for balance considering what the statistics say about transport use in the electorate.
Only 6.1 per cent of people in Rongotai cycle to work, 23 per cent catch the bus, and 39 per cent drive a private vehicle, according to 2018 Census data.
Asked whether the dwindling number of cyclists was because of poor infrastructure, Patterson says: "You just need to think about the weather to come up with a pretty compelling answer.
"Sure, we've got a few nutters that might decide come whatever the weather and that's great, but I don't think we should be building a system that relies on everyone having to do that."
Patterson is also aware of the immense pressure on rentals and the need to unlock available land and kick-start development.
Census data shows a quarter of Rongotai's homes are either always or sometimes damp.
Green Party candidate Teall Crossen agrees there's not enough warm affordable housing in Wellington and more community and public housing needs to be built.
She says the party's Poverty Action Plan, otherwise known as a proposed wealth tax, will address inequalities.
The plan ensures a payment of at least $325 a week for anyone not in fulltime work by taxing those with a net wealth of more than $1 million or $2m at 1 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively, on money that was over and above that amount.
Mass rapid transit is promised for the city through the $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving Project. Image / Supplied
But Crossen says she's happy to leave the second tunnel exactly where it is in the Let's Get Wellington Moving plan.
"We need to get mass rapid transport and then look at whether we actually need the tunnel because there's no evidence that we do.
"That's what we really need as a way for people to get around the city quickly, cleanly, and cheaply."
Crossen stands by the opinions and statements Genter has made on the issue of the tunnel.
Act candidate Nicole McKee has lived in Hataitai for 20 years and is no stranger to sitting in traffic.
She's worried about the pressure more housing will put on infrastructure, but also acknowledges there are not enough roofs to put over people's heads.
Act wants to repeal the Resource Management Act and replace it with an Urban Development Act, as well as allowing councils to issue targeted rates to pay for infrastructure for new housing developments.
Its candidate Troy Mihaka, who's a conservation volunteer, arts manager and LGBTQ+ advocate, claims the city is being held to ransom by two millionaires.
Bruce Welsh, who is standing for the New Conservatives, wants to bring issues back to the community.
