Tamatha’s evolving story

There are some interesting discrepancies in the evolving story of how City Councillor Tamatha Paul replaced James Shaw as the candidate for Wellington Central.

On the 2nd of February Tamatha said:

Shaw’s approach was entirely unexpected, said Paul. 

So in February the story was James Shaw approached Tamatha to stand, and that this was totally unexpected.

In an RNZ story she said:

Paul said Shaw rang her while she was in Bunnings, and his nomination was completely unexpected.

So Shaw phoned her while she was at Bunnings.

On the 3rd of February, it is explicit:

Paul, 25, said Shaw asked her to consider standing.

So here again she says it was Shaw who asked her to stand.

But fast forward to 30 July, and here is what she told Salient:

Tamatha: Yea I was at Bunnings, …

And then my phone started blowing up, and everyone was telling me that Grant Robertson has resigned, and I was like, what does that have to do with me, like ok, cool, alright, sweet, ok. And then Thomas Nash who is a regional councillor was just blow – he rung me he’s like ‘I think that you should do this’ …

And then Chloe was ringing me like ‘just do it bro, just do it’ like she’s being saying that for the last 5 years like ‘come on, join us’ and I’ve always been like ‘Nah, I’m good, serving my community.’ Um but yea, just everyone was blowing my phone up and then I just thought look I’m not gonna um, I was like ‘what does James think?’, and they’re like, ‘well we don’t know, cause we can’t find him,’ cause he was like out on a trek in like the South Island somewhere.

So quite a different story here. A Green Regional Councillor was the one who phoned her at Bunnings and Chloe Swarbrick phoned her also urging her to stand, and all this before anyone had talked to James Shaw who was out trekking.

And then we get more details on Facebook on 31 July:

Tamatha: So, what brought me here. Well, I was standing in bunnings as you do, probably trying to fix something on behalf of my landlord. And then my phone started blowing up and it was none other than Mr Thomas Nash. And he told me that Grant Robertson, Our MP for 15 years was standing down. And I was like ‘ok, ok cool’. And then I got a phone call from none other than MP for Auckland Central, Chloe Swarbrick. And she was like ‘Tam’ join me.  …

So I had 2 whole days to make my mind up. I needed to get out of the house and go have a breather, so I went to Te Rā o te Raukura in the Hutt with Te Rehia. And who should show up? Mr Thomas Nash with his son strapped to his belly. And he was following me around the whole time. And I was just trying to have a breather. And conveniently, James Shaw was somewhere in the wilderness, uncontactable. And I thought it’s just not meant to be. But miraculously, with the power of 5G, James text me and he said ‘I’ll back you, but only if you’re 100% all in.’

So it is quite clear that there was no call from James Shaw asking her to run. What actually happened is Chloe urged her to run, and then James Shaw was approached and agreed to back her.

Pretty amazing to have a Green Party MP urging someone to run for the seat their co-leader had stood in, without even talking to the co-leader first.

Another interesting aspect to Tamatha’s changing story is I had no idea how high rents are in Aro Valley. In an interview with Salient, Tamatha said:

Tamatha: So I have to say, my, the biggest thing that I want to be judged on as, in my first term as MP is how many houses I can get built. And I, and I want more public housing and affordable housing because I think that if you look at the city and what is holding us back its the lack of affordable housing and good quality housing. You know, you look at the cost-of-living crisis, for me, most of my, most of my money that is coming in every week is going on my rent and that seems to be the universal experience we’re all paying exorbitant amounts on rent, that’s where all of our money is going but we’re paying to live in shitholes. You know we are living in the darkest, dingiest, mouldiest flats. 

Later (17:35)

Host: Can you tell us a little bit about your housing situation, so like what’s your setup?

Tamatha: Yea so, I live in Aro Valley, and I’ve lived there for four years now. But obviously I’ve just been flatting flat, never owned a house, probably won’t for a very long time. Um so, I live with four people, four flatmates, and my dog, and um.

So Tamatha said that most of her income goes in rent, despite living with four flatmates. Let’s look at this.

Her salary as a committee chair is $123,265. Her tax would be 31,597 giving her net income of around $92,000. At least half of that going on rent would be $46,000 or $885 a week. With four flatmates, then their rent would be $4,400 a week if they share equally.

Trade Me has the highest rent for a house in Aro Valley as $1,100 a week.

So who thinks it is credible that Tamatha is personally spending $885 or more a week on a “shithole” in Aro Valley that she shares with five others?