Vision WLG is finishing next week, right?

A wake-up call for Wellington is long overdue.

Louise Tong—a wealthy, elite businesswoman—shared a stage with outgoing Wellington councillor Tim Brown, who failed in his efforts to sell Wellington Airport. Tong spoke at the “non-political” Vision Wellington event, surrounded by many of Wellington’s wealthy elite.

Vision WLG is backed by embattled media figure Sinead Boucher, owner of Stuff and The Post.

Attendees at last week’s Vision WLG event included Ray Chung (his first appearance), Rob Goulden, Karl Tiefenbacher, and new Green mayoral candidate Alex Baker. Their presence suggests an attempt at a “bipartisan” front—but the entire production still reeks of a closet political engine.

Among many other fantasy proposals, Tong wants to sell the zoo. Yes, the zoo.

Tong’s “cut, cut, cut” spreadsheet is exactly that: a slash-fest, with red lines through numerous core services and assets.

That’s not a vision. A vision brings people along. This is an elite cost-cutting dream wrapped in buzzwords.

So, what has Vision for Wellington actually achieved? It launched in a cloud of smoke with two dames—Patsy Reddy, texting the PM, and Dame Kerry Prendergast offering to be Wellington’s “observer.”

Within one day, Sinead “$1” Boucher, owner of The Post, was already walking back Vision WLG’s statements by declaring, “It is not political.” Really?

All they’ve done is drag many of Wellington’s business leaders into a political mess.

Tong is selling fantasy islands—wanting to sell the zoo, claiming central government will magically take back Wellington’s housing stock.

And if the government does take it back? It may rationalise it—throwing vulnerable people onto the streets. Great “vision”, right?

So again: Vision Wellington is wrapping up next week? Good riddance.

Let’s break down some of their wild ideas:

Why would the Government take back housing stock? Maybe a Labour government might, out of charity. But under this government? It’s fantasy. Tong, Chung, and co. are selling policy fiction.

Just like Better Wellington or IT Wellington’s Ray Chung and his zero-rates billboard campaign—which even he admits he can’t back up.

IT or Better Wellington, along with Vision for Wellington, spent six months attacking Mayor Whanau, and are now hosting 16 public meetings promising 0% rate increases.

Yet on every media appearance, Chung dodges whether that’s 0%, 3%, 5%—or 12%.

Let’s not forget: Chung helped set the current rates. He’s the problem. Why would he suddenly solve it?

If he can’t deliver 0%, he should take down his billboards and start telling the truth.

Wellington needs the truth. Now.

Is Ray Chung a liability? Would commissioners need to be appointed within six months if he arrives with his slash-and-burn agenda?

Did Chung try to do a backroom deal with Diane Calvert—Support me now, I’ll support you later?

Is the political right imploding behind closed doors?

And what about Louise Tong—is she Chung’s spokesperson? It certainly looks like it.

She was a headline speaker at Vision Wellington’s “non-political” event—an event Chung attended for the first time. Just a coincidence?

Vision Wellington insists it’s not a political party—yet everything said on that stage was political.

Julie Moore of Moore Wilson’s publicly said the WCC “screwed her” more than once.

And Tong, a featured speaker, stood there talking about selling the zoo and fantasising that Nicola Willis would somehow swoop in and altruistically buy Wellington’s damaged housing stock.

It’s utter folly.

Is this the moment for Wellingtonians to wake up?

Or will the rich elite—only 3 out of every 10 voters—continue to believe in Ray Chung, a stroke survivor who won’t disclose his true age, as someone capable of running the capital?

With 7 out of 10 Wellington voters identifying as Māori, Green, or Labour, and half of the 30% of right-leaning voters not voting at all, you have to ask:

What the heck is happening?

Right-wing candidates like Diane Calvert, Nicola Young, and Tim Brown are struggling to unify their base—while Whanau and the left hold a majority.

Is this over before the fat lady sings?

How could Chung possibly appeal to the 7 out of 10 voters who will never vote for him?

None of the Better Wellington candidates will win.

If Vision for WLG, Better Wellington, or IT Independent continue to peddle fantasy, the only winners will be Glenn Inman and Alister Boycee, the two men running the IT campaign.