Vote Local.
Vote Paki.

For Central Ward Councillor Hutt City Council Elections 2025

Paki Maaka has called Central Lower Hutt home for more than 30 years. He has led some of our city’s most important urban projects, focusing on housing, business, infrastructure, and turning community ideas into real results. Paki knows how Council works. With your vote, he will keep doing what is right for our community, today and for future generations.

Contact Paki Maaka

email. paki4central@gmail.com

mobile. +64-21-589-057

Ko Pukeatua toku maunga

Ko Te Awa Kairangi toku awa

Ko Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairoa me Ngati Kainuku ki Rarotonga oku iwi

Ko Tama Kahu toku Marae

Ko Paki Maaka raua ko Alice Cowan oku matua

No Te Awa Kairangi Lower Hutt ahau.

Born in Lower Hutt, I have lived in Central Hutt for thirty-two years.

I met Nichola at Wainuiomata College. We bought our first house in Naenae, raised two little daughters in Alicetown, and then moved to Woburn to be closer to Hutt Valley High School.

Central Lower Hutt is our home and we hope to share it with our future grandchildren.

My priorities for council

Thriving communities start with strong foundations.
I care deeply about what makes cities and communities thrive. We need to be prosperous, resilient, and proud of who we are as a growing and evolving nation of New Zealanders.

We need to keep our young people here.
With an ageing population, our young people are our future workers, parents, investors, and leaders of our community. We may not match Australia’s resources, but we can offer something more meaningful — a city with purpose, opportunity, and belonging.

We must make the right decisions now.
We have the opportunity to be inventive and ambitious in dealing with the issues we face. Council and community must confront these challenges together and shape a future that our children and grandchildren will want to be a part of.

2018 Council, Residents, & Business Community Workshop – Central City Transformation Plan. Workshops were also run with Mana Whenua. Photo. P.Maaka.

2017 RiverLink – early artist impression.

Priority Projects

Council Service

Council can improve the way it works with our Community and our Partners.

Council can be more inventive in the way it thinks and Council can be more effective in the way it operates.

Together, Council and Community must innovate to resolve opportunities such as Infrastructure, and to maximise value returned by working with our partners.

$1.5B RiverLink Partnership

I led Councils part in RiverLink from its beginnings circa 2006 until 2020. https://teawakairangi.co.nz

RiverLink’s return on investment was calculated at approx 2.5:1 That is for every dollar invested, RiverLink would return about two dollars fifty back in jobs & economic benefits over a twenty year period.

Current rhetoric suggesting cutting of RiverLink budgets & separating out of project commitments, oversimplify the inter-dependence of Waka Kotahi, Regional Council, & Hutt City Council.

Shifting the project goal posts endangers RiverLink consent conditions. Re-litigation of design & consents will trigger new consultation & cause years of further delays to the construction of any new stop banks & a new Melling Bridge & Interchange.

A serious enough flood will do to Lower Hutt what earthquakes did to Christchurch. On top of multiple losses of life, the fiscal cost will be in the billions of dollars.

Compounding the seriousness is that insurance is not necessarily guaranteed and during the 15+ years of disruption/rebuild many of our people will leave Lower Hutt & not come back.

The RiverLink Project currently under construction needs to succeed 100% if we want to propose it as a good template to partner upon & deliver other big complex opportunities such as Infrastructure and Cross Valley Link.

Over the next few years, the building of RiverLink must be well managed to minimise the effects of risk and disruption.

Major Infrastructure Projects

Where we have to invest large amounts of money, we should maximise the value and benefits returned back to our Community.

Partnering judiciously, assertively, but in good faith under a RiverLink type partnership is, perhaps the only way to make big expensive infrastructure projects feasible for the Community.

Cross Boundary Opportunities

Join forces with other City & Regional Councillors to leverage common interests for housing, economic growth, recreation, and sustainability.

For example the Cross Valley Link straddles Central and Harbour Wards, but beyond the multiple benefits it offers to Central and Harbour Wards, Cross Valley Link has significant transport and growth potential for Wainuiomata. All these are relevant to Regional Growth.

Housing and Urban Development

Work with Private and Public sectors toward good and affordable housing options for younger people, families, and older people who increasingly need more choice of aged care.

Always to be proactive for urban development that produces good social, economic, and environmental outcomes.

Rates

New infrastructure is essential and together we need to figure out the most appropriate way to build and pay for it.

In no particular order these are things that I think we should talk over; council staff cuts, council service cuts, service charges, revenue stream options, cuts or postponement of council projects, more efficient council operations, off-setting cost by maximising value returned on council investment, lending options, and how we can strategically partner to share cost/risk & also enable growth & prosperity.

I don’t like the idea of reducing library hours for example, but you may have ideas and so will others.

Council will need to facilitate with Community and Partners as we all work together to understand our options and in order to agree on how we can proceed.

An example of major infrastructure - Sewerage Treatment Plan Seaview

Professional background

Architecture 1995 – Ongoing

  • 1995 - 2005 housing, apartments, university campuses, commercial buildings, public spaces, hospitals, prisons, public transport, urban regeneration.

  • 1999 - 2001 Advisor Wellington Waterfront Project.

  • 2005 - 2007 own private practice based in Central Hutt.

  • 1997 (ongoing) guest teaching in architecture, urban design, and landscape Victoria University Wellington.

  • 2024 - 2026 Deputy Chair MAPIHI Board Maori & Pacific Housing Research Centre University of Auckland.

2003 Cardboard model Wellington Regional Hospital. At the time it was the largest building project in NZ. Healthcare planning by Rice D’Aubney Decarlo Potts Australia. CCM Architects NZ design architect P.Maaka

Hutt City Council
Urban Design Manager 2007 – 2020

  • $1.5B RiverLink, which I led in all its versions from 2006 – 2020. https://teawakairangi.co.nz

  • Area Development Plans – Petone 2040, CBD Making Places, Central City Transformation Plan, Naenae Spatial Plan.

  • Cross Valley Link Working Group (Hutt City Council, Waka Kotahi, Regional Council).

  • Suburban Shopping Centre Upgrades – multiple.

  • Relationship Manager Heritage Building Projects.

  • Relationship Manager E Tu Hutt Public Arts Trust.

  • Rockefeller Cities 100 regional stakeholder group (Regional Disaster Preparedness).

2017 Paki talking with Community about RiverLink at Lower Hutt Festival of Lights. Community engagement was commonly run annually. Photo. Regional Council.

Kainga Ora Homes and Communities
Principal Urban Designer 2021– 2024

  • Significant housing and urban development nationwide working with Developers, Ministry of Housing & Urban Development, Te Puni Kokiri, Local Councils, Community Housing Providers, Communities, & Mana Whenua.

  • Lead advisor Maori and Pacific Housing Projects Whangarei, South Auckland, Porirua, Mataura, Temuka, Bluff and Wainuiomata.

  • Analysis of alternative models for affordable good housing including multi-generational households so that older people can have the choice to age in place within the care of family.

2024 Papakainga Housing Kainga Ora Homes & Communities. Led by our relationship holders, I assembled a team with expertise in housing development and multi-media to work with Mana Whenua at Te Rau Aroha Marae Motupohue Bluff. Sound-track by Solomon Rahui.

Papakainga or Co-Housing Models can be applied to any mix of Maori, Pacifica, & General population to improve choice of house type, affordability, multi-generational, integrated aged care housing, mixed use, low or high rise etc - in suburban & inner city urban environs.

Carefully consider all Central Ward Candidates and make your vote count.

Voting documents are posted out Tuesday 9 September.

If you do not receive your voting pack by 22 September then contact Hutt City Council to make a special vote.

Voting Period. Tuesday 9 September to Midday Saturday 11 October.

Final Results. By Sunday 19 October.

Calendar, events, & information

  • Councillor Candidate Korero Expo 6pm - 7pm Monday 1 September Hutt Events Centre.

  • Mayoral Candidate Korero Expo 7pm - 8.30pm Monday 1 September Hutt Events Centre.

  • Meet Paki Maaka 11.30am - 1pm Wednesday 10 September The Remakery Cafe 310 Waiwhetu Rd. Chat over a koha lunch.

  • Hutt Valley Living Wage 6.30pm Thursday 11 September Treadwell Hall Naenae.

  • Meet the Mayoral Candidates 5pm - 6.30pm Wednesday 17 September The Petone Club. Hosted by HV Chamber of Commerce.

  • Youth meeting of the Candidates 4pm - 6pm Friday 19 September Lower Hutt Central Library. Hosted by Youth Te Ranga Kairangi.

Mayoral and Councillor Candidate profile statements and videos. https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/elections/2025-local-government-elections/candidates-standing

Election Information Hutt City Council Website. https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/elections/2025-local-government-elections

Hutt City Council Annual Report 2023-2024. https://hccpublicdocs.azurewebsites.net/api/download/587890ba7b2542ef8532867346c3a343/_extcomms/a455ed6f69033df644f590e7dec02385899a