I'm Justin Lester, candidate for the Wellington City Council’s Northern Ward.

I’m the founder and owner of Wellington’s Kapai eateries, a Director at commercial property firm Jones Lang LaSalle, husband of Elizabeth and father of Madeleine.

I’m actively involved in the local community as a Board Member of Capital Football, Executive Member of the Property Council and Founding Member of Wellington Young Professionals.

Wellington City Council needs fresh ideas and the Northern Ward needs a new voice, I promise to bring both. I support the development and beautification of the shopping centres in Johnsonville, Tawa, Newlands and Churton Park, and the preservation of the environmental and heritage aspects of Glenside, Grenada, Ohariu, and Horokiwi.  

I will promote recreation and social initiatives via safer pedestrian and cycling routes, artificial sporting turfs and increased community interaction. 

Vote for Justin Lester and help make Wellington the best little city in the world.

 

Top 5 Issues

1. GIVE THE NORTHERN SUBURBS ITS HEART
   
   The Northern suburbs offer safe, family-friendly communities with a focus on lifestyle and being close to nature. While the communities are strong, additional amenities are required to provide a central heart for each. My aim is to help each individual suburb via the following:
   
   
   Supporting the redevelopment of Johnsoville Mall. Johnsonville retailers and residents urgently want the upgrade, I support this.
   
   The continued support of and investment in Tawa and Newlands Shopping Centres, including better parking, kerbside planting and lighting. These areas should be thriving focal points for the Northern Ward.
   
   Improved pedestrian and cycling links from Wellington CBD to the Northern Ward, enabling school children and commuters safer travel.
   
   The ongoing support of the Tawa Community Board and its activities.
   
   Help create a community heart in Churton Park by supporting the community centre and additional local amenities.
   
   Support the preservation of Glenside, Ohariu and Horokiwi's community's unique enironmental heritage.
   
   Supporting the further development of Paparangi and Grenada Village into thriving communities.
2. TRANSPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE
   
   My aims are to:
   
   Increase international connectivity by supporting the expansion of Wellington Airport's runways and buildings.
   
   Support the urgent implementation of the Ngauranga Gorge to the Airport corridor and improve existing public transport links to and from the Airport.
   
   Investigate the potential for a central city bus depot and a ferry terminal that integrates with public transport.
   
   Improve cycling lanes.
   
   Upgrade service lanes to create pedestrian friendly and ambient inner city spaces.
3. MAINTAIN WELLINGTON AS THE CULTURAL HEARTBEAT OF NEW ZEALAND
   
   I will:
   
   Investigate the development of a world class concert arena on the Wellington waterfront.
   
   Encourage outdoor dining at cafes and restaurants.
   
   Support significant events such as the Wellington Sevens, International Arts Festival and the Cuba St Carnival to ensure Wellington remains New Zealand's cultural and events capital.
   
   Support additional sculptures, particularly those with a focus on water and wind.
   
4. KEEPING WELLINGTON GREEN
   
   Help me to:
   
   Implement the Green Streets programme, a community driven initiative to encourage street plantings.
   
   Encourage sustainable energy that is locally produced including wind and tidal sources
   
   Canvass residents and businesses for ideas to make Wellington one of the greenest cities in the world.
5. SPORT & RECREATION
   
   Sport and Recreation
   
   Promote new artificial pitches for use by rugby, football and rugby league to lessen the strain on Wellington's grass pitches.
   
   Refurbish existing waterfront sports facilities for community and business use.
   
   Promote Wellington as a high performance sporting centre.

Personal Profile

Why do I want to be your Wellington City Council representative for the Northern ward?
The Northern Ward offers great family friendly environments for residents, but it needs investment into its communities to provide it with a pulsing local heart. I want to ensure that the Council fully supports the development of Johnsonville Mall, investment in the existing Newlands and Tawa shopping centres, and preserves the heritage and natural beauty in Glenside and Takapu. Churton Park also requires greater investment in its community facilities and I'm committed to seeing this happen.

On a whole, Wellington needs to compete internationally as well as nationally to attract people and businesses to the city. I have executive management experience in the private and public sectors, in New Zealand and abroad, own and help run my own business and am active in several governance roles in Wellington organisations. I've travelled extensively and have noted along the way what makes a great city. Most importantly, I'm a doer. I'll back words with actions and have grand ambitions for Wellington. I want to make Wellington the best little city in the world and am confident I can help achieve this.

Some of my life experience includes:

• Establishing my own business Kapai and growing it to four stores across Wellington with over 40 staff
• A Board Member of Capital Football, Wellington football’s governing body
• A Director at Wellington commercial property firm Jones Lang LaSalle
• Executive member of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Property Council
• Founding committee member of Wellington Young Professionals
• Married for five years with our first baby on the way
• Speak German and conversational Japanese

Education
I studied Law and German at the University of Otago and then went on to a Masters of Law at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, focusing on the treatment of agricultural subsidies at the World Trade Organisation. 

Business
Morning paper rounds and supporting myself financially from an early age cultivated a keen sense of entrepreneurialism that continues today. Although we had little hospitality experience at the time, a friend and I set up Kapai, a Wellington eatery which has grown to four stores with over 40 staff. The values behind Kapai reflect my own, a distinctly New Zealand theme, providing healthy eating options, sustainable environmental practices and contributing back to the local Wellington community. It also showed me that you can achieve most things if you're prepared to work for it. I'm a big supporter of Wellington owned and Wellington based businesses and will do all I can to encourage innovative business to our city.

Childhood
I grew up in Invercargill with my mother and two brothers. Like most Southland lads I was a keen sportsman and played soccer, tennis, cricket and all manner of competitive sport, but was also involved in debating and the arts. I was fortunate enough to receive an AFS financial hardship scholarship and spent my seventh form year in a small German village near Berlin. The experience opened my eyes and provided me with a fierce sense of pride for my home country and allowed me to recognise that in New Zealand we have a unique home that is beautiful, safe and the envy of many.

Family
My wife Liz and I had our first child in July 2010. She's a delightful wee bundle called Madeleine.