Video: Kirsten Wise on the heartbreak of losing Napier’s mayoralty

For Kirsten Wise, losing Napier’s mayoralty brought 12 years on council to a sudden end and an adjustment that has taken much of the past year.

“You go from 100 kilometres an hour every day of the week to nothing in an instant,” she told Hawke’s Bay News in her first interview since the defeat.

Wise had spent six years as mayor when she lost to councillor Richard McGrath by 3,422 votes in last year’s election.

She had prepared herself for the possibility of losing. Many of those around her had not.

“Most of the people around me were all saying, oh no, you’ll be absolutely fine, you’ll be absolutely fine.”

“So I think the reality was that other people were more shocked than I was because I had very much been preparing myself for potentially losing. That doesn’t make it any easier.”

She described election day as “surreal”.

“And I was still heartbroken in ways because I had spent 12 years serving my community. And every decision I made, I made with the best interests of our community at the heart of that.”

“And it can feel a little bit like that’s not been appreciated and that people aren’t grateful for what you’ve done.”

Someone had since suggested there should be training to prepare elected members for losing an election. Wise doubted it could prepare anyone for something so personal.

“And of course, you’re going to be hurt and take it personally. Because at the end of the day, it is a reflection of people’s opinion of you. And we’re all only human.”

Not long after the election, her father suffered a stroke and heart failure.

Previously fit, healthy and living independently, he now needed support. Wise went from popping in for visits to being there every day, spending long periods with him in hospital and helping him move into a rest home.

Her brother lives in Wellington. Having time to care for her father put the election loss into perspective.

“If I had still been in the mayoralty, obviously we would have made it work,” she said.

“But I wouldn’t have been able to take the huge amount of time that I was able to dedicate to Dad. And I was just, I felt so blessed to be able to do that.”

“And it really does make you realise what’s important.”

Wise has continued working one or two days a week at her accountancy practice, Black and White.

“Like I said, spend time with my father, spend time with my fiance, spend time with my daughter. That’s just been amazing. I’ve loved it.”

Wise first won the mayoralty in 2019, succeeding Bill Dalton, who did not seek re-election. She polled 13,967 votes, finishing 8,829 ahead of Chris Tremain.

She retained the role in 2022 with a reduced majority of 2,093 over Nigel Simpson. Last year, McGrath received 10,185 votes to her 6,763.

Wise believed unpopular decisions, particularly during her second term, had contributed to the result.

Among them was a rates increase of almost 20 per cent. There had also been opposition to the new library and civic precinct, while the city had been through Covid-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle.

She said the mayor was held accountable for decisions made collectively around the council table.

But she did not believe any single issue explained why Napier had voted for change.

“I think it was just a multitude of different things that people decided, yeah, it’s time for a change.

“And I respect that. I respect that people felt that it was time for a change.”

She stood by the need for investment in Napier’s facilities and infrastructure, saying the city faced significant work to bring them up to the required standard.

Looking back on her mayoralty, the reopening of Napier’s restored War Memorial remained one of her proudest moments.

“I was raised within the local RSA community, so it was something very close to my heart.”

She also recalled her commitment to communicating with residents online every day during Covid lockdowns.

“And believe you me, there were days that it was the last thing I felt like doing.”

Her time as mayor included the 2020 flood and Cyclone Gabrielle. Reflecting on the cyclone, she said she was proud of the way communities and leaders across Hawke’s Bay had worked together to begin repairing the damage and rebuilding confidence.

She also pointed to improvements in the council’s delivery of projects during her final years.

Asked what she would have done differently, Wise acknowledged there would have been situations she could have handled better, although she could not immediately identify one.

“But I am, you know, I’m at peace with the fact that I feel like I gave it my all.”

From her inner-city apartment, Wise can see work progressing on Napier’s new civic precinct, a project she backed as mayor. Inside, her council nameplate sits among the memorabilia on her shelves.

She said she was pleased to see projects and priorities developed during her mayoralty continuing.

She is now looking towards governance roles, particularly on boards in health and social services, where she hopes to continue contributing to the community.

“It’s been about helping people to build better lives, I think is the way I would sort of summarise what brings me joy and what motivates me to get out of bed every morning.”

Through her Facebook profile, Wise View, she also wants to keep writing about community issues and speaking up for people who may struggle to make themselves heard.

Whether she will seek elected office again remains undecided.

“And I would never say never. It’s not something that I would be doing within the next 12 to 24 months by any means.”

Her interest in politics dates back to childhood, but she is in no hurry to return.

“I am thoroughly enjoying being out of the public limelight and being able to just, you know, spend time with my friends and family.”

Asked about the experience of losing an election, she acknowledged the hurt but said life went on.

“It’s not the end of the world.

“And it just means the end of one chapter and moving on to another one.”