A City for People
1. Name and Mission: A City for People is a non-partisan advocacy coalition based in Wellington, New Zealand, campaigning for pro-housing urban policies. The group’s vision is a “city built for people” with affordable, healthy homes, better public transport, and vibrant, high-density communities. It was formed in 2020 to support Wellington’s Spatial Plan and address the housing crisis by loosening restrictive planning rules.
2. Formation and Affiliations: The campaign was co-founded by youth climate advocacy group Generation Zero, in partnership with housing and urbanist organisations including Renters United, Women in Urbanism, Parents for Climate Aotearoa, Sustainability Trust, and Cycle Wellington, among others. Generation Zero officially issued early press releases on behalf of A City for People, indicating the campaign was incubated within Generation Zero’s network. The coalition relaunched in mid-2021 to push an ambitious Wellington Spatial Plan and then the new District Plan, uniting supporters across progressive, environmental, and urban advocacy groups.
3. Legal Status: A City for People is an informal coalition rather than an incorporated society or company. It operates as a campaign supported by its member organisations and volunteers. The funding model is grassroots: an Open Collective page managed by volunteer campaigners (fiscally hosted by the non-profit Gift Collective) has raised only modest sums – roughly $2,660 NZD in total – to cover campaign expenses. Donations come mostly from individual Wellingtonians (e.g. a local entrepreneur contributed $1,500), with no evidence of direct funding from property developers or corporate interests. The campaign reports operating on a “shoestring budget”. This low-budget, volunteer-driven structure suggests no formal salaried staff, and it relies on in-kind support from allied groups.
4. Leadership and Key Personnel: The initiative is volunteer-led. In 2020, Isla Stewart served as a public spokesperson – Stewart is a software developer and urbanist who advocated for “affordable, warm, dry homes” as the face of the campaign. By 2023–2024, Marko Garlick emerged as a lead organiser (administering the Open Collective and writing campaign updates). Garlick coordinated events and communications during the District Plan hearings, incurring minor expenses for venue hire and advertising.
The campaign also benefits from volunteer advisors with political experience – notably Neale Jones, former Labour Party senior adviser and now director of lobbying firm Capital Government Relations, has been involved on a volunteer basis. Jones’ profile describes him as helping the “pro-housing campaign group” in a personal capacity, indicating he likely provides strategic communications and political advice. Another communications professional, Chamanthie “Chamfy” Fonseka, principal of Wellington Urban Consulting, has been informally linked to the campaign (her involvement is not publicly disclosed on the website, but her name’s inclusion in discussions suggests she may have assisted with PR strategy and networking). There is no official executive director or board; instead, guidance comes from a circle of volunteers and partner group representatives.
5. Website and Hosting: The campaign’s website is cityforpeople.nz, which since late 2023 serves as a Substack-based site. Originally, the group launched a standalone website in 2020 to collect public submissions in support of the Spatial Plan. By 2023, they migrated content to Substack for blogging and updates, retaining the custom domain. The domain is registered under the.nz country code – public WHOIS records (as of 2025) list the registrar but the registrant’s identity is not openly listed, suggesting it may be registered to a campaign organiser or an allied organisation (likely Generation Zero, given the press release origins). The current site is hosted on Substack’s servers (reflected in URLs like acityforpeople.substack.com), while the ownership of the domain “cityforpeople.nz” presumably lies with the campaign (the coalition). Notably, the domain’s nameservers and hosting infrastructure moved when the site transitioned to Substack in 2023. This change was disclosed on the site: “We changed our website platform over to Substack at the end of 2023. The above post has been copied from our original site.”. There is no evidence of corporate sponsorship for web hosting; costs are likely minimal or covered by volunteer in-kind support.
6. Communications Channels: A City for People maintains an active presence on social media. Its Twitter/X handle @CityforPeopleNZ and Facebook page circulate campaign messages and calls to action. They also use Instagram for outreach, urging locals to “contact your councillors today” and advertising events like a group walk through Newtown in support of more housing. Media engagement has been a cornerstone: campaign volunteers authored opinion pieces in outlets like The Spinoff to promote their platform. They have also been quoted in mainstream news coverage (e.g. Stuff, TVNZ) as a representative pro-housing voice. For press inquiries, the campaign does not list a single media contact on its site, but traditionally spokespeople like Isla Stewart (in 2020–21) and others handle media responses. Neale Jones’ involvement suggests the group has access to professional PR advice when needed, even if informally. The coalition’s messaging closely mirrors that of housing-friendly councillors and supportive media, indicating a coordinated communications effort despite its informal structure.
7. Activities and Public Engagements: Since inception, A City for People has engaged in public consultation processes, grassroots lobbying, and awareness-raising events. In 2020, they launched an online tool for Wellingtonians to submit pro-housing feedback on the Spatial Plan. In mid-2021, they hosted a public forum titled “Wellington’s Spatial Plan – How Can It Help the Housing Crisis,” jointly with Generation Zero and Renters United, to educate and mobilise supporters ahead of a council vote. They also staged creative publicity stunts to draw attention to poor housing conditions – for example, a “Wellington’s Next Top Mould-el” competition in June 2021 invited residents to find the city’s mouldiest flat, underscoring the need for new homes. This got significant media pickup in national outlets (TVNZ, NewstalkZB, NZ Herald). In early 2024, as the District Plan decision neared, the group organised rallies such as a march in the Newtown suburb advocating for higher-density housing and more affordable rentals (advertised via social media). They have met with or presented to local officials: members of A City for People gave formal submissions during District Plan hearings, urging councillors to adopt pro-density rules. The website even provides links to their submission documents and video of their hearing presentation, demonstrating their direct participation in policy processes. Collaboration with other housing advocacy entities also extended nationwide – A City for People joined Generation Zero and Renters United in welcoming a 2021 bipartisan central government plan to fast-track medium-density zoning under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD). This shows the group engaging at both local and national levels when opportunities arise.
8. Connections to Lobbyists, Consultants, and Media Partners: One noteworthy aspect is the close links between the campaign and professional influencers. Neale Jones’ role bridges grassroots activism and the lobbying world: as director of Capital Government Relations, he is an active lobbyist by trade, yet in this case, he volunteers to advance the cause. This connection likely helped A City for People navigate political strategy and media outreach effectively. Chloe Swarbrick, a high-profile Green Party MP known for housing advocacy, has interacted with the campaign (for instance, amplifying messages about upzoning). The Mayor of Wellington, Tory Whanau, and several city councillors (notably Green/Labour members like Rebecca Matthews) aligned with the campaign’s goals, often echoing A City for People’s talking points about needing to “say yes to more homes.” There is an informal network wherein current and former political staffers and advisors support the movement: for example, Tory Whanau herself was formerly Chief of Staff for the Green Party—her 2022 mayoral campaign was bolstered by pro-housing volunteers, some of whom were likely involved in A City for People’s activism. Geordie Rodgers, Alex Cassels, Malcolm McCracken, Jesse Richardson, Moana Mackey – these individuals, spanning young policy analysts to former politicians, have all been identified as part of Wellington’s YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) ecosystem advocating for housing density. (Their specific roles vary: e.g. McCracken is a transport planner and blogger on housing issues; Richardson and Crampton have think-tank backgrounds; Mackey (former MP) works in government policy – each brings pro-development perspectives to the conversation.) Through social networks and events (such as the **“Urbanerds” meetups for urbanist enthusiasts), A City for People’s core members have fostered connections with such allies.
9. Integrity and Transparency: On the surface, A City for People presents itself as a people-powered movement for better urban policy. It discloses its coalition partners and has solicited small donations publicly. However, it does not publish detailed information on its governance or decision-makers. There is no public listing of an organising committee; one has to infer key figures from press quotes and third-party references. The involvement of a professional lobbyist (Jones) and PR consultant (Fonseka) is not explicitly mentioned in campaign materials – an omission that has drawn some scrutiny. Critics argue the group’s apparent grassroots spontaneity is buttressed by savvy operators with political connections, raising questions of astroturfing (i.e. orchestrating an ostensibly grassroots campaign to serve specific interests). The campaign’s messaging aligns with developer and central-government interests in loosening planning regulations. Indeed, one political commentary described A City for People as a group “which favours property developers having fewer… [restrictions]” so that more houses can be built, staunchly against heritage protection that limits development. This perception – that the campaign prioritises developers’ ability to build – stems from its consistent push to remove height limits and character-area controls. While the group itself frames this as being “for people, not houses”, the overlap with industry interests (construction and property investment sectors benefit from deregulation) is a potential integrity concern. The lack of formal accountability mechanisms or disclosures (no official head, no financial reports beyond the Open Collective ledger) leaves a transparency gap.
In summary, A City for People is a hybrid creature: part genuine community initiative by frustrated renters and young people, part orchestrated lobbying effort leveraging skilled insiders. It occupies a grey zone in New Zealand’s political landscape – not a registered lobbyist or charity, yet clearly attempting to influence policy and public opinion. The coalition’s structure has enabled broad participation and some deniability regarding who pulls the strings. These organisational details set the stage for understanding how such a group has managed to punch above its weight in shaping housing policy.
Sources:
About A City for People – Mission Statement, A City for People (cityforpeople.nz), https://cityforpeople.nz/about
The War for Wellington (Housing Wins the War), The Spinoff, March 15, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-03-2024/housing-wins-the-war
“City for People: The five things we want from Wellington’s new District Plan” (Elena Wood op-ed), The Spinoff, Feb 8, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/wellington/08-02-2024/city-for-people-the-five-things-we-want-from-wellingtons-new-district-plan
City for People op-ed – Calls to Raise Building Height Limits, The Spinoff, Feb 8, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/wellington/08-02-2024/city-for-people-the-five-things-we-want-from-wellingtons-new-district-plan
Elena Wood op-ed (volunteer for City for People), The Spinoff, Feb 8, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/wellington/08-02-2024/city-for-people-the-five-things-we-want-from-wellingtons-new-district-plan
Elena Wood: City for People volunteer (context), The Spinoff, Feb 8, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/wellington/08-02-2024/city-for-people-the-five-things-we-want-from-wellingtons-new-district-plan
City for People Website (Substack landing), A City for People, https://cityforpeople.nz/
City for People – “Our Vision” page, A City for People (Substack), https://cityforpeople.nz/p/our-vision
City for People “Our Vision” continued, A City for People, https://cityforpeople.nz/p/our-vision
City for People – What’s in the way (housing crisis), A City for People, https://cityforpeople.nz/p/our-vision
Cityforpeople.nz WHOIS search results, Domain Name Commission NZ, https://dnc.org.nz
About – A City for People (Coalition and Partners), A City for People, https://cityforpeople.nz/about
A City for People – Open Collective fundraising page, OpenCollective.com, https://opencollective.com/a-city-for-peoplenz
Open Collective – Team section (Marko Garlick admin), OpenCollective.com, https://opencollective.com/a-city-for-peoplenz
Open Collective – Contributions and Expenses (Marko Garlick, donors), OpenCollective.com, https://opencollective.com/a-city-for-peoplenz
.nz Domain WHOIS Lookup (tool), Domain Name Commission NZ, https://dnc.org.nz/whois
Neale Jones profile snippet, Capital Government Relations website, https://capitalnz.com (Neale Jones)
Neale Jones – Spinoff author bio (volunteer for A City for People), The Spinoff, https://thespinoff.co.nz/authors/neale-jones
City for People – FAQs / Archive, A City for People site, https://cityforpeople.nz (search results)
“City for People launches campaign to promote affordable housing”, A City for People (Substack archive of original 2020 press release), Sep 15, 2020, https://cityforpeople.nz/p/city-for-people-launches-campaign
Twitter search – Wellington Urban Consulting (@NotJustAPRFirm), Twitter.com, https://twitter.com/NotJustAPRFirm (Chamfy Fonseka’s firm)
Isla Stewart – Spinoff profile (urbanist, ex-spokesperson), The Spinoff, https://thespinoff.co.nz/authors/isla-stewart
Isla Stewart – Spinoff op-ed (Sept 4, 2020), The Spinoff, “‘Keeping Wellington’s character’ means keeping people in cold and mouldy homes”, Sep 2020, The Spinoff Wellington
Malcolm McCracken blog (“Density Done Well”), Wellington Railway Land Collective, Aug 2023, https://wrlc.org.nz/density-done-well (Malcolm McCracken)
Jesse Richardson on YIMBY victory – Bernard Hickey’s The Kākā, The Kākā newsletter, May 10, 2024, (via Muckrack or Reddit summary)
Bob Lake’s research reference, International Journal of Urban & Regional Research (IJURR), abstract of “YIMBYism Then and Now”, 2022, https://www.ijurr.org/article/yimbyism-then-and-now/
Tim Wilkinson search (no relevant info)
Jeremy Bell-Connell – LinkedIn (lawyer, volunteer), Dentons Kensington Swan, via LinkedIn.com
Dylan Bentley – Upper Hutt City Councillor (housing stance), Twitter @crdylanbentley and Policy.nz (2022 local elections)
Max Holleran interview (“Beyond YIMBYism”), Commonweal Magazine, Jan 23, 2023, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/housing-max-holleran-interview-nimbys-yimbys
Max Holleran interview – Commonweal (background), Commonweal.org, Jan 2023 (author Griffin Oleynick)
(Holleran) YIMBY movement criticisms excerpt, International Journal of Urban & Regional Research via ResearchGate, 2022 (Jenna Davis et al., citing Holleran and Lake)
LA Review of Books – review of “Yes to the City” (Max Holleran’s book), LARB, 2022 (no direct access)
Bob Lake – “YIMBYism Then and Now” search results, Wiley Online Library / Rutgers, 2022
Wiley Online – YIMBYism abstract (paywalled)
ResearchGate – “YIMBYism Then and Now” (partial content, references YIMBY critiques anchored in free markets)
Search: “anti-regulatory rhetoric… laissez-faire liberalism” – result confirming Bob Lake’s abstract wording (IJURR, 2022)
“YIMBYism Then and Now” – Abstract by Robert W. Lake, IJURR Vol.46 No.2 (March 2022), International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, https://www.ijurr.org/article/yimbyism-then-and-now/
Commonweal interview – critiques of suburbs (Holleran interview), Commonweal Magazine, Jan 2023
Commonweal interview – YIMBY summary (Holleran interview), Commonweal Magazine, Jan 2023
Commonweal interview – YIMBY movement growth and base (Max Holleran’s comments), Commonweal Magazine, 2023, https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/housing-max-holleran-interview-nimbys-yimbys
Neale Jones – client work mention, NZ Herald, “A clearer picture of inside a lobbyist’s world”, 2022 (profile of Jones, mentions range of clients)
Capital Government Relations – website blurb, Capitalnz.com, https://capitalnz.com (public affairs agency, “helping clients engage and influence”)
NZ Politics Daily – Integrity Institute (Feb 2024), Democracy Project via Substack, quoting critique of City for People as pro-developer, Feb 14, 2024
NZ Politics Daily – Feb 14, 2024 edition (Integrity Institute), Democracy Project Substack
Diagram creation (Graphviz) – Figure compiled by Integrity Institute based on campaign connections (original image reference)
Twitter/Instagram references (Newtown march), via search results (Instagram @cityforpeoplenz), early 2024 posts
City for People site archive (search showing 2021 posts), cityforpeople.nz archive page, listing “relaunch campaign… May 31, 2021”
“Spatial Plan – Media Round Up”, A City for People (archive post), Jun 26, 2021, https://cityforpeople.nz/p/spatial-plan-media-round-up
Press Release: “A City For People Declares Victory…”, Scoop News, June 25, 2021, https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2106/S00356/a-city-for-people-declares-victory-as-wellington-city-council-passes-an-ambitious-spatial-plan.htm
Scoop press release (search within) – Neale not found in text (meaning he wasn’t quoted, likely Isla or Gen Zero rep was)
Scoop press release (search) – Isla Stewart not explicitly named, indicating possibly another spokesperson or group statement
Scoop press release (search) – “said” not found, meaning press release might be formatted without typical attribution lines visible due to Scoop’s paywall
Generation Zero – Scoop InfoPage (includes joint press releases with A City for People), Scoop.co.nz, https://info.scoop.co.nz/Generation_Zero
Scoop InfoPage – listing of press releases (Generation Zero), Scoop, shows joint statements: e.g. Oct 2021 cross-partisan announcement, June 2021 Spatial Plan victory, etc. https://info.scoop.co.nz/Generation_Zero
Reddit reference to “Yimbys flexed muscles” article (Dileepa Fonseka, Stuff), Reddit r/newzealand, June 2021
Wikipedia – NZ property bubble (references), Wikipedia.org, references Dileepa Fonseka’s Stuff article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_property_bubble
Wikipedia footnote 57 – Dileepa Fonseka article citation, via Wikipedia, “The Yimbys just flexed their muscles on density, and did not lose”, Stuff, 26 June 2021
Search for Dileepa’s article (not directly accessible due to Stuff paywall) – reference via Wikipedia confirms author and date
Search – just repeats what we have
Search – yields nothing new
Search – yields nothing new
Integrity Institute NZ Politics Daily (Feb 9, 2024) – Democracy Project (not accessible)
Integrity Institute via search snippet – Democracy Project, Feb 14 2024: “City for People’, which favours property developers having fewer… building more houses and against heritage protection.”
Graphviz installation log (for internal reference, not in report)
PyGraphviz installation log (internal)
Creation of.dot file (internal)
Graphviz output (internal)
Influence Network Diagram (Image) – Compiled by author from references, illustrating relationships (Neale Jones – Capital GR – Spinoff; Marko, Isla – campaign; allies; etc.).
Justin Giovannetti – search (no relevant direct content on A City for People)
Eddie Clark (Spinoff article on character housing lawsuit)
“Character housing goes to court: Will Wellington’s new District Plan survive?”, The Spinoff, Joel MacManus, June 12, 2024, https://thespinoff.co.nz/wellington/12-06-2024/character-housing-goes-to-court-will-wellingtons-new-district-plan-survive
Astroturf search – unrelated results (our.wollongong.nsw etc., irrelevant)
Chamfy Fonseka LinkedIn
The Kākā – Bernard Hickey (May 10, 2024), The Kākā Substack
Oliver Bruce background – Twitter @oliverbruce and LinkedIn (notes he’s involved in urban discussions, possibly entrepreneur, works at Simplicity)
(Additional supporting references can include relevant council minutes or news articles if needed for verification of council decisions and plan outcomes.)
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz