{{Short description|New Zealand politician (born 1968)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Daran Ponter | honorific_suffix = | image = Daran Ponter official portrait 2025–2028 GWRC term (cropped).jpg | caption = Ponter in 2025 | office = Chair of the Wellington Regional Council | term_start = 30 October 2019 | term_end = | predecessor = Chris Laidlaw | successor = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|2|20|df=y}} | birth_place = Kitwe, Zambia | death_date = | death_place = | party = Labour | spouse = Vickie | children = 2 | website = | alma_mater = Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington | profession = }}
'''Daran Mark Ponter'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Official-Election-results.pdf |title=Official-Election-results.pdf |publisher=Greater Wellington Regional Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217203458/http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Official-Election-results.pdf |archive-date=17 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (born 20 February 1968) is a New Zealand local-body politician who on 30 October 2019 succeeded Chris Laidlaw as the chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12280880 |title= Analysis: New Greater Wellington Regional Council chair romps in |publisher= NZ Herald |date= 30 October 2019}}</ref>
==Biography== ===Early life=== Ponter was born in Kitwe in Zambia's Central Province, Zambia. Soon after his birth his family relocated to Birmingham, United Kingdom and then to Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1973 they moved to Suva, Fiji where he attended Veiuto Primary School. Arriving in New Zealand in 1980, Ponter attended Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School, followed by Palmerston North Boys High School. He was an American Field Service exchange student to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1985/86. He studied sociology and geography at Massey University. He was a Massey scholar in 1989. After graduation he obtained a Masters of Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington. Before politics he worked as a regional planner in the Bay of Plenty and public policy adviser in various ministries in Wellington, most notably Te Puni Kōkiri. Later, he established and continues to run an independent public policy consultancy with his wife Vickie.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.justinlester.org.nz/daran-ponter |title=Daran Ponter |last= |first= |date=30 October 2019 |website=Justin Lester for mayor |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030072930/https://www.justinlester.org.nz/daran-ponter |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Between 2000 and 2004 Ponter was instrumental in leading the establishment of the Maori Television Service for Te Puni Kokiri. Ponter has worked on seven Treaty of Waitangi settlements, including the settlement for the Waikato River and the Port Nicholson Block settlement in Wellington. He also led the negotiation of seven regional aquaculture agreements to recognise Maori commercial interests in aquaculture. In 2000 he was private secretary to Parekura Horomia, Minister for Maori Development, and in 2018, private secretary to Nanaia Mahuta, Minister for Maori Development.
===Political career=== Ponter first stood for office in 1998 where he unsuccessfully contested a seat on the Wellington Regional Council as part of the Labour Party ticket.<ref>{{cite news |work =The Evening Post |page=6 |title=How You Voted |date=12 October 1998 }}</ref> In 2001 he stood for the Wellington City Council in the Eastern Ward, but was again unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/elections/results/2001/2001results.html |title=Election Results – 2001 Results |accessdate=17 May 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001121559/http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/elections/results/2001/2001results.html |archivedate=1 October 2006 }}</ref>
He was first elected to the regional council in 2010 serving until 2013 when he failed to secure re-election. However he was appointed a council member again in April 2016 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former chairperson Fran Wilde.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1604/S00111/regional-council-fills-vacancy-left-by-fran-wilde.htm?from-mobile=bottom-link-01 |title=Regional council fills vacancy left by Fran Wilde |accessdate=31 October 2019 |date=7 April 2016 |publisher=Scoop.co.nz }}</ref> He was re-elected for two further terms in both 2016 and 2019. Following the 2019 elections he was elected chairperson of the council unopposed.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jessica |last=Long |date=30 October 2019 |title=Daran Ponter promises to fix Wellington's bus system as Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116991413/darren-ponter-promises-to-fix-wellingtons-bus-system-in-his-role-as-the-new-greater-wellington-regional-council-chairman |publisher=Stuff.co.nz |accessdate=30 October 2019 }}</ref>
In May 2020, the regional council confirmed all fares would be fully subsidised until the end of June, making all train and bus journeys free.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/121449620/coronavirus-confusion-over-free-public-transport-at-level-2 |title=Coronavirus: Confusion over free public transport at level 2 |last=MacManus |first=Joel |date=8 May 2020 |website=Stuff.co.nz |publisher= |access-date=22 May 2020 |quote=}}</ref>
Ponter was re-elected to the regional council in the 2025 elections.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Manera |first1=Ethan |title=Labour Party extends nominations for Wellington Mayoral candidate |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labour-party-extends-nominations-for-wellington-mayoral-candidate/6AHSBTZH3RCIJLWXXD24JKLDPY/ |access-date=10 August 2025 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=17 March 2025 |language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=James |first1=Nick |title=Are Wellington's council leaders running for the top jobs again this year? |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/540794/are-wellington-s-council-leaders-running-for-the-top-jobs-again-this-year |access-date=10 August 2025 |work=RNZ |date=4 February 2025 |language=en-nz}}</ref> He was re-elected as chair by his fellow councillors.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greater Wellington re-elects chair and deputy chair and warns of fiscal challenges of next three years |url=https://www.gw.govt.nz/your-region/news/greater-wellington-re-elects-chair-and-deputy-chair-and-warns-of-fiscal-challenges-of-next-three-years/ |publisher=Greater Wellington Regional Council |access-date=30 November 2025 |date=30 October 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Chris Laidlaw}} {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Wellington Regional Council|years=2019–present}} {{s-inc}} {{end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponter, Daran}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Zambian emigrants to New Zealand Category:Massey University alumni Category:21st-century New Zealand politicians Category:People from Kitwe Category:Politicians from Wellington City Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni Category:Wellington regional councillors Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians