Since joining Council, Kaydee has built a reputation for doing her homework and keeping an eye on the long game. She cares deeply about the nuts and bolts that keep Palmy running well, from our roads and pipes to our parks and green spaces, and the community networks that hold people together. She believes that if we look after these properly, we give ourselves the best chance of handling whatever comes next.
For Kaydee, good governance means steady stewardship and dealing with small issues before they turn into expensive headaches.
Before Council, Kaydee’s career took her in many different directions. She’s worked with the Waitangi Tribunal, spent time in legal practice, done freelance translation, and been involved in theatre production. She’s tutored gifted children through WhatBox Aotearoa and is a certified Enneagram Coach. She’s also helped start a number of local initiatives, including Plant My Berm, the Kahuterawa Valley Regeneration Club, the Wellspring Re-Wilding Project, and Palmy Homegrown: An Edible Tour of Palmy’s Most Productive Backyards.
Originally from nearby Pahiatua, Kaydee moved to Palmy for high school, spent seven years in Wellington, and then came home in 2014 with her husband and young family. She believes it’s a great place to grow up, and that conviction shapes the way she approaches her role around the Council table. The more she’s learned about how the city works, the more proud she’s become of what’s already here.
Outside of Council, her life is just as hands-on. She lives off-grid in a low-tech home, grows and cooks food with her family, and spends as much time as she can walking and exploring the outdoors. She enjoys musical theatre, reads history and philosophy for fun, and is an amateur astronomer - "just for kicks!"
Her hidden talent is being able to remember the lyrics to almost any song she’s ever heard, a knack that turns out to be surprisingly useful when it comes to recalling details from long Council debates.
If you’re likely to spot her around town, try Pizza Pars on George Street, the parks near the river end of Albert Street, or Karaka Grove on Dairy Farm Road - which she calls a real hidden gem.