One Candidate, One Pint: Kayla Kingdon-Bebb on Opportunity as a 'lightning rod' for conspiracies

Mind if a white girl from Canada try a centrist approach to environmental law?

I normally like to think of a drink with a politician as a tax return, but I think I owe Opportunity's Kayla Kingdon-Bebb this one. A certain reporter helped themselves to a swig of the Wellington Bays candidate's beersie on a recent trip to the Chatham Islands, and it's important we set this right as soon as possible. Ideally before she becomes one of those all-powerful members of parliament.

There's no hard feelings when we meet up again in Newtown's Bebemos bar. The Vancouver-born-and-raised candidate is as polite as you'd expect, and brimming with surprises. She knows you wouldn't expect it out of this "white girl", but Kingdon-Bebb is an expert in treaty law, having worked on He Puapua. She's also a trained coxswain, and even coxed Cambridge University's men's rowing team while she undertook a master's of philosophy studying the legal personhood in Canada's Nisga’a Nation. She met her husband, Matt, on the team. "It turns out that sitting and driving and looking someone right in the eyes and telling them what to do is very good training for marriage."

Kingdon-Bebb's working life has taken her everywhere, from charities and public service to "the pointiest end of the private sector". She remembers her Devil Wears Prada-esque gig in venture capitalism, where odd jobs for the boss included house-sitting his parents' retirement home in Florida to test the water and electricity. More recently, she served as the CEO of WWF New Zealand.

In her 12 years in New Zealand, Kingdon-Bebb has voted for everyone from National to the Greens ("but definitely not Act"). But what "convinced me of the need for a centrist, environmentally focused party" is seeing how climate protections have taken a backseat in the current coalition's priorities. She argues that had the Greens "been a bit more flexible, we would have a government of a very different character".

"My lived experience in the public service tells me that these issues, especially in environmental and treaty policy, generally don't do well when you make a dramatic change," Kingdon-Bebb says. "If you're going to make enduring progress, you need to bring the public along with you, and that requires both incrementalism and a good deal of pragmatism."

Wanting to make friends on all sides of the political spectrum sometimes means you also have to make a few enemies. It's been "crazy" learning how to handle being a "lightning rod for insane conspiracies", she says, especially those coming from people she thought might be onside. Kingdon-Bebb gets fired up recounting an online interaction with a prominent left-wing blogger in her neighbourhood, who left a lovely little comment on Kingdon-Bebb's Instagram page: "I fucking hate centrists, they're abetters of fascism."

"Number one, you live around the fucking corner," Kingdon-Bebb says. "And when your cat went missing, you bet I was posting about him in the Island Bay page."

THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A

How much should a pint cost?

Ideally $12, to support our amazing craft beer industry in Aotearoa, and especially in Wellington Bays, which is a real hotspot for great craft breweries.

Do you have a karaoke go-to?

I was a child of West Coast grunge – we grew up very close to Seattle – so I like Nirvana, Pearl Jam. I'm also a diehard fan of Tracy Chapman. But inexplicably – probably because I have a Canadian accent – I'm always made to sing Shania Twain. It's not my chosen go-to, but my group-enforced go-to. I reckon her best song is 'That Don't Impress Me Much'. That's the one that speaks to me, because not much impresses me.

The last time I did karaoke was on February 7, maybe 8. WWF-Ngāti Kuri convened a gathering of indigenous oceans leaders from across the Pacific for a multi-day symposium. Pretty much every night we had a karaoke session. Jerry Norman from Ngāti Kuri is an absolute freaking legend, he just brings it with the karaoke. Spoiler: the white-ass girl from Canada being forced to sing Shania Twain was not the highlight of the evening.

Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?

Have you ever been to Bar Next Door? It's a hole-in-the-wall next to Margot, up on Wilson Street in Newtown. It's a tiny cocktail bar, really awesome. I like that for a weeknight drink, and the food at Margot is spectacular. I can't go two nights in a row because they're like, "you, again?"

Which three candidates would be on your pub quiz team?

I have a lot of good friends across the political spectrum. [National's Hutt South incumbent] Chris Bishop was at my 40th birthday party – I'm mainly friends with his wife, and he did ask me, "how many people are going to yell at me?" I would pick Bish mainly on the basis of sports, because other than passing knowledge about things like the Tour de France and the Vancouver Canucks, I'm useless.

I would pick Rachel Brooking [Labour's Dunedin candidate] for vibes and because she's a very close friend. I would also pick [Green Kenepuru candidate] Lan Pham, who's also a really good friend and I have a great deal of time for her. I like to think that I might be able to convene all these RMA spokespeople in a cross-party consensus.

Which candidate from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?

I would like to go out for a drink with Shane Jones, to toast his retirement. I will elaborate on that slightly; I think it is lost on no savvy reader that back in Shane Jones' early career, he was actually a really ardent supporter of the environment, Māoritanga and the treaty. It's been interesting to watch the evolution, and whilst I really respect politicians who are able to change their minds on the basis of new evidence, I'm not convinced that's whats happened.

Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?

It's not party policy, but my view is that we should probably dial down the amount of alcohol advertising that we see in New Zealand. Alcohol is a really significant source of harm, and I don't think our harm reduction approach in advertising reflects that.

What’s a policy area we’ve been nursing without finishing the glass?

Successive governments have been trying to update our marine protection laws. I'd love to have a crack at that, because New Zealand has one of the largest ocean properties on Earth, and we're currently protecting less than 0.5% of it. We could dream bigger. Since the Marine Reserves Act 1971, the way we craft our laws now has evolved a lot. [The Act] doesn't acknowledge the treaty at all.

What qualities make a good drinking partner?

Curiosity. I want someone that I interact with over drinks to be like a wellspring of curiosity about what they might be drinking, but also open to new ideas.

Have you ever had a Schnapps election moment where you regretted your political instinct?

I inherited a strong trust in my instincts from my matrilineal side. My grandmother and mother are both extremely instinctually driven. The advice I was always given growing up was that if your instincts tell you that something is not right, trust your instincts. I feel oftentimes women, for lots of different reasons, are not encouraged to trust themselves.

So yeah, my political instincts are pretty good. See you later, Shane Jones.

Up next on One Candidate, One Pint: Vicky Hau, New Zealand First candidate for Māngere.