At just 28, Campbell Barry is bidding to become the country's youngest-ever mayor and beat possibly New Zealand's most popular mayor, Lower Hutt's Ray Wallace.
Mr Wallace has won the last two elections by a landslide - about 80 per cent of the vote - in the past two elections.
"I think last time it was the biggest percentage margin the country but I take nothing for granted, every election is a new election," Mr Wallace told Seven Sharp.
Then, opening up a broadside from the left, Campbell Barry, not yet 30 years old, but already six years on council.
"I'm under no illusion that I'm an underdog and it's going to be hard battle," Mr Barry said.
"Age is just a number and it's the experiences you've had in your life, no matter how old you are - that's what's important."
Mr Wallace is taking his rival’s challenge seriously.
"Oh look, he's got a major political party backing him, a massive party machine, I'm taking it very seriously," Mr Wallace said.
At the centre of it all is the Naenae pool, which was closed in April this year because it needed earthquake strengthening.
"It is the main drawcard for Naenae, it brings in the traffic for the local businesses around here and if you're urgent, you need to put your money where your mouth is. Talk is cheap," Mr Barry said.
Up the road in Taita, the Walter Nash Centre is the physical manifestation of Mr Wallace's desire to zhoosh up the Hutt, with almost a million locals through the doors each year.
"We're very proud of this it has been a success story from the day it opened," Mr Wallace said.
The incumbent maintaining his council would repair the Naenae pool.
"Oh no, we are definitely doing something on the pool, let's be clear about that. There's been a lot of misinformation that the council is not going to fix it - we have made that the top priority for our council."
Mr Campbell's age comes with one major advantage in campaigning – social media.
"I'm focussed on my campaign and social media plays a big part in that and we will be making sure we use that platform to get people voting as much as possible," Mr Campbell said.
Though Mr Wallace is holding his own in that area with an Instagram account and two Facebook pages, though not a Twitter account.
For the past decade, political predictability has reigned in the valley, but now the opening salvoes have been fired.
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