Wellington City Councillor Karl Tiefenbacher barred from voting on Golden Mile over cafe conflict
A Wellington business owner elected to council after campaigning fiercely against the controversial Golden Mile project has been barred from voting on its future.
Long-time opponent of the revitalisation project, Karl Tiefenbacher, was elected to Wellington City Council in October, after years of campaigning against the planned redevelopment.
The self-styled “ice cream guy” owns cafe and gelato shop Kaffee Eis, which has stores on Courtenay Pl, Cuba St, and the Wellington waterfront.
But he has now been told by officials from the Office of the Auditor General that this constitutes a conflict of interest, and he will not be able to vote on the future of the project next week.
The Golden Mile plans seek to revitalise the capital’s nightlife and hospitality strip by banning private vehicles during daytime, building a cycleway running down one side of the street, widened footpaths, new public seating and outdoor dining spaces.
Tiefenbacher has previously described efforts to remove car parks from the CBD as representing a “threat to the survival” to local businesses.
Initially forecast at $78 million, it has since ballooned to a potential $220m.
An independent review released on Thursday called into question its benefits, and warned of further budget blowouts.
After initial advice from council officers, which was escalated to the Audit Office, he has been told he will have to recuse himself from decision-making on the project.
Speaking to the Herald, Tiefenbacher said the decision is “just obscene”, arguing his business ownership means he is “probably the most inspired to make that area as good as possible”.
“If you say the person with the most experience in the area, the person who’s been most engaged with businesses in the area, can’t vote simply because he has a shop in the area, I mean, that makes it quite complex.”
Correspondence from the Auditor-General, seen by the Herald, showed Tiefenbacher unsuccessfully sought an exemption or declaration to participate in the vote.
The Auditor-General said one or more of his companies could have a financial interest in decisions on the project, but noted the extent of the financial interest was “currently unclear”.
“We are not persuaded that it would be in the interests of Wellingtonians for you to participate in decisions on the Golden Mile project,” the letter said.
Tiefenbacher said he believed the advice was provided in good faith, but disputed suggestions he could benefit financially from a decision, saying the law “doesn’t differentiate between whether it’s a positive or a negative impact on my business”.
A Wellington City Council spokesman said Tiefenbacher‘s business ownership “could give rise to a financial interest in matters affecting Courtenay Place”.
“In line with practice across local government and the Office of the Auditor-General’s guidance, it is for Councillor Tiefenbacher to determine whether a conflict of interest arises in respect of any particular decision,” the spokesman said.
Tiefenbacher said he would follow the advice, and believed his vote ultimately would not influence the outcome.
“The reality is, because Labour are voting as a total bloc, one vote won’t make the difference and I think it’s 99.9% certain [the Golden Mile project] will get cancelled anyway just because the numbers are clearly unaffordable and I think even the left have accepted that now,” he said.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.