Wellington Mayor Andy Foster asks councillors to stay quiet on waterfront market opening during Covid-19 alert level 2

Monday, 1 March 2021

No new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warns it is 'highly likely' more are coming.

Wellington Mayor Andy Foster has asked city councillors not to speak publicly about keeping the capital’s waterfront market open under alert level 2, hours after commenting on the matter publicly himself.

Stuff on Sunday reported that senior Wellington City Council staff decided to go ahead with the Harbourside Market on Sunday – the morning most of New Zealand entered Covid-19 alert level 2, which prohibits gatherings of more than 100 people.

The council allowed food trucks to open but stopped fruit and vegetable sellers.

Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons said that decision was “very concerning”, while Foster said “it doesn’t look right”.

Customers and walkers amongst the food stalls operating at the Wellington Harbourside Market on Sunday.

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Both were seeking answers from council management on Sunday.

Hours after his comments to Stuff, Foster emailed councillors on Sunday night to tell them he had asked management for some answers by Monday.

“In the meantime it would be appreciated if you allow this to be done, and we avoid further public comment/social media comment at this point,” Foster said in the email.

His office on Monday told Stuff that, given Wellington was at level 2, Foster was working with councillors “to ensure officials were given in what was a fluid situation, appropriate time to present the facts”.

The council, which originally said it was a “technical breach” of restrictions to run the market at reduced capacity, later changed tune and said it was not a breach because each stall was separate and was essentially no-different from traders opening elsewhere on the waterfront.

Councillor Rebecca Matthews, who has the community engagement portfolio, was concerned Foster’s email was an attempt to silence councillors ahead of an independent review ordered by the Mayor into governance issues at the council.

So long as councillors were not sharing confidential information or making personal attacks, she thought it was important for councillors to communicate with the public.

“It was a media story in the public domain and the community wanted to know what was happening,” she said.