Under-review councillors to discuss city's future at first gathering since call for outside help

Monday, 1 March 2021

Foster called for the review following a sustained period of 'rancour and partisanship' among some councillors.

Wellington’s under-review council will be hoping for a less-dramatic return to its chambers when it meets on Thursday to discuss some major challenges facing the capital over the next decade.

Councillors will meet publicly for the first time since mayor Andy Foster called for an independent review of the council's governance a week ago, following a year of “infighting” which had reached breaking point.

They will be tasked with signing off on a draft 10-year plan that includes a multi-billion-dollar water infrastructure bill, a proposal to sell parts of the central library building, and plans to demolish two vulnerable buildings in Te Ngākau Civic Square.

The city council’s long-term plan includes $2.64 billion for renewing and improving the city’s ageing water pipes. (File photo)

Councillors managed to reach consensus recently on the preferred options for these and other major projects included in the 10-year plan, but not before numerous late tweaks and some heated exchanges that ultimately contributed to the call for a review.

Wellington Water contractors transported sludge for months from the Moa Point Treatment Plant to the Southern Landfill after a wastewater pipe broke under Mt Albert. (File photo)

* Wellington's Municipal Office Building on the chopping block

* Wellington Civic Square building could be demolished for new National Music Centre

The upshot is that it is now the public’s time to have its say, with the draft plan to go out for public feedback next month.

The council has recommended a public private partnership to help fund the $179m upgrade of the empty central library building. (File photo)

Barring any further changes on Thursday, these are the options the community will be faced with for the city’s major projects.

Water infrastructure: preferred option – $2.6 billion investment over 10 years

Like the council, the city’s ageing water pipes have reached breaking point over the past 12 months, with Wellington Water recording more than 2000 pipe bursts in its latest annual report.

The council is proposing to spend $841 million over 10 years on water pipe renewals, and another $1.8b on operations and maintenance.

The council is also recommending demolishing the Municipal Office Building (far left) and Civic Administration Building (next to it), at a cost of $10.5m. (File photo)

That represents an increase of 33 per cent and 22 per cent respectively compared to the previous 10-year plan.

Other options include not increasing spending at all, or spending a total of $3.7b, which would blow the council’s budget.

Central library rebuild: preferred option – public private partnership

Improvements to the Island Bay cycleway will be completed as part of a $45m cycleway funding boost. (File photo)

Councillors voted 9-6 recently to recommend partnering with private investors for a planned $179m earthquake-strengthening and upgrade of the closed library building.

That would mean parts of the upper floors would be used as commercial space, while the council would continue to own and operate the library. It would reopen in May 2025.

Two options have been put forward for a fully-funded council upgrade.

One is to delay the project by several years until the council has more borrowing headroom, while the other is to increase rates by a further 3 per cent to avoid a delay. Rates are already proposed to increase by 13.5 per cent.

Protestors marched during a strike to raise climate change awareness in Wellington in September.

Vulnerable Civic Square buildings: preferred option – demolish and rebuild

The council is proposing to spend $5.5m to demolish the Municipal Office Building (MOB), and $5m to demolish the Civic Administration Building (CAB).

The buildings would be replaced by private developments, with the council retaining land ownership and offering long-term ground leases.

A second option is to spend $48m upgrading the earthquake-damaged CAB, and $84m upgrading the MOB.

Cycleways: preferred option – $108m investment over 10 years

Several suburbs are set to benefit from a recommended $45m addition to the capital’s cycleways programme.

The extra spending would go towards cycleways between Tawa and Johnsonville, and between Ngaio and Kaiwharawhara, as well as connections to Brooklyn and further work on the Island Bay cycleway.

Cycleways in Miramar and Evans Bay will be completed in the first three years, with the additional funding to be allocated after that.

Other options range from $40m to $203m.

Te Atakura First to Zero (climate change): preferred option – $27m, full programme

Councillors Tamatha Paul and Jill Day successfully moved to recommend an extra $3.8m for climate change initiatives under the council’s Ta Atakura programme.

The programme is a blueprint to make Wellington a zero carbon capital by 2050, with reduced emissions in transport, building, and within the council.

Lower-level investments of $13.1m and $23.2m have also been put forward.