Wellington City Council proposes $7.7 million worth of investment targeting city safety, sexual violence and alcohol harm

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

The proposed funding hopes to deliver requests by the Wellington Alliance Against Sexual Violence, who led a rally against sexual violence, attended by hundreds of people in March.

A funding boost of millions of dollars has been proposed to implement sexual violence prevention initiatives, reduce alcohol-related harm and make Wellington's entertainment and party district safer.

The proposal, put forward in Wellington City Council’s draft Long Term Plan, has suggested $7.7 million in funding for the Pōneke Promise, a joint initiative between the council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, the city’s hospitality industry, retailers and police.

City councillors will vote on the plan on Thursday and, if passed, it will see $3.7m in capital expenditure for the Pōneke Promise and $4m in operating expenditure over the next three years.

The Wellington City Council proposal includes funding for the Don’t Guess The Yes campaign, a joint-initiative between police and hospitality to raise awareness about sexual consent. (File photo).

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Wellington students Ella Lamont and Sophia Harrison gave a poetry reading at a rally in March, just days after they created an online anonymous survey regarding sexual violence and harassment in the city, which received more than 2600 responses.

As part of the proposal, the city council will deliver three requests from the Wellington Alliance Against Sexual Violence (WAASV), a new organisation which led a rally against sexual violence, attended by hundreds of people in the central city in March.

These include design changes to Courtenay Place, a joint strategy between Hospitality New Zealand and the city council to make bars safer and funding for sexual violence prevention initiatives.

Community harm reduction programmes the council hopes to implement, with the help of $1.2m in funding, include a boost for the Don’t Guess The Yes campaign – a police and hospitality awareness campaign on sexual consent – plus bystander interventions regarding sexual violence and alcohol harm, with a focus on sporting codes.

The funding would also go towards the council working with hospitality to build on the education and training for staff, alongside RespectEd Aotearoa.

Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul spoke at the rally against sexual violence in the city and has pushed for improvements in the space as part of her city safety portfolio.

Take 10, a volunteer group which hits the streets on Friday and Saturday nights providing a safe space for people, could also receive a funding boost of $570,000.

Te Wāhi Āwhina, a new community space opposite Te Aro Park, would receive $925,000 in the proposal, to support the development of programmes to help local residents.

Funding of $4.8m has been proposed for street improvements to Opera House Lane, Lukes Lane, Dixon St and nearby areas, as well as lighting improvements on Courtenay Place.

City councillor Tamatha Paul, who holds the city safety portfolio, said she hoped to see a transformation of the environment and culture of Courtenay Place in the next few years.

“On Thursday, we will decide whether we truly care about our city being able to live free from sexual harm or not. It’s easy to say we care, but our budget will tell our community what we really care about.

“Councillors have heard about the prevalence of sexual harm in Wellington. Listening to the experiences, particularly of young people, has been saddening and disturbing.

Both Matt McLaughlin, bar owner and long-time Wellington hospitality figure and WAASV rally organiser, Jahla Lawrence, said the proposal showed the council was prepared to “put their money where their mouth is”.

Rally organiser Jahla Lawrence says if the funding is improved it will be an amazing step, but there is still more work to be done.

McLaughlin said the proposed funding was a “nice surprise”.

“I think it's fantastic. We asked the council to step up and help us out with these issues … They need to be applauded for this and how quickly it's been turned around,” he said.

Lawrence said the proposal showed what could come of people, particularly young people, sharing their stories.

“It shows us that storytelling has the power to influence policy and funding matters. It’s an amazing and perfect example of how protest and how the power of voice works and people coming together can make change,” she said.

Since the rally, WAASV had been working with various teams in council about how to implement their requests.

“This is one step in an ongoing campaign, it's an amazing step, but there's still plenty more work to be done.

“This win is not just ours, it's the entire sector's work that we have worked with and built upon, and I want to acknowledge the work that has been done before us,” she said.

On top of the $7.7m proposed, the council is also considering $4.07m for a youth hub and other spaces where young people can spend time, without having to spend money.

As part of the Children and Youth People Strategy, the initiative would allow for a premise to be leased by the council and costs to support a third party youth service provider to run the hub.

“With the closure of Reading Cinemas there is no large, covered area where young people can safely ‘hang out’ in the city without having to pay anything,” the proposal said.