Green Party rank and file criticise Wellington city councillor over her housing votes
Monday, 28 June 2021
Wellington Green Party members have taken a swipe at Green councillor Iona Pannett, calling for the party to “look carefully” at who is on its ticket for next year’s local body elections after votes on the city’s housing plans they call “bewildering”.
Pannett, who chaired a 12-hour-long meeting on Thursday that discussed the council’s 30-year spatial plan, made several votes that have left some party members scratching their heads.
“It’s disappointing to see someone who presents as caring about the issues, but votes in ways that makes these problems worse,” said Wellington-based former Treasury economist and Green Party member Sam Warburton.
He described Pannett’s votes as “just bewildering”, and said the party should “be looking carefully about who they endorse at the next election”.
**READ MORE:
* 'Bold', 'visionary', 'historic': What does an ambitious spatial plan mean for Wellington's future?
* The Yimbys just flexed their muscles on density, and did not lose
* Wellington City Council rejects plan to remove height restrictions for central city buildings
**
“I’m not surprised about people like Nicola Young voting that way, or Andy Foster or Simon Woolf [all right-leaning independents], but they don’t pretend,” Warburton said.
The Pukehīnau/Lambton ward councillor backed plans to retain central city building height limits (having earlier voted the wrong way and forced a second vote). She also voted against extending the “walkable” catchment from the central city boundary within which six-storey-plus buildings would be permitted.
Pannett voted against proposals to reduce protected “character” areas in the city’s inner suburbs. She also sided with councillor Nicola Young’s proposal to add even more protected character areas in the inner-city suburbs.
Wellington student James Wafer said he joined the Green Party a few days ago, having been “extremely disappointed with the votes taken by councillors on Thursday given the party's stance on provision of affordable, warm and dry housing for all people”.
“While these decisions can't be changed, having the councillors in question put forward again in 2022 will result in similar vote patterns in the future, to the detriment of those in need of housing, and to the party politically,” Wafer said.
He said he was “extremely disappointed” with Free and Pannett voting to retain central city height limits, and found it hard to see how Pannett could make a mistake while voting.
But Pannett defended her votes, saying she and her fellow Greens councillors – Laurie Foon and deputy mayor Sarah Free – were pleased to have passed an ambitious spatial plan.
“Green councillors took a few different stances on the issue of CBD height limits and character protection, as we stood on slightly different platforms, but are united on the need for our city to grow and change to be equitable and sustainable.”
Free and Foon both voted to reduce protected character areas and extend the central city “walkable” catchment, and voted against adding further protected character areas.
Free voted to retain central city height limits, but Foon wanted to scrap them.
All three agreed the walkable catchment from rapid transit stops should be increased from five minutes to 10 minutes.
Those currently include stops on the Johnsonville rail line, which runs through the city’s western and northern suburbs.
The spatial plan that was up for debate is the council’s blueprint for creating up to 32,000 new homes to accommodate forecast population growth of up to 80,000 people over the next three decades.
Green Party urban development spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said councillors had been advised to vote for a bold and visionary spatial plan, and had done so.
“Ultimately, it is up to Green Party members to decide if Green councillors voted most in line with the view of the membership and the Green Party kaupapa,” Genter said.
Party co-leader Marama Davidson has been approached for comment.