The projects on Wellington mayor Tory Whanau’s chopping block
Thursday, 7 November 2024
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has revealed the projects the council might ditch as it is forced to recreate its Long Term Plan (LTP).
The LTP’s budget was thrown into disarray last month after the council voted not to sell its shares in Wellington Airport - creating a fiscal hole of roughly half a billion dollars.
That led to the Government appointing a Crown observer to the council.
In a statement on Tuesday, Whanau listed the programmes she has asked officials to review and then advise on whether or not they should be cut, reduced, or deferred.
“I acknowledge some of these projects are strongly supported by their communities,” Whanau wrote.
“We will fully engage and listen to [the communities] throughout this process. In reviewing these projects I am endeavouring to stand by those key principles I set out of not increasing rates, fixing our water and not cutting social housing or critical climate action.”
The projects facing the chop are:
Te Ngakau/Civic Square updates, focusing only on the work that Council has a statutory obligation to do
Begonia House upgrade
Bond Store upgrade
Te Awe Mapara – and what the impacts would be of reducing some of this unallocated funding
Khandallah Swimming Pool
Huetepara Park
Grenada North Community Sports Hub – with the possibility of doing smaller improvements now and deferring major improvements to outer years
Kilbirnie Skate Park
Frank Kitts carpark demolition and landscaping for the Fale Male and Chinese Garden
Otari Landscape Plan
Suburban Centre upgrades
Zoo Masterplan
City Streets transport funding - prioritising a low cost second spine bus route, cross city cycle connection and Cuba and Dixon St improvements.
Cycleways – recognising the loss of government co-funding, whether we can prioritise completion of the primary network and get options for re-phasing the secondary routes.
Are any of these projects in your neighbourhood, or affect you? Let us know what you think of the proposed cuts in the comments, or email us at newstips@stuff.co.nz.