Fury, bickering, points of order but the LTP has been passed

Thursday, 27 June 2024

Join the conversation in the comments section below

“This LTP is a political obituary,” councillor Ben McNulty has told his colleagues on the left, who he believed would not be re-elected because of their support for the sale of the airport.

Today the Wellington City Council voted through its 10-year plan, but not without fiery debate over the sale of the airport shares. Proceeds from the sale of the council’s 34% stake in the airport will establish an investment fund which could be used to fund a natural disaster response.

Silent protesters from Unions Wellington, holding signs reading “Don’t make Roger Douglas proud”, were at the council meeting this morning.

The ghosts of previous asset sales were invoked in debate too, with McNulty telling his colleagues they were finishing Richard Prebble’s job.

His fiery speech was described as “nasty” by Sarah Free, who was sitting next to him.

“You have made this, by behaving so disrespectfully to our colleagues and our staff and our mayor, harder and more painful and more difficult for yourselves and for us all,” said Rebecca Matthews in a veiled address to the so-called Airport Three, two of whom are her colleagues in the Labour Party.

“I do not want to be like that … I will not be a dick to any of you,” she said.

The long-term plan has been largely agreed, but three councillors splintered from the mayor’s usual majority to oppose one large part of it: the sale of the council’s 34% shareholding in Wellington Airport.

The stakes were high, with several councillors convinced that if the long-term plan did not go through today the Government would send in commissioners to replace the council. Mayor Tory Whanau repeated the sentiment on RNZ’s Morning Report.

Nureddin Abdurahman – one of the three councillors campaigning against the asset sale along with McNulty and Nīkau Wi Neera – said that even if they lost the vote on Thursday, the campaign would continue throughout the council term. It could take up to three years to finally sell the shares, even after a council resolution.

When the meeting finally moved into debate on the long-term plan itself, Ray Chung opened with concerns that the plan was too expensive for ratepayers and “abominable”.

An amendment from councillor Diane Calvert, asking the council to lower its debt levels within two years, was voted down. The Airport Three were all in favour of Calvert’s amendment.

Tim Brown said he supported the intention of the amendment but thought it was part of the “unnecessary theatre” of the debate. “I don’t feel like this is a very productive or genuinely conciliatory resolution.”

Earlier today the meeting descended into procedural wrangling over standing orders. First Wi Neera was told that he could not alter the committee recommendations in order to revisit the sale of the shares.

Whanau said councillors had the “democratic right” to oppose the sale of the shares. “But I reject any accusation that this has been an unfair and undemocratic process.”

Deputy mayor Laurie Foon, who previously pledged not to sell the airport shares and then voted for the sale, said she knew her vote had disappointed some. “We have another six months to keep going on this and, as is my duty, my mind will be open.”

Whanau then ruled that an amendment from McNulty, which would have required further investigation into keeping the airport shares, was out of order.

That was strongly denied by McNulty, Abdurahman and Wi Neera. “It’s outrageous,” said Wi Neera.

“No, this is democracy,” said Whanau to angry laughter and jeers from the gathered protesters. She told councillors and the protesters gathered in the public gallery to calm down.

At the outrage from the Airport Three, she responded: “This is what happens when you drop amendments nine minutes after the meeting has started.”

In an adjournment to discuss the drama, councillor Tony Randle said Whanau’s ruling was wrong. He was on the side of councillors considering a vote against the entire 10-year budget, in part because of his outrage at the meeting.

Once again the three councillors struggled with procedural hurdles, and the meeting took an adjournment to discuss whether amendments could be made to the paper council was discussing.

On Wednesday councillors met to discuss the same issue in the long-term plan committee, where the debate quickly became tense.

The voting dynamic is slightly different at full council meetings, where the two votes of mana whenua representatives are not taken into account.

How they voted on the long-term plan

For: Mayor Tory Whanau, Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon, John Apanowicz, Tim Brown, Sarah Free, Rebecca Matthews, Teri O’Neill, Iona Pannett, Geordie Rogers

Against: Nureddin Abdurahman, Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Ben McNulty, Tony Randle, Nīkau Wi Neera, Nicola Young