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Council decides to go full speed ahead on the Golden Mile

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

Tony Randle, second from left, wanted to scale back the cost of the Golden Mile project to $40m.
Tony Randle, second from left, wanted to scale back the cost of the Golden Mile project to $40m.

It’s full speed ahead on the $139 million Golden Mile project while the Begonia House is just one step away from demolition.

These were just two of the crucial decisions debated by the Wellington City Council as part of its long-term plan amendment, after the failed airport share sale left a $500m shortfall.

Tuesday’s Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee was not straight-forward with an almost seven-hour meeting airing out three last-minute budget proposals by councillors and mayor Tory Whanau.

The meeting opened with a personal apology from mayor Tory Whanau to mana whenua representatives over the airport share sale process. (File photo)
The meeting opened with a personal apology from mayor Tory Whanau to mana whenua representatives over the airport share sale process. (File photo)

Whanau’s amendment overrode council staff’s recommended $558m budget cuts, which would see deferrals to social housing and organics processing, and the Golden Mile pared back to Courtenay Place.

It’s a win for Whanau, who fought hard for her non-negotiables - water, social housing and key climate initiatives such as the Golden Mile.

Addressing her amendment, Whanau said the council had held up well despite being under “intense scrutiny”.

“This is a once-in-a-generation chance to totally refresh the Golden Mile, not just tinker around the edges, but really lift the whole area so it is fit for purpose for the next 50 years or more.”

The proposal is estimated to save the council $380m to $400m, falling short of the $500m target council staff advised. The figure will be confirmed in December before going out for public consultation.

“The pace of cuts to achieve additional debt headroom needs to be balanced against the impact of those cuts,” Whanau said.

For example, delaying projects such as social housing upgrades would affect tenants and would end up with bigger costs in the long run, she said.

The mayor’s proposal passed with flying colours - after last-minute changes were made to appease ward councillors and their pet projects.

The meeting of the Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee opened with a personal apology from the mayor to mana whenua representatives over the airport share sale process.

Ben McNulty, who called Whanau “problematic” on Monday for favouring city centre projects, had his vote swayed after Grenada North Park was safe-guarded.

Other community projects safe from the firing line included the Khandallah Pool upgrade, the Kilbirnie skate park and Huetepara Park.

The Golden Mile project, which will essentially provide more space for bicycles and pedestrians, and less for cars along downtown Wellington’s retail and entertainment spine, was perhaps the most controversial among councillors.

Five different proposals were put forward, along with conflicting opinions on whether NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi would pull out of the funding if council made any design changes.

Tony Randle, who proposed to scale it back to its original $40m budget, said correspondence between Simeon Brown and Diane Calvert suggested a willingness to cut costs but council staff said there was a high chance any change would mean funding would be lost.

McNulty disagreed with the cycle network plan in the Golden Mile, specifically Courtenay Place and was exasperated they could not make changes to the design. “If the minister is listening, let us make changes. We want to remove a cycleway … I can’t believe how difficult it is to do that.”

Whanau disagreed with Randle saying his proposal for the Golden Mile was the “opposite of progressive”.

The project was carried by 11 votes to seven.

Other amendments included Iona Pannett’s attempt to save Begonia House, which will go to council staff for evaluation and the public for consultation. Council staff had recommended the 60-year-old building be demolished because of extensive damage.

Diane Calvert also put forward an amendment which included 16 projects. One of them, Huetepara Park, was pushed through.

Rebecca Matthews, speaking to the room after the mayor presented her amendment, said the council had “too many mayors”.

“Instead of the massive shopping list, think of one or two things you want so we can all work together.”

She called out Randle, who said the council had increased its cycleway budget by $10m, for “propagating a culture war against transport and safety”.

At the start of the meeting, Whanau personally apologised to mana whenua representatives over their mistreatment during the airport share sale process.

Projects kept in the long-term plan:

Projects proposed to be cut, rephased or rescoped: