'Love it': PM and senior minister in loop on ‘politically neutral’ Wellington group

Wednesday, 4 December 2024

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown were both in the loop about moves by a “politically neutral” group of Wellington power players, new documents reveal.

“Love it!” Luxon said via text from Samoa, when the Vision for Wellington organisation was about to go public in October with a plan to dig the city out of its slump.

Members say they remain politically neutral and the texts were above board, but they have been slammed by Wellington mayor Tory Whanau as a “group of wealthy and privileged individuals who have close connections to the National government” undermining her council.

The text messages, released under the Official Information Act, cover the period before Brown announced he was appointing a Crown observer to be his eyes and ears at a troubled Wellington City Council, to two days following the October announcement.

A document from Vision for Wellington said Wellingtonians were suffering a “crisis of confidence” brought about by the city council’s handling of finances, overspending, a lack of good leadership and “frustration at in-fighting and perceived ideology-fuelled decision-making at the expense of the needs and wishes of the city’s residents and ratepayers”. But the group was adamant it wasn’t motivated by politics.

Dames Kerry Prendergast, Patsy Reddy, Therese Walsh and Fran Wilde are in the 18-member group alongside The Post and Stuff owner Sinead Boucher, and business leaders Sir Bob Jones, Rob Morrison and Myles Gazley. Former Wellington City and current regional councillor Simon Woolf is the only working politician in Vision for Wellington.

The texts show Walsh texted Luxon on October 15 giving him a heads up about a “movement a bunch of us have started”. to which Luxon responded with two thumbs up. Nine days later, and two days after an observer was announced, she texted again to tell him the group was about to go public.

“Love it! I’m in Samoa. Hope you’re well,” Luxon replied.

Meanwhile texts between Brown and Vision for Wellington members have been released also. Prendergast texted Brown on October offering her assistance “with governance at WCC”.

A few days later Walsh texted Brown about the group: “If you get a minute a quick chat might be useful so we can line up the various parts,” she said. Brown’s only released response to either dame was sending a contact.

Luxon’s office, in a statement to The Post, said Dame Therese was a friend “and he is always pleased to see community-led initiatives to improve vitality and productivity in our cities”.

Whanau said the council needed to get on with what it needed to do, “without being undermined and held back by a group of wealthy and privileged individuals who have close connections to the National government”.

Wellington City councillor Ben McNulty said Vision for Wellington took “great umbrage at my description of them being a right-wing front group”.

“Interaction of their members with the PM and other senior ministers only affirms that is exactly what they are.”

Councillor Rebecca Matthews said the National-led Government “should not be working with their local proxies to undermine the democratic choices of Wellington.”

Walsh on Wednesday said the group remained “totally politically neutral” and her messages to Luxon and Brown were out of courtesy to let them know what was happening.

The rest of the members did not know she was in touch with them, she said. Asked whether she contacted people on the left of the political spectrum, she said she only contacted people she was otherwise working with at the time.

The group was committed to not running mayoral and councillor candidates in the 2025 Wellington City Council elections.

Prendergast said she was not aware Walsh was messaging Luxon and Brown, but saw no issue with it as she regularly dealt with them. The group remained apolitical and would not run council candidates, she said.

Through her time as mayor and since she had worked with “all sides of the political spectrum” to work for what was best for the city.

“We are not trying to undermine the council or Wellington,” she said.

Boucher said Vision for Wellington was large, diverse and growing all the time. It was an informal group and “not a secret”.

“They share a desire to do their bit to help the city thrive and grow but they do not share any kind of political agenda. I am sure lots of people in the group as it was forming talked to different contacts and people. But there was no discussion or expectation that the PM should be updated.”

There was a clear agreement among the group “we are not there to support or endorse political candidates”, Boucher said.

Simeon Brown was asked whether Vision for Wellington had any influence on appointing an observer, what he took to mean when Walsh said, 'so we can line up the various parts“, and whether he had the requested chat. He was also asked about Prendergast’s impartiality on the water entity.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the minister engages with a broad range of New Zealanders on issues that concern them,” a statement from his office said.