Beehive lobbying ‘deeply problematic’: Wellington mayor

Wednesday, 11 December 2024

Dames Therese Walsh, Fran Wilde and Kerry Prendergast are some of the main players in the new group, Vision Wellington.

Further messages to a senior government minister, one signed off with a dynamite firecracker emoji, from people involved with the Vision for Wellington group have again called into question its claims of political impartiality.

Earlier this month it was revealed Air New Zealand board chairperson Dame Therese Walsh had messaged Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to give him a “heads up” the new group was launching, while former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast had texted Local Government Minister Simeon Brown 11 days before an observer was appointed to Wellington City Council to offer her assistance with governance at the council.

Along with Dame Patsy Reddy, Dame Fran Wilde, business leader Sir Bob Jones, Rob Morrison, Myles Gazley, and The Post owner Sinead Boucher, the pair are part of the advocacy group Vision for Wellington, which says it is bipartisan and not into political lobbying. Prendergast’s name had been bandied about as a possible Crown observer.

Councillor Ben McNulty has previously labelled them a “right-wing front group”, something Boucher has refuted, saying it was “expressly not a politically driven group.”

In October, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced his intention to appoint a Crown observer to the Wellington City Council. (file photo)

But new messages released under the Official Information Act (OIA) reveal other group members, regional councillor Simon Woolf and businessman Gazley were also in Simeon Brown’s ear regarding Wellington City Council.

A text message from Gazley to Brown in March, six months before the launch of the Vision group, says: ”Hi Simeon, I’m a friend of Nicola Willis, can you please call me when you have time about Wellington city council“. It was followed by a firecracker emoji. Brown did not reply.

And in October, eight days out from the announcement of an observer Woolf also texted Brown ‒ regarding the council’s on-again-off-again airport share sale, noting he had “refrained from communicating to you on the WCC previously”.

But, he continued: “Last Thursday watching first hand what played out with the airport sale, or not, debacle has changed that. The circus that it was, showed up the Councillors, and especially the officers. The officer advice was so poor, with options and information missing.

“There was also information given by the officers which was incorrect. With the CE now leaving in March, the need for a Crown Observer is even more necessary. The damage that will undoubtedly occur to Wellington in the next year without Government intervention will be difficult and unwieldy to unwind. Last Thursday was a watershed”.

Simon Woolf said he was representing his constituents in voicing concerns to Brown, and would have voiced similar concerns no matter what the government was.

Brown did not respond.

On Tuesday Woolf said the comment was made in his capacity as a regional councillor.

“The decisions re Wellington city council and their LTP Budget intertwine with Greater Wellington Regional Council in many ways, especially in the transport area. WCC make fiscal changes and it's likely to have an effect on GWRC. My concerns were also not just Governance. There were concerning aspects of the operational side of that meeting which swayed my decision to contact Minister Brown”.

“It is deeply problematic that this group is attempting to undermine democratic decision making through government lobbying,” said Wellington mayor Tory Whanau.

He said he was representing his constituents in voicing concerns to the minister, and would have voiced similar concerns whatever stripe the government of the day was. “It had nothing whatsoever to do with my involvement with Vision for Wellington.”

However, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said the new information clearly showed that members of Vision for Wellington had lobbied the Government around intervention, “despite previously denying this was the case”.

She took a swipe at the hand several of the group had previously had in running the city. “It's important to remind them, and the Government, that they do not stand for or represent Wellington, and are partially responsible for some of the historical issues Wellington now faces.

“Our council is working hard for Wellington, and is delivering on key projects such as water, social housing, climate initiatives and more public transport infrastructure. These were things that I and my fellow councillors were elected to deliver.

“It is deeply problematic that this group is attempting to undermine democratic decision making through government lobbying. I would strongly suggest that these individuals engage in democracy like everyone else, rather than using their close connections with the National Party to undermine our decisions,” Whanau said.

Asked about being contacted by members of the group, and engaging with them, the minister said he had no communication with them ‒ “not at all” ‒ but was contacted all the time by people wanting to discuss a range of issues, and the observer role was no different.

“Obviously I engage[d] with many different parts of society across New Zealand on a range of issues as minister for local government in terms of the observer decision.”